Preparation for Ascension

Haku is now a new resident of Konoha working as Naruko's Assistant.

Indeed, Haku learned a lot from Naruko about Medical Pharmacology and Naruko has her own greenhouse of the stuff she took from Nanakusajima. Using her discovery in Nanakusajima as a book, its up to them to study and create new medicines, which they often create in the form of pills.

They also employed Freeze-Drying and Reconstitution techniques.

Due to the situation, Haku works full time as a scientist under Naruko's instructions because she works and trains as a Genin while keeping up his ninja training and gets paid full-time for his work as Naruko checks on everything on weekends. Naruko and Haku, being food and pharmacology scientists, gets paid more since they pioneered new techniques in Food and Medicine Production, and Team 7's D-Ranks comprised of discovering new species in the Land of Fire and learning their uses...and compiling a book about it to be sold in the Land of Fire under her penname.

Naruko was also able to study the Akimichi Clan's Forbidden Food Pills and make a cure out of it, by developing a fourth Food Pill called 'Candy Pill', to be taken within an hour after consumption of one or all Food Pills, it cannot be any later or it will not work. The Candy Pill is meant as a 'Field First Aid' by removing the lethal damage by 60% and the rest must be done in a hospital for proper medical treatment to cure the remaining 40% non-lethal damages.

The fact remains that they are NOT medics!

Then there came the product called 'Curry Blocks'.

It is for making a new dish called 'Curry Rice'. But for people who can't mix spices well...its a cooking aid. But its up for families to make their own home-recipe of curry as Naruko wrote a book about Curry Making, but patented the product in the Capital with some funding from the Daimyo after making him and his family taste her wares, so now there's a small factory dedicated to making Curry Blocks in varying levels of spiciness.

By the time this was accomplished, it was time for the Chuunin Exams.

'Phew...that factory finished on time didn't it?' Haku sighed as they got back from the Capital.

'Yeah. Making contracts with suppliers and buyers, all that paperwork, drafting files with sensei as my back-up and making the packaging and label...just to ensure that factory will run smoothly and then hiring people for the job and quality check on the machinery and ingredients.' said Naruko. The workers are all from the capital. It was good that Sai was good at drawing and painting that he was able to make a label that filled her criteria for an eye-catching product label.

Considering how good it tasted when she demonstrated to her workers, she could sell it for 900 Ryo a box. They were her first advertisers and she even ran free samples in the Capital...and then it went well from there...as well as her Sake Brewery that really got funding from the Daimyo more than her Curry business got.

Every day, the factory can make 500.000 boxes, just enough to satisfy the Land of Fire for one day.

Due to paying the suppliers, retailers, and the workers, Naruko herself earns about over 25 million ryo at minimum every month to fund her studies and the printouts from her books cost 550 Ryo for the Curry Recipe Books and 10000 for the Encyclopedia of Medical Flora of Hi no Kuni each, which was additional to her income with a percentage going to the Bookstore that sells it.

So that's the end of it, the Hokage thought as Naruko really filed the paperwork PROPERLY to EVERY DEPARTMENT in BOTH the Capital and the Village that now needed his signatures.

And he thought preparing for the Chuunin Exams as the Hosting Village is hard enough.

Like godfather like goddaughter who are both successful authors.

And now, he's at the hospital undergoing Naruko's Shokubotsu no Jutsu with a team of medics and ANBU Bodyguards and Nara Shikaku the Jounin Commander on standby to restore his muscles, bones and joints to top form with a load of cooked food for him to eat, her to use the jutsu on him, and for the medics to restore his body naturally on her guidance. That, and they all had to clean his lungs off of tobacco muck, clean his clogging arteries and blood vessels and he had to go to the toilet since Shokubotsu heals the body through food consumption, absorption and metabolism and aids in digestion and detoxification.

End result: he looked and felt thirty years younger, losing his age spots even...he's perfectly capable on fighting in prime form as the God of Shinobi once more. And his only way to die is by murder in battle or old age, not by what ails the aging.

...he just needed a haircut and nailcutting.

The bill for the treatment, was scary, but a venture worth spending on. When he left the treatment room, he had to put on a Henge and swore those involved into secrecy.

The ANBU and Shikaku were astonished that day as the Hokage got younger through legal means, since what was done before them is not a kinjutsu at all. Its a perfectly legal jutsu that just involved food and no drugs since everything went through testing.

'Hey Naruko, how soon can you do that for my kid?'

