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Accidental Gamer Hero by Knowing Autumn
 Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Fantasy, Hinata H., OC, Words: 198k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 4k+, Published: Dec 5, 2020 Updated: 12h ago1,950Chapter 10: The Scroll of Seals
A/N: Damn, views and reviews really shot up after this story hit 100k words. I would like to thank everyone for their unceasing support and especially certain reviewers whose long ass, I'm talking 2000+ word, reviews that really motivated me. You know who you are, wink. And of course I am also deeply grateful for all the feedback the rest of you have given, but y'know, it's not 2000 words so... kidding. Anyways, next goal, 1k reviews and 200k words!
So I tallied up the votes, all the while kicking myself for not using the polling function, and a majority of you voted for option 2: brief description of the dungeon but detailed boss and hidden boss fight. Your democratically elected dungeon scene will be reflected in the next chapter.
Longer author's note at the bottom! Enjoy!
*Later that night*
I crouched on the branch of a tree that lined the perimeter of the Hokage's tower, watching the main entrance. Sighing for what had to be the tenth time in the past hour, I mentally swore at Kiba who caused me to accept this damnable quest.
Upon accepting the quest, I had panicked for awhile before realizing that Naruto and Mizuki were already gone, which resulted in me despairing even further. However, as Gamer's Mind cleared up my hysteria, I sat down to come up with a plan to complete the quest.
I figured that since the Scroll of Seals was presumably kept hidden in the Hokage's Tower, it would be prudent if I simply kept watch near the entrance and catch Naruto entering the tower. Since he still wasn't capable of tree-walking, the boy could only enter through the sole ground entrance.
Furthermore, there was also the possibility Naruto entered under a Henge, so I used [Observe] on every individual who entered or exited. There were a lot of assumptions being made in the creation of this plan that had the possibility of failing and sending my ass to jail, but I had hardly any choice. Had I known I would be forced into a quest such as this I would've at least try to find out where the Scroll of Seals is being kept or other such information.
A few months back, my [Observe] finally levelled up to level 5, which was also incidentally its max level. Upon reaching max level, it could now see through disguises and transformation techniques with certain limitations such as level difference. However, curiously enough, I was still unable to discern an individual's stats even with [Observe]. I hypothesized that it was possible that while others' HP and CP could be quantified by the system, the stats that measured an individual's capabilities only applied to me. Or it could just be that even with a max level [Observe] I still couldn't see another person's stats.
Regardless, with my max level [Observe], I would be able to catch sight of Naruto even if he was under a Henge. However, after camping out here for the past three hours, I have still yet to catch even a single glimpse of the orange wearing loud mouth.
I was always curious how Naruto, the infamous dunce, was able to sneak past security and even managing to steal a scroll full of forbidden techniques from a tower filled with expert shinobi who, by the very basis of their occupation, were a cautious and paranoid sort. Even if he was regarded as an accomplished prankster whose stealthiness was above par, it still seemed unlikely to me.
My best guess would be that since Naruto frequently visited the Hokage in the tower, he was thus intimately familiar with the layout of the building. Furthermore, given his disposition towards elaborate pranks frequently aimed at shinobi, it was entirely possible the boy was also aware of shinobi patrols and location of guards. Both of which could have allowed him to slip past any loop holes and accomplish this feat.
I was shaken from my thoughts when I finally caught sight of the orange jumpsuit wearing jinchuuriki running out of the main entrance with a bright grin on his face as well as a conspicuously large scroll strapped to his back.
It was baffling to me that such a bold exit warranted no attention from any shinobi in the vicinity. Where were the patrols? Where were the guards? Was no one on lookout for infiltrators or foreign spies? Or could it be that Naruto succeeded on his endeavour through sheer dumb luck?
Rolling my eyes at the absurdity of it all, I made to follow after Naruto, all the while running across rooftops and other vantage points, making sure to stay unseen and unheard. I didn't need Naruto thinking he was already caught before he learned the most important jutsu in his arsenal.
.
.
"Let's see. The first jutsu is… Tajuu Kage Bunshin? Ugh, not another bunshin technique! That's my worst one." Naruto exclaimed while reading the first section of the Scroll of Seals.
Currently, I was crouched on a branch above him, watching and waiting. We were in a secluded part of the forest outside the perimeters of Konohagakure's walls. It appeared that Naruto was something of an expert in the comings and goings of Konoha's guards and patrols. It did not seem like this was his first foray leaving the village or avoiding shinobi to do so. He managed to find a hole in the village's usually tight defences (mainly because the sentries were trained to be on the watch for people trying to enter the village rather than ones trying to exit), and I followed after him in secret.
Upon making our way to where we currently were, Naruto unravelled the Scroll of Seals while I positioned myself in a way that I could also read the scroll over his shoulders. With my Sharingan active, the task of reading the small characters on the scroll in the dark and from a distance was made easy.
"Hmm then the next jutsu is… Bunshin Daibakuha - kuso are they all bunshin jutsus? Ah well, let's just try out the first one. I just have to learn one technique and I will get to graduate!" Naruto declared and began reading the instructions for the Kage Bunshin technique.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of red eyes with tomoes spinning wildly were watching him and reading the scroll at the same time. The red eyes belonged to me of course, and I was deciding between waiting for Iruka to show up or appearing before Naruto right now.
The reasons for showing myself right now was that I could take the chance to openly learn the Kage Bunshin technique so that I wouldn't have to hide it's usage in the future. Although it would also be difficult to explain myself when Iruka did show up and I was alongside Naruto learning a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals.
Mulling over it for awhile more, I decided that the best course of action for me right now which could ensure both the safety of Naruto and Iruka, as well as my own personal liberty, would be to only appear when Iruka showed up. Being seen with Naruto with the Scroll of Seals would be pretty damning evidence of criminal activity on my part. And while Naruto might be forgiven since he was both not yet an official genin and also given his history, his loyalty to the village might not be in doubt.
I, on the other hand, was an orphan who had no real connection to the village. It wouldn't be farfetched for investigators to think I might be working for a foreign village or Orochimaru. Thus, I had to be extra cautious about the timing of my intervention, since it would be entirely possible for me to be suspected of treason given the sensitive nature of the Scroll of Seals.
At least I could take the time now to learn the Kage Bunshin by reading the scroll. And even if I couldn't, I might just be able to copy the jutsu with my Sharingan eyes when Naruto figures it out.
If what was written in the scroll was correct then a shadow clone is created by evenly dividing the user's chakra. Unlike the basic clone technique, shadow clones were physically real and possesses the same clothing, damage, and transformations as the user at the time of their creation. Most tools and weaponry are copied when the shadow clones are created except for complicated technology.
Even though the scroll detailed the instructions for learning Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu, the precursor technique, that is, Kage Bunshin no jutsu, was also included. The reason why the Mass Shadow Clone technique was considered forbidden was because of how many clones can be created with the jutsu. Thus the chakra cost for doing so was also far greater than the regular Kage Bunshin technique. For this reason, the Shodai Hokage declared his jutsu forbidden and hid it away in the Scroll of Seals.
But the base technique itself was simple enough to learn. Forming a physical construct of your body using chakra and then imbuing half of your chakra into it. Upon doing so, shape a rudimentary chakra network which will then snap into place once the clone was fully formed. There were a few other subtleties to the technique, but nothing that made it overly complex.
[Kage Bunshin no Jutsu] has been added to your skill page!
.
.
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An hour or so later, Naruto finally decided enough reading and it was time for him to actually start practicing. It took more than a few tries, but eventually he managed to create a dozen clones on his first successful attempt.
"Yatta! I did it! I can become a genin now!" The Naruto clones chorused together before looking at each other blinking.
"This… is kinda weird." One of them commented before going up to another and poking its face.
"Hey quit it!" The Naruto being poked yelled, while the one doing the poking recoiled.
"Woah, you can talk?"
"So what? You can talk too right? Big deal."
"Alright, this is getting too creepy." With that, the rest of the clones were dismissed in a cloud of smoke.
"Hmm, should I go find Mizuki-sensei or wait here and continue practicing?" Naruto wondered aloud, "He did say I was supposed to hide for as long as I could so… I guess I should train more! I wonder how many clones I can make?"
Naruto formed the oh so familiar handseal and yelled, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A sea of smoke materialized throughout the clearing as dozens if not hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in a plume of chakra-induced smoke.
I widened my eyes in surprise and retreated up to a higher spot. There were even clones appearing on the lower branches, which was too close for comfort in my book. My mouth widened slightly at the sight of over a hundred Naruto clones crowing the forest. I knew that Naruto was more than capable of such a feat but seeing it with my own two eyes; a veritable sea of blondes appearing out of nowhere created with nothing but chakra, was an unbelievable notion.
It has been awhile since I checked out my fellow classmates' status with [Observe], so I wondered just how much chakra quantified in to CP did the jinchuuriki actually possess.
Uzumaki Naruto Lv 12
HP: 13650/13650
CP: 1612/378000
My god… the boy had well over three hundred thousand CP in his small body which was nearly a hundred times my own. And even after creating what appeared to be 250 clones as a cursory count using my Sharingan told me, he still had over one thousand CP left after the equal division of chakra. Furthermore, right in front of my very eyes, his CP was regenerating at the rate of hundreds every second. Even now, his CP was rapidly climbing up with every breath he took without any sign of slowing down.
A jinchuuriki's chakra capacity was truly terrifying and he was still only 12 years old! He had yet to even hit puberty nor his growth spurt. What would be his CP count in a year's time? What about two? Three? Putting a jinchuuriki's chakra into a quantifiable metric was truly terrifying when one could visually compare it to any other average shinobi.
"Woohoo, I'm awesome dattebayo! The clone technique is worthless when compared to the shadow clone! Mine can move, talk and fight too! But it sure uses a lot of chakra. Man… I feel so tired now."
Tired? I checked his CP again; it was already over ten thousand. What a monster. Knowing about it and seeing it for myself was two entirely different matters. Especially now that I was familiar with what can be considered 'normal' – something like Naruto was unquestionably in the realms of abnormal.
After some time, Naruto got bored practicing the Kage Bunshin and tired of being amazed with his own shadow clones, so he released them. Although some of the unused chakra returned to Naruto upon the clones being voluntarily released, it was only a tiny fraction compared to the gargantuan amounts of CP he used in creating the clones due to his poor chakra control. Even then, the tiny fraction was still a massive quantity when compared to literally any other shinobi.
The blonde sat down on the floor, exhausted from the generous and flagrant use of his chakra. At that moment, I heard the slightest sound of feet hitting grass as someone entered my peripheral vision.
Iruka finally arrived, walking towards Naruto with barely withheld anger. Upon catching sight of the chuunin, I sank deeper in to the shadows and minimized my breathing. I nearly entered a meditative state in an attempt to clear my mind and lower my heart rate. This was a hiding technique I had found in the Uchiha Clan library – the Tortoise Breathing technique. A method of erasing one's presence by lowering one's heartrate and thus need to breathe to the absolute minimum. This would allow the user to remain hidden so long as they were not seen or heard by anyone as this method could even suppress one's chakra signature if performed to perfection.
"It's all over now, Naruto!" Iruka threateningly uttered as he approached the boy.
Naruto, who was panting slightly while sitting on the forest ground, looked up and laughed mischievously while scratching the back of his head.
The chuunin instructor looked back in confusion at the blonde's casual attitude at being caught.
"Got me already? Not bad Iruka-sensei. You're pretty quick. I only had time to learn one jutsu. " Naruto offered while still maintaining his relaxed posture.
Iruka eyed the sweat stains and other signs of fatigue on the boy, realizing that Naruto had been out here practicing the entire time.
"Listen, Iruka-sensei! I'm going to show you this amazing jutsu, and you're going to let me graduate! Then everything will be okay! That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically.
The chuunin widened his eyes in shock, "Huh? Where'd you get that idea?"
Naruto waved his arms around out excitedly, "Mizuki-sensei told be about it dattebayo! He told me where to find this scroll, and this place too! He said I had to hide for as long as I could and learn a jutsu from the scroll-"
Just as Iruka was processing the surprising revelation Naruto had just shared, he sensed a volley of kunais flying towards Naruto from behind.
"Look out!" He yelled out as he pushed the jinchuuriki out of harm's way. The chuunin hastily retrieved his own kunai and batted away the most dangerous ones headed his way. But unfortunately he had to allow a few of the kunais that were going to hit the non-lethal areas of his body through.
"Kgh!" He grunted in pain as one kunai buried deep in his right thigh while another few grazed parts of his torso and arms.
'Shit!' I cursed while watching the exchange from my vantage point high above the rest of them. I was too absorbed by the interaction and failed to notice the appearance of the today's main villain.
"I see you found out little hideaway." A voice called out.
I turned towards the source of the voice and Mizuki crouched on the branch of a tree some distance away from my own with two large shurikens strapped to his back. I took the time he had yet to notice me to use [Observe] on the traitor chuunin.
Mizuki Lv 53
HP: 7600/7600
CP: 9840/9840
Mizuki is a chuunin of Konohagakure and an instructor at the Shinobi Academy. He appears to be a very polite and kind-hearted man but in reality he is a power-hungry person willing to sacrifice whatever he has to in order to achieve that power. Although he is an excellent shinobi of considerable skill, he was never allowed to advance beyond Chuunin rank because of suspicions concerning his mission conduct.
He dislikes you because he is envious of your talent and popularity even though you're an orphan just like him, yet you became Rookie of the Year and is friendly with members of prestigious clans.
Mizuki is stronger than you.
I gulped. This was the person I had to defeat? An elite chuunin more 30 levels higher than me, not to mention a decade more experience and an entire arsenal of chuunin-level jutsus and other techniques available to him. Plus I had to do so without revealing the secret of my Sharingan. How in the world did Naruto succeed in the anime? It should have been impossible!
My thoughts raced through the possibilities and plans. I had little to no chance in a direct confrontation, so I had to be smart about it. A sneak attack was the most likely scenario I would have even the slightest chance of succeeding, but how likely was it that I could sneak up on an accomplished chuunin?
Furthermore, I had to intervene before Iruka would foolishly throw himself against the giant shuriken Mizuki was going to throw. If I was going to act, I had to get into position now! The Tortoise Breathing technique only worked when I was motionless – that meant my stealth would reduce considerably the moment I moved. Hopefully, they would be distracted by their conversation enough not to notice me.
"So that's how it is huh, Mizuki? I should've known…" Iruka breathed out while clutching the bleeding wound on his arm.
"Naruto! Give me the scroll now!" The traitorous chunin demanded.
Said blonde, having been knocked to the ground by Iruka's push earlier, trembled at what just happened. "Wait a minute. What's going on here?"
Iruka gripped the kunai that was embedded in his thigh and with a grunt, pulled it out of his leg. "Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that could put this village in grave danger. Mizuki tricked you to get the scroll for himself!"
"Naruto, Iruka's just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll.", the blue haired chuunin explained.
"Stop lying, Mizuki! Don't let him trick you, Naruto!"
Mizuki smirked and laughed, "Hahaha! Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying…"
Iruka widened his eyes in realization at what his traitorous friend was intending to do, "No, Mizuki!"
Continuing, Mizuki explained, "They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto… since the decree twelve years ago."
"W-what decree?"
"Everybody knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up."
"What is this decree! Why does everyone else know about it but me?" Naruto asked, confused beyond measure yet he was also deeply curious at the apparent giant secret everyone had constructed around him.
Iruka struggled to take a step forward, the blood spilling profusely from his thigh the moment he did, "Don't tell him! It's forbidden!"
Ignoring his ex-friend's desperate plea, Mizuki continued exposing the village's S-ranked secret, "The decree is that no is allowed to tell you the nine-tailed fox is inside you!"
Naruto gasped, his eyes chocked full of emotion ranging from surprise, disbelief but even a hint of realization.
"That means, the demon fox that killed Iruka's parents, destroyed our village and killed all those people is you! You are the Kyuubi!"
"Stop it!" Iruka protested weakly, but neither Mizuki nor Naruto was even listening to him anymore.
Gleefully, Mizuki continued, "They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt, like they hated you for just being alive!"
Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes as he recalled all those instances the villagers had shunned him or told their children to avoid him. There was no blatant abuse, nor any overt maltreatment but… it was the loneliness that got to him. "No… it can't be… damnit!" Naruto exclaimed as his chakra flared furiously around him.
"That's why you will never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved Iruka-sensei hates your guts! That's why…" Mizuki started before removing a giant shuriken from his back and began spinning it in his hands, "…you should just die, Naruto!"
As Mizuki poised himself to fling the giant weapon at the shell-shocked blonde, at that moment I jumped down from my hiding spot above him and stabbed Kotetsu no Ryu, strengthened by [Power Strike], deep into his shoulder.
"Kuagh!" The chuunin yelled out before turning the spinning shuriken on me, but I had already leapt off at that point and used [Flash Step] to reappear on the opposite side. Now that I was out in the open and no longer needed to hide my presence, chakra surged through my body and weapon as I activated [Chakra Enhancement] and [Chakra Flow], along with using [Whirlwind Steps] to double my speed.
I flashed forward and tried running through the chuunin with my Katana, key word being tried. The blade sank two or three inches deep before I was met with a kick that threw me back, but I managed to negate any damage by jumping back the moment it did.
Throughout the entire exchange between the three of them, I was stealthily moving into position above Mizuki. Once I did, however, the traitor was already about to throw the giant shuriken at Naruto, so I was forced to attack right away. And since I did not want to give away the sneak attack less he discovered me, I refrained from reinforcing myself with [Chakra Enhancment] or [Chakra Flow].
Furthermore, that first strike was aimed at Mizuki's neck, however he must have sensed something and moved just slightly out of the way, resulting in my sword stabbing his shoulder instead. Otherwise, I could have ended him right there and then. And that kick too. If my Sharingan was activated at that moment I not only could have avoided the kick, but I could've also cut his foot right off.
I jumped down on the forest floor in front of Iruka and Naruto, before holding up my sword protectively, which elicited dual cries of "Shinji!" from the two of them.
"What? How? Why?" Iruka stumbled out while Naruto just watched me silently, which was out of character from the blonde. He must have still been too shocked at the double whammy that was the revelation of his jinchuuriki status and my sudden appearance.
"You fucking brat!" Mizuki screamed while clutching at the deep wound on his shoulder. I knew from the sensation of blade carving through bone the moment I had stabbed him that his left shoulder was functionally disabled from that, which meant jutsu should be out of his capabilities at the moment. "I'm going to kill you!"
"Shut your mouth you traitor! Iruka-sensei, can you fight? Because I don't think I can take on Mizuki-teme on my own." I asked while still keeping an eye on the blue-haired chuunin.
Iruka still look confused but he cautiously put weight on his injured leg and immediately hissed at the shooting pain, "I can't move well, the kunai must have damaged some nerves or a tendon. But why are you here, Shinji?"
I nodded, "We can talk about that later! For now, protect Naruto and the scroll, support me from a distance with jutsu and throwing weapons. I will manage somehow."
The brown-haired chuunin hesitated slightly but nodded all the same.
Turning my attention to Naruto, I spoke. "Naruto, are you okay?"
The blonde flinched and looked at me teary-eyed, "I… Shinji, did you hear? Did- did you know? I… I'm the Kyuubi!"
"Huh? Are you stupid?" I bluntly asked.
"W-what?"
"What are you even talking about? You're Naruto. Always have been and always will be."
"No, you don't understand! The Kyuubi is inside me! I- I killed Iruka-sensei's parents and all those people! It was me; I did that!" Naruto bawled, a complete 180 of the cheerful loud mouth he usually was.
"Naruto…" Iruka muttered, his concern for the blonde growing.
I rolled my eyes, "Hey baka, if you're the Kyuubi, then I must be hallucinating or something because you don't like a fifty-storey tall demon tailed beast to me."
"But Mizuki said-"
I cut him off, "You seriously gonna believe anything that traitor says? He could be lying through his teeth to try and get that scroll for all we know. Listen to me, you are Naruto – the loud, prank-loving, optimistic kid who takes every chance he gets to say he's going to become the next Hokage. You're the person who no matter what others say, always tries his best even when people try to put you down. You're the person who picks himself back up, laughs at adversity and punches the living daylights out of whatever knocked you down in the first place! Anything other than that is irrelevant, I don't care about it, and neither should you! So get your head out of your ass and go help Iruka-sensei already, you dumbass!"
Naruto widened his eyes in realization and understanding before wiping away the snot and tears that had been dribbling out of his orifices. "You're right… My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I AM GOING TO BE THE NEXT HOKAGE DATTEBAYO!"
Iruka's gaze softened and he gave a bitter smile. Looking down, he muttered to himself, "That's right… Naruto is Naruto. Anything other than that doesn't matter." He looked back up gritted his teeth before moving in front of the blonde protectively.
"Naruto, I'm sorry. I… I should've been there for you more. You feel lonely and it hurts you inside. No child should have to suffer that much alone. I let you down." Half way through his words, Iruka was already crying. "Naruto, you're not the Kyuubi. You're my precious student, and nothing anyone can say will convince me otherwise!"
"Iruka-sensei…"
However, their tearful exchange was cut short by a giant shuriken flying at them, which I leapt at and knocked it away with my katana.
"You bastards are really ignoring me, huh?" Mizuki shouted out, while retrieving his last remaining giant shuriken from his back. "Don't make me laugh! Iruka has always hated you, Naruto! He was orphaned because the Kyuubi killed his parents, and that beast is now inside you. He's just saying anything to get the scroll from you! Did you really think he could forgive the monster who murdered his parents!?"
"Shut the hell up Mizuki!" Iruka angrily yelled back before turning to Naruto to see if the traitor's words had any effect while I stayed vigilant against any further attacks. This was a breakthrough moment for Naruto, and as much as I wanted to carve out Mizuki's tongue and chop off his head, this was necessary for the kid. This would be the moment he learned to accept his jinchuuriki status and forgive the village for lying to him all these years.
"Don't listen to him, Naruto! He's just lying to you!" Iruka implored.
Naruto appeared down casted for a moment, and my heart twitched, wondering if my intervention had screwed things up somehow. Should I have let Iruka take the giant shuriken in the back? Was the trigger for Naruto to summon up his army of clones and avenge his wounded sensei now missing?
However, my worry was unnecessary as the Naruto looked back up with his eyes shining in conviction, "Shut the hell up Mizuki-teme! I am me, Kyuubi is Kyuubi! Stop trying to confuse me because I know who I am! I am Naruto Uzumaki, the next Hokage! Believe it!"
I smiled. As expected of the Uzumaki Naruto. It seems saving Iruka was the indeed the correct decision and trusting Naruto to have his breakthrough was something I hadn't needed to worry about after all.
Seeing that his plan to stir up conflict between Naruto and us had failed, Mizuki gritted his teeth but calmed down. "Yeah? So fucking what. A half-baked, injured chuunin, a rookie genin and the deadlast of the academy. All I need to do is kill the three of you and take the scroll from your dead bodies. Then I can leave the village and attain ultimate power with the forbidden techniques in it!"
The smile on my face turned into a smirk, "Aren't you injured as well, Mizuki-teme? I know how deep I stabbed you, your blood must be gushing out right now. I don't know how the hell you're still standing but I do know you won't last long without medical attention. What I can say is this – in the name of Konohagakure and the Sandaime Hokage, I hereby place you under arrest! Let us take you in and bring you to a medic nin, otherwise you're going to bleed out in another few minutes. Jail time is much more preferable to dying, wouldn't you agree?"
Mizuki snarled before laughing, although his laughter had a hollow, desperate tone to it. "Not even one day since you graduating and you presume to lecture me? A snot-nosed rookie placing me under arrest? You must be out of your mind! Even if I die, I will all of you down with me!"
With that, Mizuki launched forward and wielded his giant shuriken as a melee weapon. He was fast, but not as fast as the hidden boss I faced before and definitely not faster than I could react. The bloodloss and his injury must be seriously debilitating, otherwise there was no way a level 53, seasoned chuunin could be this slow.
Similarly, I sped forward towards the chuunin, brandishing Kotetsu no Ryu. The chakra swelled inside me as I pumped even more energy into my legs. I positioned my blade and swung at the man. Had my Sharingan been turned on, I could've seen the menacing layer of chakra coating my sword threateningly.
The chuunin was running wildly, with openings all over his stance. There was no semblance of rationality nor proficiency in his steps. He must have gone crazy, I concluded.
