I Own Nothing of the Copyright Materiel Present in the Story.
Sorry the update took so long, and that the chapter is on the short side. I simply don't have much free time anymore so updating is a last priority. I will try and make it more frequent for all of my stories from here on though.
Honestly, I miss writing to much to not make time for it now. Like an itch that just has to be scratched, you know.
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"This is the last paper Mitsuru-kun, are you sure this is what you want?"
I somehow managed to keep my hand steady as I signed my signature to the last paper. The paperwork to get me admitted within the Senju clan and my name changed had taken us to nearly noon to get done. I'm starting to feel sorry for his secretary who had to keep moving appointments.
I placed the piece of paper on top of the large stack, I thought it would be as simple as the Hokage waving his hand and making it official, a small mountain of paper work had quickly proved me wrong. The Hokage sighed deeply, drawing my attention from the mound of papers and back to him.
The Hokage breathed from his pipe deeply, he released to smoke and gave me a small reassuring smile. "It is official now, from this moment forward you are Mitsuru Senju, heir to the Senju clan."
Ping*
A quest has been completed.
To Reclaim a Legacy!
The legacy of your blood runs deep into Konohagakure no Sato, confront your Hokage and claim your right to be counted among your ancestors.
Primary objective: Gain recognition as a member of the Senju Clan. Completed*
Additional Objective: Take the Name Mitsuru Senju. Completed*
Completion Reward: 2000 exp, Title: Senju Heir
Your Level Has Risen by 1.
Your Level Has Risen by 1.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama" I'd have to switch out my titles when I left, it still felt surreal though, to go from an orphan to the heir of a clan in little more than a few hours.
"You'll need to be formally recognized in front of the council given that your clan head still hasn't been reached. After that I can give you the keys to the Senju estate and all the account books that the village has been managing since your grandmother began her travels."
I flinched at the last part, sure I had decided to wait and hear her side of the story before judging her, but it was still hard to be told you had a family member after being left alone for so long. I don't even know if I should be grateful or angry.
"Hai, Hokage-sama"
"The council meets in three days' time, I'll send for you then, though in all likelihood they'll all know about it long before the council meeting. Now I'm sure you have training for the upcoming graduation exam, so I'll see you then Mitsuru-kun." He gave me a comforting smile and a nod, which was pretty polite as far as dismissals go, but then he is the Hokage and I've already taken up his whole morning.
Ping*
A New Quest Has Been Created.
A House, a Home, and a Bank Account
Your clan's estate has sat empty for far too long, reclaim it and make it your new home.
Primary Objective: Gain the Senju Estate and Account Ledgers from the Council.
Completion Reward: 1500 exp, Senju Estate Opened for You, Senju Account Ledgers
Quest Failure: Must try again at a later council meeting
"Hai, Hokage-sama. Thank you for everything today." I gave a small bow before turning and leaving the room. I was getting more used to these boxes popping up out of nowhere, I suppose that's a good thing since they're not likely to stop anytime soon…or my entire life. I closed the window as discretely as possible as I closed the door to the Hokage's office behind me.
I was still sorting everything that had just happened in my head as I made my way through the tower and back onto the street. I started walking aimlessly for a while, shifting through the bustling crowd, when I remembered something from the meeting.
"Status Window"
Status Window
Name: Mitsuru Senju
Job: The Gamer
Level: 6 Next Level: 0/2000
Title: Konoha Academy Student
Specialization: N/A
HP: 260 (+12/hour)
CP: 760 (+64/minute)
STR: 5
VIT: 13
DEX: 11
INT: 18
WIS: 17
LUK: ?
Perks:
Kekkei Genkai: [Chakra Aspect/The Gamer], this bloodline limit is passed down through the [Hashira Clan], awakening on the family member's thirteenth year. It creates a state of subconscious within your chakra, allowing it to take on the aspect of the user's nature. Once formed, the individual's aspect cannot be changed or altered.
(Job: The Gamer, CP +400)
Kekkei Genkai: [Mokuton], is a nature transformation bloodline limit for [Wood Release] carried by the [Senju Clan]. Mokuton is born into the bearer's body, replacing one of the naturally produced chakra affinities. Mokuton allows for the creation and manipulation of not only trees and wood in general, but also all forms of flora.
(Dormant: +1 WIS per lvl, +1 VIT per lvl)
Bloodline: [Hashira], The Hashira Clan is counted among the founding Samurai clans of the Land of Iron. The name Hashira, meaning pillar, represents their importance to the Land of Iron's military strength. Their unique bloodline limit, normally manifesting as armor composed of chakra, is said to be the reason for the clan's high rate of survival in engagement's with shinobi.