'When he's not lazy to get off his bed and need I remind you that due to so much grocery shopping and medical team back-up, the bill will be heinous?' Naruko asked, hands on her hips.

'Its a venture worth spending on at least.' said Shikaku. 'I'm gonna have to make arrangements.'

xxx

'OK kiddos!' Kakashi smiled as he looked at his genin who are at their healthiest thus for 12 years old kids, they were a head taller than the typical 12 years old kids with Naruko understandably being taller because girls grow first before boys catch up twice as fast. Its how puberty works after all. 'You're all ready for the Chuunin Exams, so go out there and win this one!' he said. 'Nothing to do for today so you're in top shape for tomorrow.'

'Sir!' and they all vanished by Shunshin.

Kakashi watched them go.

Combining Naruko's Shokubotsu Treatment, he grilled them physically and chakra-wise, taught them jutsu Genin should know, and other supportive jutsu that can save their lives while making them very proficient in combat. Proficient in taijutsu and bukijutsu as those were two things shinobi can fall back in if chakra reserves are low.

Well, he's confident they'll make a good impression at least.

xxx

In a dark hallway...

'It seems progress is going smoothly.' Danzo commented as Sai reported the other three months though Sai doesn't know about one thing; a certain hospital treatment.

Sai was getting to be the strongest of his generation, Danzo thought as Sai underwent Naruko's Shokubotsu Treatment that made him perfectly healthy and could absorb the full-benefits of training that made his muscles and bones far more developed and stronger as he underwent ROOT Training every after Team 7 period. Sai was easily the fastest and strongest among his peers in fact.

However, while assigned to steal the secrets of the technique, he fails as Naruko never writes down her secrets as what's in her apartment were simply food-based books and nothing else, nothing hidden in her hidden brewery either. Her abilities in legally-enhancing bodies are invaluable but she has no feelings for the village whatsoever due to her mistreatment and will only do so for those who gave a damn about her...everyone else can go hang, apparently.

Now that won't do.

Her assistant, formerly Zabuza's accomplice was also extremely sharp and fully-aware of his surroundings as he works. He even has a tendency to fire needles at the watchers and always checks the apartment every time he comes back from an errand.

A good trait to have, but annoying if against you.

He can't even employ the girl for her services as she was always watched over by Hiruzen. Troublesome. He'll have to find other ways and means.

xxx

In her home...

'Okaeri, Naruko.' Haku, who was a malnourishment victim that made him so short despite being fifteen, grew taller and through training, even more fitter and manlier, having consumed food high in Testosterone that in a couple years, he'd lose his 'pretty boy' look in favor of a handsome face.

'Tadaima...today's an off day for the Chuunin Exams tomorrow.' said Naruko. 'Let me see your work.' she said, checking his work. 'Hmmm! Fast learner!' she approved of the results of his work. 'You'll be able to assist me in my job soon though you'll be a full-time assistant considering I work as a Genin leaving me only time to check in on you.' Naruko sighed at the idea.

'Well, at least my pay from the village is good.' Haku smiled.

He earns about 290000 a month because he's an Assistant Scientist. That 290000 can go a long way. He doesn't even pay rent as he's shacking up with her as she rented a 2K flat with him as the front face since she still doesn't know to this day why most of the village populace...doesn't like her much and that's the understatement of the year. So they live together in a nice posh 2SLDK flat that costs 20000 a month.

But that night before the big day, she managed to visit the Hokage on his free time.

'Hey, jiji,' said Naruko. 'I got strong enough now.' she said. 'Kakashi-sensei said we're Chuunin in regards to skill and strength so that means I can now know why nearly everyone hates me even though I don't remember doing anything other than being alive?'

The old Kage winced.

'I see...that's high praise coming from Kakashi...he was a perfectionist at your age and it was wartime in his youth wherein kids your age are either Chuunin or Jounin, an unforgiving time wherein I made painful decisions time and again for young lives to be either snuffed out or come back alive.' said Sandaime softly. 'Very well...I'll tell you. And I hope you could forgive me and the Yondaime.'

'Huh?'

The truth was spoken thus...

xxx

'Naruko, are you alright?' Haku asked Naruko who came home upset and scared. 'Naruko?'

She just ran to her room and slammed the door shut.

'...'

'I'm afraid let her calm for now.' the Hokage appeared beside him. 'She just learned something important about herself that scared her and angered her at the same time.' he said. 'She just blew up the wall in my office too. Let her cool down or you'll end up on the wrong end like my wall too.' he sighed.