However, just as my sword was about to meet flesh, Mizuki sneered and disappeared from my sight. My eyes widened at the sudden vanishing of my opponent and I instinctively rolled forward – just in time to avoid being decapitated by the giant shuriken wielded by Mizuki as a makeshift cutting weapon that swung at where my head was located just a moment ago.
I stood back up and cursed at my own carelessness. He got me. He was faking it the whole time. Not the injury, but his speed, sloppiness and what I perceived to be recklessness. Even against a fresh out of the academy genin, he still had to resort to such schemes. As expected of an elite chuunin, they're not to be underestimated.
"Hoh, nice reflexes. You were never so fast in the academy, Shinji. Have you hiding your abilities? How devious." Mizuki cackled.
"You're a good actor, Mizuki. No wonder you were able to deceive even Iruka-sensei." I retorted.
"Kekek, but have you noticed?" The traitorous chuunin questioned slyly. "Our places have switched. Now Iruka and that demon brat is open for me to do this!" He turned and threw the giant shuriken at Iruka.
Because I rolled forward to avoid getting my head cut off, Mizuki was now in between me and the other two. Which meant he was too far from me for me to stop him.
However, Iruka wasn't stupid. He was protecting Naruto and the scroll while watching us in combat. He had a broader view on what was happening and could see Mizuki throw the Shuriken at him from afar. Iruka ran through handseals and spat out a stream of water.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!"
The powerful torrent of water not only battered away the flying shuriken, it continued heading towards Mizuki.
The traitorous chuunin tsked and paused for a moment before jumping away to avoid the water jet. I could see that he had instinctively been thinking of a jutsu to counter the water technique, but realized his left arm was basically dangling uselessly before he had to jump away to avoid being hit.
Similarly, I followed after Mizuki, not willing to give him another chance to go after the injured chuunin and Naruto. Even though he himself was injured as well, Mizuki had already descended into a state of not caring whether he lived or died. The pure desperation and adrenaline that drove him to near suicidal madness was more dangerous than if he still possessed any rationality or sense of self-preservation.
Furthermore, I also considered holding myself back from using the Sharingan as a pretty large handicap too. Against an elite chuunin, even if he was gravely injured, meant that I had to go all out and continue hiding any other aspects of my true strength.
With just pure speed alone, I could hardly catch up to a fully grown man equipped with a decades worth of training and physical conditioning. With [Flash Step] and [Whirlwind Step] however, that changed. For just a brief moment, I was able to surpass his chuunin-level speed addled by injury and step into striking range.
I held up my sword in preparation to cut him down, but the chuunin swung back around and in an insane and desperate manoeuvre charged right at me.
'This crazy bastard!? Does he want die together or something?'
Regardless, I continued the downward motion slash of my katana. However, Mizuki did something unexpected; he threw his left shoulder forward and flung his useless, dangling left arm in the path of my sword, effectively blocking the slash by sacrificing his arm.
The inertia of my katana swing was already too great for me to stop so I had no choice but to follow through and slice through his arm. Fresh, warm, red blood sprayed out of the open wound, splattering across my face and body; unlike the cold, putrid and festering ichor from zombies, this time I could feel the vitality of the crimson liquid as it splashed on to me.
It was an unnerving experience to say the least, the first time I ever grievously injured or dismembered another living human being. It was in self-defence, sure, but still…
Taking advantage of the moment I was bewildered with his insane actions, Mizuki pulled out a kunai and made to stab me. Yet, he couldn't have known that my Gamer's Mind instantly erased my hesitance and allowed me to counter his hidden strike.
"Do you really think you stop a chuunin if he is determined to kill you? DIE- ack! ARRGHHH!"
His initial bravado was stopped short when my fingers dug into his forearm with the help of [Shinkyoken]. With my other arm, I swung Kotetsu no Ryu at the traitor and managed to slice into his torso before he managed to retreat. The steel-plated chuunin vest did little to thwart the razor sharp, chakra reinforced edge of my blade.
"My- my arm! You fucking bastard; just how much were you holding back in the academy, kugh!" Mizuki howled in pain while clutching his severed arm at the stump.
"You crazy son of a bitch, give up now and there's still time for you to be saved!" I growled out as I wielded Kotetsu no Ryu in front of me threateningly.
"Give up? You must be crazier than I am because there's only one way this is going down. Either I die or you do. Better yet, let's just die together HAHAHAHHA!" The chuunin screamed in a fugue state of bloodloss and general insanity.
Mizuki swung his bloodied stump of an arm at me and unleashed a spray of blood at my face, all the while screaming bloody murder. I shielded my eyes from the shower of blood and jumped away, assuming that he was going to attack me while I was blinded, but at the same time I was gobsmacked at the utter lunacy of what I just witnessed. However, the moment I removed my arm from my eyes, I saw Mizuki missing from where he had just been standing.
Widening my eyes, I turned to see Mizuki dashing towards Iruka and Naruto, no less slower than he had been at the start. I could only assume with such severe blood loss, he had maybe a minute tops before he actually died.
Sprinting towards the duo, Mizuki's face twisted in insanity, "I'm going to kill you Iruka! You and that demon brat!"
From what I could see, Iruka was way too shocked at the drastic change in his once friend's personality and sanity to react in time while I was too far away to stop him. I glanced at Naruto who, while still shocked, looked like he could at least do something.
"Naruto!" I yelled, "Use the jutsu you learned from the scroll, quickly!"
The blonde looked surprised at being called out, but he pulled himself together admirably well "Don't you dare lay a hand on my sensei! Or I will give it back to you a thousand folds!"
"Let's see you try, Kyuubi!"
Naruto glared and formed a handseal, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Just like before, a sea of Naruto clones appeared in an equally dense sea of smoke.
Iruka was shaken from his stupor as he watched what he thought to be his least promising student make actual, physical shadow clones. And not just a couple, but a veritable army of them. "Naruto…! How?"
"This changes nothing!" Mizuki roared as he tore into the army of clones, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches that popped a large number of them. However, in this case, quantity beat out quality and he could hardly withstand an onslaught of attacks even if they were from a barely-trained academy student given Mizuki's dire injuries and overall lack of rationality.
At first I was proud of the blonde for pulling through in a moment of crisis, however I soon realized something terrible. I shoved my way through the crowd of clones shouting, "Naruto wait! Stop!"
When I got to the middle of the crowd and pulled off two clones that were kicking and punching the now unmoving Mizuki, I gulped.
The frenzy of battle and fog of war faded away from the Naruto clones as we looked down at the motionless body of the traitor. Iruka, half a beat behind me, also pushed his way through the crowd and gasped when he saw it.
I knelt down, and though I knew it to be a futile gesture, checked for Mizuki's pulse. There was none. "He's dead."
With a poof, the sea of clones disappeared as the original Naruto looked startled at my announcement. "Wa-wait, no way… He's dead? Doesn't that mean that… I… killed him?"
Immediately I stood up and gripped his shoulders, "You're wrong! I was the one who killed him. It was me!"
But Naruto was barely taking in my words as he continued staring at Mizuki's corpse, his eyes slowly glazing over. I couldn't even begin to comprehend the guilt and self-condemnation that was running through the boy's mind right now. I literally couldn't since I had Gamer's Mind that erased any such thoughts from my mind before I could even comprehend them.
"Oi! Naruto! Listen to me!" I shook his shoulders roughly to no avail.
Just as I was about to slap him awake, a hand landed on Naruto's shoulder. Iruka grimly, but gently and softly said, "Naruto. It's not your fault."
Only Iruka's voice could wake the boy from his stupor. Naruto looked at Iruka beside him, "I-I didn't mean to, I just wanted to stop him!"
"I know, Naruto. You saved me. Thank you."
"Iruka-sensei, I-" Naruto choked out before burying his face into Iruka's chuunin vest bawling.
I shared a look with the chuunin instructor. Nodding, I turned and left to find help. But not before a notification from the system got my attention.
Quest [The Scroll of Seals] Completed!
Help Naruto become a genin!
Help Naruto steal the scroll of seals (√)
Help Naruto defeat Mizuki (√)
Iruka HP above 50% (√)
Capture Mizuki alive (X)
Rewards:
+10,000 EXP
(Hidden) +5 Points
(Hidden) +5 points (X)
You have levelled up!
"…well what's done is done, Naruto-kun. You're not entirely to blame for being tricked into stealing the Scroll of Seals, it was only natural for you to trust your sensei. In fact, I should be commending you for managing to learn the Kage Bunshin technique, an extremely advanced jutsu, in such a short period of time and being brave enough to defend your sensei when he needed help." Sarutobi Hiruzen gently stated.
Only around an hour had passed since Naruto, or rather I killed Mizuki. After I found some chuunins who were still out searching for the blonde, I reported to them what had happened in the forest. They followed me back to the secluded area where Naruto had been learning from the Scroll of Seals and that was when some ANBU agents suddenly appeared out of thin air. They recovered the scroll as well as Mizuki's body before escorting Naruto, Iruka and I to the Hokage's office.
Before we left however, I administered medical treatment to Iruka's injury. I realized that there was no longer any point in trying to hide my abilities since the entire fiasco tonight had more than revealed the fact that I had been holding back all this time. Furthermore, my medical ninjutsu was never meant to be hidden. That was the whole point of me seeking out a teacher and preparing an answer for when I would be questioned on it.
On the way to the Hokage's office, after speaking to Iruka and Naruto, I could discern that although Iruka had done his best to console Naruto and rationalize his murder in self-defence, there was still some remnant guilt and shame left plaguing the kid.
I then tried to explain to the blonde as well, that I was the one responsible for grievously injuring Mizuki thus the blame for killing him falls on me. He did nothing wrong so he couldn't blame himself for anything. Naruto just nodded mutely at my words.
Upon reaching the Hokage's office, Iruka took charge as was expected of the ranking officer on the scene and explained all that had happened while I occasionally chimed in to add to anything left out from the story. Which brings us to this point now.
Naruto looked up from his glum state, "Jiji… Mizuki, he… I think I killed him."
Before the Hokage could respond however, I clenched my fist and stepped forward, "Hokage-sama, respectfully, Naruto had nothing to do with Mizuki's death. I was the one who-"
The Sandaime cut me off by holding up a hand, "You don't have to explain. There is no blame that will fall on either of you for taking the life of a traitor. While admittedly I would have preferred if he was taken in alive, according to your sensei's report, it is apparent that you had given him multiple opportunities to surrender and thus you had no choice but to defend yourself when Mizuki went mad in his desperation."
"But Jiji, it was me who beat him to death! Even now, I can still remember the feeling of punch and kicking him from a hundred different perspectives. How can I just forget about that!?" Naruto exclaimed, tearing up.
Iruka placed a hand on his shoulder, "Naruto, remember what I told you. If you hadn't done what you did then something unimaginable might have happened otherwise."
I nodded in agreement, "That's right. Besides, I already said it, I was the one who killed him. Even if you hadn't used your jutsu, he was already losing massive amounts of blood from when I cut off his arm. He only had another minute to live, so he would have died regardless. But in that minute, if you hadn't used your jutsu, he might have hurt Iruka-sensei or you, or even worse he might have killed one of you. Instead of blaming yourself, you should instead feel proud that you managed to protect your Iruka-sensei!"
"Excellently put, Shinji-kun. They're both right, Naruto-kun. Killing is an inevitability in our line of work, no matter how distasteful it is." The Hokage remarked. "At the very least, when you have no choice but to take a life, make sure that the person is evil and thus deserved what was coming to him."
Naruto looked shaken at what we said, but still had some lingering doubts. "But still! Weren't we always taught that it is important to forgive and have mercy? What about second chances? By killing Mizuki, I made sure that there was no possibility he could ever become a good person! And what about his friends and family? Wouldn't they be sad that Mizuki died? And it would be my fault if they are!"
The Sandaime looked at Naruto sombrely, "Sometimes as a shinobi, we are left with no other choice but to kill someone who is threatening to harm our precious people. Let's say if Mizuki had managed to get away with the scroll, and then learned your Tajuu Kage Bunshin technique. What would happen if he used that technique and sought to kill innocents? How many might you be indirectly responsible for killing if you allowed a bad man to escape?"
Naruto looked back with conviction, "I wouldn't let that happen!"
Hiruzen shook his head, "But what if? You can't be everywhere all at once, it is impossible for you to stop him or anyone like him from doing something bad after you let him live. Wouldn't you have no choice but to kill him before he could hurt anyone else?"
"I don't care if it is possible or not! There is always a way! I will physically stop them if I have to. If they cut off my arms, then I will use my legs. If they cut off my legs too, then I will just shout at them to stop. Even if they cut off my tongue, I will crawl on the ground and bite their ankles! I will stop them without killing, that is my, Uzumaki Naruto's, nindo!" Naruto loudly declared, drawing a surprised expression from all those in the room.
The Hokage recovered from his shock and gently smiled, "That is an admirable nindo, Naruto-kun. I pray that you will never be forced to stray from it…"
"That will never happen! Don't underestimate me! I am Uzumaki Naruto who will become the next Hokage, dattebayo!"
Chuckling, the Sandaime responded, "Then I will sit back and watch, waiting for the day you take my hat then, Naruto-kun."
"Just you wait, jiji!" Naruto defiantly answered which only elicited more chuckles from the old man.
I watched their exchange with some amazement. Both as how quickly Naruto came out of his slump and also at the skill of the Sandaime in completely changing Naruto's state of mind. I wasn't sure if it could attributed to the old leader's familiarity with Naruto's personality, or if it was just entirely based on the Hokage's decades worth of experience consoling traumatised shinobi, or if it might just be a result of the Sandaime's pure charisma and eloquence. Regardless, I was impressed.
"Very well, Naruto-kun. But for now I would like to ask Shinji-kun some questions if you wouldn't mind." The Sandaime turned his gaze on to me, his expression very quickly changing from gentle and filled with mirth, to a fierce and authoritative look more befitting of the leader of a thousand trained killers.
"Now, Shinji-kun. I have some questions for you. It is more of a formality than an interrogation, so you don't have to worry too much."
Formality my ass, I felt more pressure from his gaze than fighting a veteran and insane chuunin.
Ignoring the bead of sweat going down my back, I answered with, what I hoped to be, a believable amount of anxiety and nervousness of a rookie genin speaking to their village leader after just having to kill someone, "H-hai Hokage-sama. I will do my best to answer all your questions honestly."
"Very good. Firstly, what were you doing outside of the village in the middle of the night?" The Sandaime asked as the steel in his eyes seemingly pierced right through my own.
"Well, I had been training at the training ground near the Uchiha Clan compound when I lost track of time. When I noticed, night had already fallen. As I was returning home, I passed by some shinobi looking panicky and overheard them saying Naruto had stolen something important. I… well, Naruto is my friend, and though I couldn't believe he would do something this foolish, I thought that I had to get him to return what he stole before he got into even more trouble. So I decided to go looking for him before anyone else found him. I just thought that, if Naruto voluntarily returned what he stole, he might receive a lesser punishment."
"Shinji, you… I knew it, you- you're a really good friend!" Naruto cried out, touched by my cover story.
"Stop it, Naruto, you're making me embarrassed." I said, adding a slight tinge of a blush and rubbing the back of my head. "You're my friend, and I had to do something to help you right? Otherwise what kind of friend would I be?"
Naruto almost teared up but the Hokage didn't seem as convinced.
"Is that so? Hm, well I can't blame you for wanting to help a friend. Although I am… in disbelief, to hear that my shinobi had such loose lips. Also, are you not aware that the training ground near the Uchiha Clan compound is not open to the public? Why were you training there?"
"Ah, Sasuke told me that was his clan's land, and he gave me permission to use it. We occasionally train together there too… did we do something wrong?" I explained timidly.
"He did? I was just concerned you were trespassing, but if you received permission then there is no issue. Next question. From what your sensei reports, you have been hiding your true abilities in the academy, is that right?"
"That is… Yes, I'm ashamed to say that is true."
"Hoh? Might I ask why you felt the need to do such a thing, Shinji-kun?" The Sandaime asked, leaning forward just a slight tinge, yet that very miniscule motion sent waves of apprehension inside me. Whether consciously or not, the old man was exerting incredible pressure just by sitting down and calmly asking a question. As expected of a Hokage…
"I- I think one could consider my reasons for hiding my capabilities to be foolish, but to completely honest, I didn't want to leave my friends in the academy, Hokage-sama."
It seemed the Sandaime had not been expecting such an answer as he looked taken aback by my response. "Hm? What do you mean?"
I looked hesitant and slowly replied, "Well, I heard that students who showed themselves to be more talented than their peers would be forced to graduate from the academy early. But I didn't want to leave my friends. I wanted to stay with them and graduate together. So I decided to reveal just enough that I wouldn't be considered for early graduation. Please forgive this foolish one's selfishness and deception, Hokage-sama."
"I see… did you not consider that early graduation was completely voluntary, and that we would have asked if you wanted to be promoted ahead of your peers?" Hiruzen eyed me with some doubt.
"I… I did, Hokage-sama. But at the same time I didn't want my friends to look at me any differently than how they treated me before. I apologize."
"I can understand the desire to stay with one's friends, so I won't pursue that matter. But what of the skills you showed when fighting Mizuki? Chakra flow, chakra enhancement, and admirable proficiency in kenjutsu… for one so young, you seem to be well-versed in many advanced techniques." He inquired.
"The Uchiha clan left behind their clan's jutsu depository, Hokage-sama. And Sasuke was gracious enough to allow me entrance and some freedom to peruse their collection. Everything was self-taught after reading through their scrolls and practice." I answered.
"But what of the medical ninjutsu you exhibited to treat your sensei? That is not something that can just be self-taught no matter how talented you are. How did you come upon it?"
"That is… I…" I stammered intentionally, "I… don't know?"
The Hokage raised an eyebrow, "You don't know what?"
"I… Hokage-sama, you have put me in a difficult position…"
"How so?"
I put a hand to my chin and appeared to be in thought for a moment, "Say, hypothetically… if I did have someone who taught me. Would they be in trouble for doing so?"
The Sandaime looked at me quizzically, somewhat amused at the little game I was playing. "Well hypothetically, they wouldn't be in trouble. Consider it as appeasing an old man's curiosity."
Breathing out a sigh of relief and wiping away an imaginary bead of sweat from my forehead, I answered, "Well, in that case, I did have someone who taught me, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen smiled amusedly, "And who was the one who taught you medical ninjutsu?"
"Kiba's sister. Inuzuka Hana." I was torn between telling the truth or lying, but since from day one I had decided to openly find a medical ninjutsu mentor, I knew that I would have to one day divulge her name. I just hoped that she did not get into trouble from my divulgence.
The Sandaime cocked an eyebrow, "Hoh? The Inuzuka miss? I see. To have become this proficient in medical ninjutsu, you must have been learning from her for quite awhile. I wonder why this has been kept a secret for so long."
I could feel the piercing gaze returning, and my mind trembled from the implications the grizzled war god was making. He was suggesting that I had intentionally hid the fact that I was learning medical ninjutsu from everyone for an ulterior motive. Unfortunately for him, however, I had always been open and above board with my apprenticeship.
"Yes it has been roughly a year since I began learning from Hana-sensei. I am extremely grateful for her patience with this talentless disciple." I answered furtively, as though I was ashamed of taking so long to reach my level of expertise with medical ninjutsu even though in reality the speed at which I picked it up was unheard of. "Thankfully, Hana-sensei has allowed someone as unworthy as I to help out in the Inuzuka Veterinary clinic to build practical experience."
My answer was meant to not only demonstrate my prodigious talent, but also served as a roundabout way of saying 'see, I have never hidden anything, you just never bothered to look'.
The corners of the Hokage's lips lifted faintly just for an instant, "A year you say? Hahaha you don't have to be humble. You might be more suited for the field of medicine rather than the field of espionage, wouldn't you agree?"
Once again, I sensed the craftiness and guile of a sly old fox in his words. As the leader of a hidden village, the Sandaime chose his words very carefully as even a single word misspoke might have numerous unforeseen consequences. Thus the word 'espionage' had been spoken for a purpose, and it was not simply a slip of the tongue.
Was I a more careless man, I might have recklessly disagreed and hence cemented his suspicions. Thankfully, a lifetime of trading verbal barbs with world leaders and titans of industry, all of whom possessed similarly sharp wit and keen senses gave me experience dealing with the perceptiveness of a man just waiting for a mistake to be made, ready to pounce on any blunders.
"You praise me too much, Hokage-sama. I am simply a loyal servant of Konoha, and I will fulfil any purpose my village requires of me."
I could see through the Hokage's eyes that he was deep in thought, as though weighing the pros and cons of the multiple branching decisions he could make. I took this opportunity of brief respite to use [Observe], curious what the status of a kage-level shinobi might look like.
Sarutobi Hiruzen Lv?
HP: ?
CP: ?
Hiruzen is the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. He is known as a thoughtful and benevolent ruler, deeply caring of all of Konoha's villagers and shinobi.
You can't tell what he thinks of you.
Hiruzen is stronger than you.
As expected, even with a max level [Observe], I was not able to see through a Kage-level shinobi's strength. It was not the first time I encountered ? in place of an observed target's level. That meant the person being observed was more than 50 levels higher than me. The limit for [Observe]'s ability to analyse a target went up every time the skill levelled up. At level 1, it was capped at 10 levels higher than mine. And at level 5, the max level, it could only read the status page of people at most 50 levels above mine.
Not only could it not see the level, HP and CP of the target, all it would tell me about the target was basic information based on common knowledge. I couldn't even see through their opinions of me neither.
Just as the silence was getting to the point of discomfort, Naruto thankfully and loudly interjected, "Hey Jiji! What's with the interrogation? Shinji's a good guy! He has always been nice to me, even though he does like super well in the academy. Not like that Sasuke-teme who is always so arrogant and haughty like he is the best in the world or something. But Shinji's not like that y'know? I can vouch for him, dattebayo!"
The Sandaime was shaken from his thoughts and smiled warmly at Naruto, "Oh that was no interrogation, Naruto-kun. I was just interested about your friend here. I'm sure he is a nice boy if you say so. Forgive my questions, Shinji-kun. Just think of it as humouring an old man's curiosity."
I smiled at the blonde's attempt at a rescue. Given their relationship, the Hokage was likely to trust his surrogate grandson's judgement of character. So Naruto's vote of confidence definitely played a big role in him easing off the informal interrogation. I was confident that with his intervention, the Hokage's suspicions have been allayed tremendously.
"Please, Hokage-sama, there's nothing to forgive. It would be my honour to answer any questions you might have. But thank you, Naruto. You're a good guy too."
"Heh, of course I am. I'm going to be the next Hokage after all!" The jinchuuriki rubbed his nose embarrassedly but at the same time proudly exclaimed.
The Hokage chuckled at Naruto's words, "Then I am glad to say that you have taken the first step to becoming Hokage tonight."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" The blonde asked in confusion.
"Well, you would have to become an official shinobi of Konoha to become Hokage right?" The Hokage replied wryly.
Naruto tilted his head uncertainly before widening his eyes in realization, "Wait, do you mean?"
The Hokage laughed and reached into his desk drawer to pull out a brand new forehead protector, placing it on the desk and sliding it towards the jinchuuriki, "That's right," he answered, "You are now officially a genin of Konoha. Congratulations, Naruto-kun."
"For real!? YATTA! Thanks Jiji!" Naruto happily cried out before quickly snatching up the offered forehead protector, as though afraid that someone would take it back before he could get his hands on it.
"Congratulations, Naruto. I knew you could do it." I offered while Iruka expressed a similar sentiment as well.
"I am going to become a genin! I'm so pumped! Heh, the other kids are going to get one hell of a shock when they see me with this!" The blonde cradled the forehead protector like it was his most precious treasure.
I chuckled at his excitement, "I hope we can be on the same team, Naruto. We would be unstoppable." That was a cursory attempt on my part to influence the Hokage and Iruka to put Naruto and I on the same team. Cursory because I already knew that since Naruto was going to graduate with us, he would naturally become the deadlast and thus be paired in the same team with me, the Rookie of the Year, as well as Hinata, the top kunoichi. I would be able to train him up to compensate for largely ignoring him while teaching Sasuke the past three years, and he would also get the opportunity to get closer to the Hyuuga heiress who crushed on him big time. Two birds one stone.
Said blonde turned to me grinning with a thumbs up, "Of course, Shinji! Let's kick some bad guy butts together!" before looking back at the Hokage demanding, "You better put me and Shinji in the same team, Jiji! Oh, and Sakura-chan too! We would be the most badass team dattebayo!"
The Hokage was now full of smiles, contrary to previously serious and commanding demeanour just moments ago. "Mah mah, Naruto-kun, we'll see. As an official shinobi of Konoha, you are now also responsible for keeping the village safe. But I'm sure you will do me proud my boy."
The celebratory mood immediately turned sour as Naruto's excitement rapidly declined into a sober dejection. Even I was caught off guard at the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"Protect the village? But I- Jiji… what Mizuki said, was it true?"
The Sandaime glanced at me before shifting his eyes towards Iruka questioningly.
"Shinji heard much of what Mizuki said… I think there'd be no point trying to hide the truth from him so it might be best for him to hear the full explanation as well." The chuunin respectfully advised.
Hiruzen closed his eyes, feeling the full weight of his old age, the burden of his position and the painful task ahead of him, before taking a deep inhale of the tobacco pipe and breathing out a thick plume of smoke in an attempt to reorganize his nerves.
"Very well then. What you are about to hear is an S-class secret that has to be kept classified on pain of death…"
.
.
"Tell me, chuunin Iruka, what do you think of him?" The Hokage asked, exhaling a mouthful of tobacco smoke.
Shinji and Naruto had just left the office to return home after a very long and exhausting night followed by another mentally draining story of Naruto's circumstances. Although the blonde was quite down after being told of the truth, he had brightened up immediately after. The other child, however, took it very well. Too well in fact.
"Hmm, Naruto might be immature at times and he can act out on occasion, but for all his faults, Naruto is not a boy that will let something get him down for long. I'm sure he will be fine, but if Hokage-sama think it necessary, I will go check up on him later today."
The Sandaime shook his head, "He is a strong boy, and that strength and conviction of his leaves even me at awe sometimes. But no, I was not speaking of Naruto. I was speaking of the other child, Shinji."
Iruka tilted his head in confusion, "Shinji? Well he is a talented shinobi, as we have seen tonight. His true abilities really surprised me. Who knew he had hidden himself this well? I'm not sure if it is the influence of hindsight, but at the same time it also seems somewhat expected. I always knew he was a promising student, so I had high expectations as well. Indeed he did not disappoint."
Once again, the Hokage shook his head, "No, I was referring to his character. Tell me more about him."
The chuunin looked confused at the purpose of his Hokage's question, but regardless he was a loyal shinobi of Konoha and de jure subordinate of the Sandaime, thus he had no right to question his leader's intentions.
"Hai Hokage-sama."
He pondered for a moment, mentally putting together a coherent profile of his most distinguished student before answering.
"From what I have gathered throughout the four years I have been his chuunin instructor at the academy, putting aside his talents in the shinobi arts, Shinji Ikari can be described with four words: kind, friendly, helpful and charismatic. While he is able to pick up the material being taught at the academy at a relatively faster pace than the rest, Shinji does not rest on his laurels and be complacent. He often takes the initiative to practice more on his own and help out his classmates unprompted."
"He has a natural charisma that attracts the attention of many of his peers in school. Thus he remains popular and maintains many friendships. The civilian born children looks up to him, both because of his abilities and his friendly, kind disposition. It has also not gone unnoticed that surprisingly, he has even earned the respect of the clan students who have formed a clique with him as the nucleus of the group."
"In teamwork exercises, survival training and other large scale drills, the other students look to him as a leader and he has naturally taken charge of their peers whenever the situation calls for leadership. Even the cold and aloof Uchiha Sasuke willingly follows his orders on such occasions. When there is no one else Sasuke can even remotely tolerate, their friendship speaks volumes of Shinji's charisma for his age."
"Recalling the incident at the start of their second year involving his classmate and childhood friend Kaori; Shinji has exhibited a display of kindness and willingness to protect his friends as well as leadership capabilities when he was able to gather comrades to join him on his mission. While admittedly he could have handled the situation in a better way, I believe the whole incident ultimately depicts Shinji as someone who cares deeply for his friends and is willing to go the distance for them."
"Even tonight, Shinji's loyalty and friendship with Naruto drove him to pursue Naruto in order to minimize Naruto's punishment while at the same time paying attention to the boundaries of the law. At no time tonight did he forsake Naruto and I even in the face of overwhelming danger. Challenging a traitor chuunin, even if Mizuki was injured, shows remarkable courage. When Naruto accidentally… killed Mizuki, Shinji immediately made all attempts to convince Naruto that he was not responsible for Mizuki's death, displaying a consideration and thoughtfulness rare for his age."
"In conclusion, Shinji Ikari, in my humble opinion, displays all necessary attributes to become not just an excellent shinobi of Konohagakure, but also one that embodies the will of fire. Although he is an orphan who is deprived of the privileges of his peers, he has overcome that adversity and all the disadvantages associated with his background to become Rookie of the Year. I am proud to call myself his sensei, although truth be told I am not sure I have taught him much that he hadn't taught himself beforehand. End report."
Hiruzen was deep in thought as he took another deep drag of his tobacco pipe, processing the information Iruka just volunteered.
"It seems you have a very high opinion of the young man. Will of fire hmm…?"
Iruka was caught off guard at his Hokage's remark, not expecting such a dismissive tone. He had thought the Sandaime would have more of a reaction at least.
Hesitantly, the chuunin emboldened himself and asked, "Forgive my impudence, Hokage-sama, but might I ask… what are your thoughts of Shinji?"
The Hokage lazily glanced at his shinobi, before looking away again impassively, "On paper, Shinji Ikari displays all the necessary qualities to become a proud shinobi of Konoha. His talent is also unquestionable. But it appears more to me as if the young man has simply gone through a checklist ticking off bullet points – a 'to-do list' of things needed to be done in order to be seen as the person you have just described."
The chuunin instructor widened his eyes, struck speechless by what was functionally a denouncement by the Hokage of his most promising student's integrity and character.
"This… Hokage-sama, wh-what, why, I- I don't understand?"
The Sandaime waved a hand dismissively, "Mm, don't concern yourself too much about it. Perhaps this old man was just overthinking things. For now, carry on like I hadn't said anything. Go get yourself checked out at the hospital. Dismissed."
"I- Hai, Hokage-sama!"
As Iruka bowed and left his office, Hiruzen set down his tobacco pipe unsmilingly.
A low voice sounded off from a corner of his office, the speaker unseen, "Shall we send someone to watch the boy?"
Hiruzen glanced in the direction of the speaker before shaking his head, "Unnecessary. I am more interested in the traitor Mizuki. Investigate his backer. Someone of his calibre should not be bold enough to harbour thoughts of treason without sufficient confidence in finding refuge under someone with the ability to protect him following his defection."
"Hai."
The presence disappeared, only to be replaced with another in the next instant; although, to the untrained eye, there would have appeared to be no change whatsoever.
The Hokage turned to no one in particular and muttered to himself, "A talented orphan who seems like he is putting on an act… I pray that man has not yet sunk his talons in this child."
The next day I exited my apartment with a renewed sense of purpose. The battle with Mizuki last night showed just how out of my depth and how cocky I was with my accomplishments in the Shinobi Academy against children. There are skies above skies and mountains beyond mountains. Meaning, there will always be someone better, stronger, faster than what I knew now. Being complacent with my growth would only invite disaster on to not just me but also the people I cared about.
I was sufficiently cautious, and my plan had worked in the end, but after action review showed me that I had been too conceited in my own abilities. Fortunately, Mizuki had sunk deep into insanity, and was thus reckless. But that was only because my initial sneak attack, though a hair off target, was a critical success that led to the ultimate defeat of the traitorous chuunin.
If I had been fighting a rational actor, someone in full control of his mental faculties, the fight would have gone in a completely different direction. I might have even been forced to reveal my Sharingan just to survive. This only demonstrated to me that I could no longer be confident in my meagre skills.
With my graduation from the academy and eventual foray into more and more dangerous missions and circumstances, events like the Wave mission and the chuunin exam for instance, I could not afford to be complacent. Last night reminded me that I was in a cutthroat world of ninjas, assassinations and powerhouses that easily could smash through mountains and overturn the earth. A single shred of carelessness could see me finding myself in that endless green room facing a floating blue screen that wrote 'Game Over'.