(Kenjutsu skills +30% exp gain, Kenjutsu skills +20% effectiveness, DEX +1 per lvl)
Bloodline: [Senju], The Senju clan descendants from Asura Ōtsutsuki, the youngest son of the Sage of the Six Paths. Asura's inherited the sages "body", and through him the whole of the Senju line. This grants the Senju more malleable chakra, leading to their competence in most fields that involve the manipulation of chakra. The Senju are a one of the founding clans of Konohagakure, and ideological progenitors of the "Will of Fire".
(-20% to all CP costs, +10% to all skill exp gains, +1 INT per lvl)
Skills:
[Gamer's body (passive) lvl/MAX]
Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world as it were a game.
After sleeping in a bed, the user recovers all HP, CP, and cure minor status effects.
[Gamer's mind (passive) lvl/MAX]
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through, allows a peaceful state of mind. Enables immunity to psychological status effects. Immunity to genjutsu from individuals with levels lower than your own.
[Observe (Active) Lv1 EXP: 60%]
A skill to find out a target's information, more information is revealed as this skill increases in level.
[Physical Damage Resistance (passive) lv1 Next lvl: 0%]
The body's durability has improved, thus reducing the amount of damage taken from physical damage.
2% decrease in damage from physical attacks.
Status Effects:
Malnourishment: (Moderate effect) Due to a lack of appropriate nutrition the individual is suffering from malnourishment, this results in a weakened body and a slower rate of growth.
(Physical skill effectiveness -10%, Physical skill exp gain -10%, HP -40, rate of bodily growth -20%)
Money: 6700 Ryo
Points: 15
"Mokuton…"
This is insane, just what the hell is my life at this point, some sort of punchline.
I suppose I should have seen it coming, given when the window had popped up. It's just, how the hell am I supposed to deal with this on top of everything else now, I already have one kekkei genkai that I can't tell anyone about.
I doubt I would have to hide this one at least, but the damn thing is still labeled as "dormant", so how do I ask for help unlocking it when I shouldn't even know I have it.
I stood there for in thought for a few moments more, the crowd simply flowing around me. "There's nothing I can do about it, at least not right now." Not the easiest thing to admit, I've always hated feeling helpless.
My stomach rumbled then, reminding me of its extended neglect. I hadn't eaten anything since the ramen with Naruko the day before, no wonder my stomach was in revolt. It was already past mid-day, at this rate I'm never going to get rid of the that damn status effect…
"Food first, then training." I needed to figure out how to unlock my bloodline, but then only way to figure it out is to study up on it, and I doubt an academy student would be able to get into that part of the Hokage Library. Academy students, since technically still civilians, couldn't enter the second floor of the library. The only thing stored on the first floor regarding Shinobis was the bare basics, even the academy textbooks for the shinobi program weren't kept there.
I would have to wait until I reached genin then, which means I needed to past that test. Too bad I hadn't paid any attention beyond the basics. I wasn't the dead last, but I was damn close.
"Oh, I can imagine the gossip already, "Senju Heir Fails Graduation Test". I'm sure that would go over well."
I grabbed two sandwiches and a bottle of water from one of the food stalls and made my way to the academies training ground. Students weren't allowed to use the official training grounds until they graduated, but the small area set up behind the school would work well enough.
"Come one, let's get out of here and leave that loser to that flailing about she calls training."
I heard the half yell, followed be giggling, as I turned the corner and saw Amaya with some of her clique walking off. She was smiling, which either meant Sasuke was in sight, or that she had managed to ruin someone else's day. I scanned the training field and quickly caught sight of Naruko, she was staring down at the ground, her fists clenched at her sides.
"You ok, Naruko-san?"
She must have been caught in her own thoughts, because the moment I spoke, she spun. I learned two important lessons just then, the first was that you should never sneak up on a kunoichi faster than yourself.
The second thing I learned, was that Naruko hits like fucking sledgehammer.
*Ping
A skill, [Physical Damage Resistance], has risen by 1.
"Oh sweet Kami, Mitsuru-kun are you ok?" She was kneeling down next to me, her eyes were wide and frantic as she kept trying to apologize for knocking me down.
"I'm fine Naruko-san, it's ok. I was the one who startled you anyway, walking up behind a shinobi unannounced wasn't the smartest idea I've had today."
