Chapter 23: Chapter no.23 Scary
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Both turned to see the boy with Tenten the other day standing at the edge of the field with his arms crossed, "Neji." Tenten said expectantly, "Is it time to meet back up with Gai-sensei?"
Neji wordlessly nodded before turning his attention back to Naruto, "From what I've been told by Tenten and by my other teammate Rock Lee, you are a dropout just like he is."
"Hey!" Naruto barked indignantly, "I didn't wind up a dropout in the end! I graduated, and then I finished the other genin test! I'm a ninja just like you!"
Neji simply smirked, "And you're absolutely wrong there as well. Fate has already decreed that I would be better than you from the beginning. It clearly showed itself based on our respective positions in life at this point, and it clearly showed from our respective performances in the Academy as well. Tenten was top kunoichi of our year as well, do you really believe that five months will be enough to defeat someone on her level?"
"Absolutely I believe it!" Naruto shouted at Neji. So that's what it was when he saw him the other day, that look on his face while Tenten was helping him, the prick just thought he was better than him. Well he wasn't taking that crap from someone he had a shot at proving it wrong against, "So what if she's better than me and wiped the floor with me the first time? I'll just get better so she doesn't do it next time! I'll get stronger than Tenten somehow, and I'll get stronger than you so I can shut your damn mouth, and that's all I really need to know about that."
Neji actually laughed momentarily. The only thing keeping Naruto from heading over there and decking Neji in the face was the fact that he was trying to stay out of fights like he promised the Hokage and the fact that he would have needed to run over there, and head-on charges didn't have a good track-record for him, "From what I've seen and been told you have no skills, no redeeming traits valuable to a shinobi, and no inherent talent. I'll tell you this once since if it doesn't get through the first time it simply won't at all; once a failure, always a failure. You can't change that." With that he turned to leave, "Gai-sensei is waiting for us Tenten, it's time to go."
Tenten glared at Neji for speaking to Naruto that way, "Bastard." She muttered under her breath when he got out of earshot. She placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "If you really want to get stronger just remember what I said. Don't measure yourself by day-to-day. Do it over time. I'll be here to give you advice okay? So don't worry about it, you'll be just fine." She didn't want to leave him like that after Neji said all of those things, but she had to get back to her own sensei. Who knows what the man would do if she were late.
Naruto just walked away out of the field. That guy… Naruto couldn't rightfully call Sasuke a bastard ever again. Sasuke was just anti-social, especially compared to Neji. At least Sasuke wouldn't verbally come out and say he was better than you without that not even being the point at hand. As a matter of fact, Sasuke never really said anything about how much better he was until you called him out on it. Neji just did it for the sake of doing it.
"I'm definitely going to beat that guy." Naruto said to himself.
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(Konoha Archive Library)
Shiho was laughing uncomfortably as Naruto sat across from her at a table, glaring at her lightly over the book he had in his hands that she had prompted him to read over the course of his last few visits, "You aren't mad I didn't tell you about the test are you Uzumaki-kun?" His silence spoke volumes as the only answer she needed, "But I couldn't just tell you, it's an important indicator of if a student is ready to become a genin or not!"
Naruto's glare faded and he put the book down with a sigh, "I'm not really that mad Shiho-chan, it's just been a really long day. Have you found a jutsu in here yet?" He asked her. He knew Hokage-jiji wouldn't lie to him about something like that. There had to be some really cool stuff in this library somewhere, there just had to be. He would find them, and then he would stomp a mudhole in Neji's pompous ass and walk it dry.
Shiho shook her head, "I haven't had the time to actively look. Atsuto-sensei keeps me really busy logging the books back in and all of the other things I have to do. I haven't had time to thoroughly go through the catalogue and see where they are. There aren't that many, sensei told me, and it isn't like there's a 'cool jutsu' section of the library."
Naruto's face fell, that would be so cool if there was. Then this wouldn't be such an issue. Didn't jiji know like a thousand jutsu? Why didn't he just make some scrolls in his spare time and fill this place up so there could be one? That was what he'd do when he was Hokage and knew even more jutsu than the old man did, fill a section in this place up with them so a down on his luck genin could learn some cool stuff. There was cooler stuff in the Scroll of Seals… hey, it was easy the first time, maybe he could take that again and get something? Nah, even if he could, was he really supposed to be causing that kind of trouble?