Thus, I made the easy decision of tackling the Rank E dungeon of the Uchiha Natural Dungeon. I had a week until team placements were announced, it was plenty of time to become stronger before I met my genin team and jounin sensei. I willed out my status screen, taking a moment to peruse my stats.
Status Page
Name: Shinji Ikari
Age: 12
Level: 21
Next Level: 3125/11550
HP: 5060/5060
CP: 5830/5830
STR: 80 (+5)
VIT: 71 (+7)
DEX: 78 (+13)
INT: 86
CHA: 17 (+10)
Points – 102
Ryo – 163,510
While my EXP gain was slow, relying on daily quests to slowly but steadily accumulate EXP, my stat growth was another matter entirely. This could be attributed to the two titles I had which have since disappeared - [Budding Talent] which increased all my stat growth by 20% while I was in the academy and [Precocious] which increased my INT stat growth by 20% before age 12.
These two titles, in addition to the Berserker's Eyepatch allowed me to rapidly increase my stats organically just by training for my physical stats and reading for my INT. Furthermore, the Bodybuilder's dumbbells allowed my STR to increase explosively, nearly catching up to my INT.
For my skills, another title of mine, [Zealous Student], boosted skill EXP gain by 20%. But it similarly was removed when I graduated the Shinobi Academy. But thanks to the title and diligent training, most of my existing skills were pretty much either maxed level or nearly there. Many of the passive skills gave outrageous passive bonuses, such as [Intermediate Body Conditioning] which at max level increased physical damage and movement speed and physical stat growth rate by 28%.
As such, I was pretty satisfied with my stats and skills. The only exception were my items. After seeing the effectiveness of Berserker's Eyepatch and Bodybuilder's dumbbells, I was determined to find more of such items from the next dungeon run that would crazily increase my stat or skill growth efficiency. Thus, my reason for going into the dungeon was not limited to just gaining EXP for levelling up but also for the delicious, incredible loot dropped by the creatures within.
I was somewhat optimistic about my chances of clearing the Rank E dungeon, given how strong I have become since the time I cleared the Rank F dungeon. However, as I had learned last night, complacency and carelessness would be foolish.
And so, looking at the over hundred free stat points I had accumulated, I made the decision to pump some of them in to my stats. Just for the sake of increasing my odds of survival and clearing the Rank E dungeon. After all, points could be earned back, but I only had one life. Or, well, two I suppose if you counted my previous life.
I know, I know, "bruh we still not out of the academy arc yet?" I KNOW. I initially planned for an extra long chapter (~20k+ words) to get us out of the academy arc in one shot. But I was busy with work this week and didn't have time to do all that, plus I wanted to keep to the weekly release schedule, so I compromised and decided to upload what I had first. Forgive this useless author.
Chapter breakdown:
Mizuki is described to be a very clever and talented ninja, who only never advanced beyond chuunin rank because of the suspicions concerning his mission conduct, the one where he killed a comrade believing that the injury would cause him to be a hindrance to the mission's success and then lied about it in his report. Even the Hokage in canon admits Mizuki is an excellent shinobi. So why was the fight so one-sided?
First off, the guy got careless and arrogant when he got the drop on Iruka and Naruto. Believing that no one else was present, he let down his guard since the only other person who was a threat, Iruka, was not only injured but was also someone he looked down upon, believing that Iruka was an inferior shinobi. This allowed Shinji to sneak up on the guy and deliver a crippling attack. This just goes to show that in this world, in my story, anyone can kill anyone if they got careless. A civilian can just as easily slit the throat of an unconscious Kage, provided their Kage-level reflexes don't magically activate or something.
Next, when Shinji manages to stab Mizuki through the top of his shoulder, cutting through muscles, tendons and bone, he effectively seals the use of Mizuki's left arm. Let's say that Mizuki is an above average Chuunin, who has above average proficiency in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu but weirdly chose to use giant shurikens as his main weapon. With only one good arm left, his options were basically limited to just taijutsu and bukijutsu.
But! He is not only limited to one arm, he is also bleeding heavily and seriously injured. So to Mizuki, he just got sneak attacked by a fucking rookie genin, and the chances of his successful escape is little to zero. Not to mention Shinji, at full speed, is roughly low-chuunin in level, taking into account his chakra enhancement, whirlwind steps and flash step. So Mizuki made the judgement call that he wasn't going to be able to escape – thus the only way out was to kill all three before taking the scroll and gtfo.
At first, he is confident, cuz Shinji is just a rookie genin, even if he is the Rookie of the Year. Not knowing of Shinji's true abilities and having been his academy instructor for 4 years, Mizuki is fully aware of Shinji's capabilities and thus confident he can take him. To his surprise, the kid who he hates for being talented and popular even though he is just an orphan, is stronger than what he expected.
So the pure resentment and bitterness of being outshone by 'a fucking orphan', exacerbated by the growing awareness of mortal peril sends Mizuki into manic desperation which leads him into making a desperate gambit of sacrificing his already useless arm in order to sneak attack with a hidden kunai. He thinks by getting rid of Shinji now, even by sacrificing an arm, he would be able to easily deal with Iruka and Naruto unhindered. Which is a ridiculous notion, I agree, but to Mizuki who looks at them with contempt and underestimation, I feel it is a reasonable line of thought.
Plus he also assumed that Shinji, being a rookie genin who has never really seen blood, would freeze at the sight of such a crazy act. He also wouldn't have thought Shinji would actually cut off his arm reinforced with [Chakra Enhancement]. However, he couldn't have known Gamer's Mind eliminated such a vulnerability, allowing Shinji to counter attack with no issue and that a rookie genin's katana was reinforced with [Chakra Flow] and that Shinji himself was similarly strengthened with [Chakra Enhancement].
Now Mizuki is missing an arm at the elbow, close to death and his chances of surviving and escaping successfully is rapidly diminishing. So he thinks, fuck it, let's all die together then. The scene where he splashes blood at Shinji's eye was initially written as Mizuki tearing off a chunk of flesh from his bleeding stump and throwing it at Shinji's face, hoping to shock and disgust him in an attempt at distraction. But I thought it was way too gory and disturbing, so I changed it.
Naruto then kills Mizuki with his mass shadow clones accidentally. This part was troubling to write. I initially wanted Naruto to finish off Mizuki with his shadow clones, as an homage to the original, but then I realized there was no way Mizuki was going to get out alive if he does. I was going to change it, but then though that Naruto being forced to kill Mizuki, albeit accidentally, was pretty good character development which would let Naruto develop his no-killing nindo and his eventual adamance with using talk-no-jutsu to solve problems.
The Sandaime's interrogation of Shinji was really fun to write, and the dialogue was heavily inspired by the Chinese webnovels I like to read. Phrases like 'Forgive my impudence', 'this foolish one' or 'someone as unworthy as I', got a nice style which I really like. The Hokage is suspicious of Shinji, but at this point he has other more important concerns to take care of than to pay attention to an ultimately inconsequential genin.
I also chose to write the Sandaime as a sly old fox, but is he really that cunning or is it just Shinji's misunderstanding? If you haven't figured by now, Shinji is not as smart as he thinks he is, and not as perceptive as he likes to believe. Cos I'm writing in Shinji's first person POV, there could also be an issue of an unreliable narrator. The things he thinks is true might not necessarily be the case. I won't reveal too much at this point, so interpret it however you will.
And finally Shinji is starting to realize that this world ain't all fun and games. He might have chosen to reincarnate in the Naruverse just for funsies at the start, but now he realizes that he might actually die for real if he doesn't take it seriously. Also let me know if you guys are curious about Shinji's skill list. I always update them when I upload a new chapter, taking into account time skips etc, but I don't include them in the chapter if they're unneeded. They're mostly for my own reference.
Yep, that's about it. I'm planning to do a sort of breakdown of every chapter in the author's notes at the end, like a DVD commentary but for fanfic like the one above. Is it useful, entertaining or at all interesting? Is it too long, or completely unnecessary? Let me know!
Like always, thanks for reading my story and if you liked it, smash that like button and hit subscribe for more content!
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