Honestly, she could have stabbed me with a rusty kunai and I'm fairly certain I'd have apologizing for getting it bloody. It's kind of hard to stay angry with the biggest blue eyes I'd ever seen, looking at me like I just kicked her puppy.
I stood up as she smiled at me sheepishly, her hands clenching and unclenching at her side. "You looked pretty distracted Naruko, that wouldn't have anything to do with Amaya and her friends would it?"
The blush she tries to hide is telling, from what I've seen Naruko didn't have many female friends in the class, aside from the quiet Hyuga. She was always challenging Sasuke during classes, and considering nearly all the girls had a crush on him, it didn't exactly make her popular. Though that didn't explain why the girls in the other classes in our age group didn't befriend her…
"Don't worry about it, it's nothing I can't handle." Normally I'd write that off as bravado, but her head was high and her jaw set. There was a fire in her eyes that made the blue shine even brighter, no one could ever accuse her of being weak willed.
"So, what are you doing out here? I don't think I've ever actually seen you at the training field before." Her question draws me out of my own thoughts, and it was a fair one to ask.
"You wouldn't have, I don't think I've ever actually been here outside of practical training during class. The practice test is tomorrow though, so it's really now or never." She just looks at me in shock, the notion of anyone slacking off like that probably makes no sense to her. Naruko's always getting chewed out in class for failing in her written work, but she's one of the top kunoichi in the class in as far as taijutsu goes.
I doubt she would be dead last in the class if the academy didn't put such an emphasis on academics, I understand why they do it, but for students like Naruko, it just seems like a rigged game.
"Well, I can train with you if you'd like?" The smile she gives me lights up her whole face, between the tan skin, bright blue eyes, and golden hair, it's like staring into the Sun.
I could still see the apprehension in her eyes though, the scene from yesterday quickly plays out in my mind. How many times has she made this offer to someone and had them scuff at her for it?
*Ping
A New Quest Has Been Created.
Sparring: Naruko
Naruko has offered to spar with you, show her your skills.
Primary Objective: Defeat Naruko
Completion Reward: 500 exp
Quest Failure: 100 exp
Accept (yes/no)
"That would be great Naruko, honestly, I'm a lot further behind than I should be, and could really use the help." If I had thought the smile before was bright, then this one was nearly blinding. The worry was gone, now there was only excitement and joy.
I quickly pressed, "yes".
"Do you mind if we eat first though, I'm pretty much going on empty here?"
"Oh…um, sure." She looks a bit awkward now, had she come out here to train but brought no lunch with her, or did she just not have the money to buy any? I remember her trying to buy food yesterday, and getting thrown out instead.
I pulled the two sandwiches out from the compartment pocket on my thigh and forced one into her hands, she sputtered for a moment, seemingly trying to understand the situation. She tried to hand it back, but I just shook my head and started in on my own.
"I can't take this Mitsuru." She said it so solemnly that I almost felt bad for giving her the thing in the first place.
"Call it a gift" I could see the argument winding up so I cut her off, "An if that makes you uncomfortable, then call it an early thank you for helping me out today."
Naruko seemed to hesitate for a moment before sighing and unwrapping the sandwich, I could see the gleam in her eyes as she took the first bite. I could understand that, the stipend they give us, "unaffiliated" orphans, to live off only allowed for little more than poor quality scraps.
The stall I had stopped at on the way here was known for their hot sandwiches, I had decided to splurge a bit more than I should in my own mini celebration. Seeing her hum in satisfaction as she chewed told me all I needed to know about the good graces of that decision.
Time passed smoothly as we sat on the ground and ate in peace, but that was quickly ended with her last bite. There was training to do, and for the first time since entering the academy, I was truly looking forward to it.
I pulled out the water bottle and downed half of it, passing it to Naruko I stood up and dust myself off. She hesitates for a moment before downing the rest of it and passing the bottle back as she stands.
"So, where did you want to start?"
She seems to ponder the question for a moment, "Can you tell me where you're at, can you do the three academy jutsu?"
I cringe as I bite into my lip to keep from trying to make any stupid excuses, so instead of vocalizing my answers I simply shake my head. She gaped as me, the shock so apparent on her face I don't know whether to laugh or feel ashamed.
"What have you been doing for three years?"
Ashamed it is…
"Sleeping"
Shit.
"Maybe a good spare will wake you up then?" I could help but think that the fist flying at my head made that less a question, and more a notice of incoming pain…