'What's wrong with her?'

'She will tell you when she can confidently trust you with the weight of that information. She has too few friends thus she values them highly as in her case...people who truly care for her are worth more than gold that she found among sharp rocks in the wayside called her life. Take care of her.'

'Hai.' Haku nodded as the Kage left. "...what upset her...?"

Well, she's his new Master now. She was his employer and teacher in regards to her chosen field though he's way better at her as a ninja and Iryojutsu as her chakra is just way too strong to be controlled perfectly with equal proportions in proportion to wounds but when it came to Shokubotsu, she can control it efficiently, turning malnourished into healthy.

For now, she looks like she won't come out sometime soon...so he made dinner.

Granted, he's not as good as cook as she is as he hasn't mastered her techniques yet, but at least his cooking improved.

Before, the most he could do was the bare bones of basics but neither he or Zabuza cared at the time as long as they survive but now...he got to enjoy this luxury he wondered if its OK for him to live in luxury while his former master had it rough.

He never got to even taste tasty food as the likes he eats whenever Naruko cooks.

xxx

'Yare yare, she finally found out about it huh?' Kakashi scratched his head as a certain ANBU used jutsu to repair the blown-up wall with ease.

'She didn't take it too well indeed because in her point of view, its not fair that she was damned to her life as a baby, in a position she can't even say no and protest. Helpless in that position yet she has a big bad fox in her gut and our people blaming her for its crimes unjustly and unfairly with mistreatment to match.' the Hokage shook his head. 'Its why she works hard and avoids getting too much information that would keep her from leaving one day and have a decent life elsewhere and became who she is today, a good pioneer of food, pharmacology and alcohol brewer. A shinobi that doesn't know too much can safely retire elsewhere but for those who know too much cannot leave or be hunted down. She was playing it smart because she knows that full well.'

'I guess. But when the time comes, will you let her have the life she wished?'

'Konoha owes her and her family that much, after all they've done for this village.' said Sandaime wryly as Kakashi held a grimace. 'As long as she doesn't know crucial village information, she's safe to live her life freely in her chosen career as long as she doesn't join other shinobi villages. And I'm fine with letting her go if she wishes as long as I'm Hokage and my successor is as human as we are. I managed to buy myself more time until I find a successor worthy of wearing this hat since Minato.'

xxx

Next day...

Naruko forced herself to put on her usual personality but last night's revelations still shook her.

Haku, seeing this, wisely said nothing and pretended nothing was wrong. 'Naruko, we ran out of sugar for our experiment, I'd like to buy some.'

'Eh? Sure, how many kg do we need?'

'I'd say 10 kg to keep us happy for a day.' said Haku. 'Its not easy to judge how much we need to make material for edible sculptures, along with starch and other things.'

'Yeah, since we don't know how much we'd get if we melted the sugar.' Naruko mused thoughtfully as she took out her wallet to take out money. 'We have to keep surprises up as I don't know how long before we get called for our work.'

'Sou ne...'

'That and we need flavorings and edible food dyes, we have to make those.' said Haku. Naruko touched the remaining sugar and the other pastry needs they have in the pantry...made her computations which Haku wrote down...and for them to deal with the inevitable of burned fingers because they have to sculpt it while hot before it hardens, and they have to polish their sculpting skills using safer stuff until the actual thing.

xxx

'Naruko, you've been rambling about timing and burnt hands, you're the last person I'd know to burn your hands in the oven.' Sasuke commented as they were on the way to the Academy.

Indeed, being a dang good chef, that's highly unlikely. Everything she makes, is perfect in appearance, texture, smell, and dang delicious.

'Sorry but I'm computing how much time it will take to sculp soft edible candy at high speed before it cools and hardens beyond malleability.' said Naruko. 'A softened candy taken out of a heating apparatus is about 90 degrees and we have to hold it barehanded while sculpting the damn thing, that's ouch.' she shuddered as the boys balked at the imagery it showed. 'We invented a candy but unless you're quick with your hands and an artisan, its not likely to sell to the public and only available to VIPs.'

'Heee...'

'Well, here we are at any rate...' Sai mused as they met up at the Academy. 'Let's go in.'

They prepared themselves for advancing to Chuunin...not that Sai cares as he's an ANBU Trainee just filling in for Team 7 just to watch over his VIP teammates.