"I guess I'll keep on coming back and going through this place until I hit the mother lode then." Naruto said with an encouraging smile before a frown took over, "Oh yeah. I'm supposed to start with my team tomorrow. Well I guess I can still come by here sometimes. I'm not going to be busy all the time."
Shiho gave Naruto a smile of her own, "I'll help you Uzumaki-kun. I'll keep looking for stuff to help you out, I'm holding you to your promise of being Hokage, and running the village with me helping you when you get there. I should start helping you now right?"
Naruto looked at her in awe for a time. She was actually saying she believed in him? He thought she was just messing with him when she alluded to it on the day they met, but she was serious. Someone actually thought he could do it. Naruto gave her a grateful look, "Thank you Shiho-chan."
"And then when I help you get to the top I can institute a change in curriculum for the Ninja Academy the way I always wanted!" She said, changing the tone of the moment, "I mean, if I could end up getting the dead-last graduate of his year up to snuff enough to get to Hokage that would be incredible!" Naruto face-faulted out of his seat, not slowing her down one bit, "And if I actually end up being head of the department one day that would be all the stroke I needed to get it across! Yes, you will be Hokage Uzumaki-kun, I won't settle for anything less!"
Naruto picked himself up off of the ground by the table, "Um, yeah Shiho-chan. I'll definitely be Hokage." He said, giving her a thumbs up with a sweatdrop on his head, "Dattebayo." He said weakly, without enthusiasm. Shiho started laughing like a mad-scientist and started talking to him rapid speed about all of the things he would be going over for her 'project' as she so called it, 'Sakura-chan, Ino, hell even Tenten when she's fighting… Why are girls in this village so scary?' He thought to himself.
(The Next Day)
Asuma led his team to the foot of the Hokage Tower and looked at all of them. Shikamaru still had the same lazy expression on his face as always and there was no outside indication of how he was feeling other than not particularly wanting to be there. Ino was looking rather energized and cheerful for what they would be doing today, and that wasn't even comparing to Naruto.
Naruto looked like a squirrel on caffeine and amphetamines running around an active artillery field. His every motion was jerky and twitchy and full of vigor. He wasn't even sure if the kid had even slept the night before, hell it didn't look like he even needed it all things considered. He had a feeling if anyone tried to lay a hand on the boy he'd bite it off out of pure reflex. Talk about being wired.
He led his bright-eyed… well, except for Shikamaru of course, genin inside to the mission distribution area where he saw his father the Sandaime Hokage sitting to greet the genin and give them their first mission, "Hello Hokage-sama. Team 10 is here to receive their first mission as a squad."
Hiruzen smiled warmly at all three of them who smiled after Asuma said that. He started reaching for mission scrolls, "Well I have to say to each of you; good luck, work hard, and make Konoha proud to have trained such fine shinobi as you. Now for your first mission you actually have a choice."
Naruto's face lit up, 'What? What? Is it rescuing a princess? Taking down an enemy fortress? Ooh, is it rescuing a princess while taking out an enemy fortress?' He thought to himself. Asuma had to bite his fist to keep from laughing when he saw Naruto's face.
Hiruzen smiled gleefully, "You have the choice of walking the dogs from the Inuzuka Clan kennel, pulling weeds from the garden of an old lady, cleaning out the storage area of a general store, or helping an old man who lives at the edge of the village chop and stack firewood."
The expectant looks of the three genin froze on their faces somewhere between the anticipation of the notion of their first mission, and the horror of the abject reality of it. Asuma looked at their faces and quickly tossed a camera to his father who caught it, "Oh yeah, that's the look. Take the picture dad." Hiruzen did as asked by his son before throwing the camera back, "Yeah… that's definitely going to be the team picture for sure. Do you want a copy?" He asked the old man.
"Bring it by once you get it developed." Hiruzen replied, "Now which one will it be?"
Asuma stroked his chin, "Do you guys like dogs?" He got three near lifeless nods, "We'll take that one then." Hiruzen handed him the scroll and Asuma pocketed it before pushing his shell-shocked youngsters out of the room, "Come on guys, the work of a ninja doesn't do itself now."
After Asuma had physically herded them all out of the room, Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and lit up his pipe before taking a relaxing inhale of it with a wistful sigh, "Sometimes I really, really love my job." A few seconds later, Naruto's yells of resentment echoed into the room, "Ahh, the cycle continues."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone