Naruto: the simple skills

-one day later-

Pov: Kenzo.

Okay. So turns out that I cannot use the spear for my 'build'... why you ask? Because everything is expensive when you are hated by the shopkeepers and rely on the monthly allowance for two children that is often used on impulse buying...

I made the calculations and it seems that even if I saved all the money I spend on flowers and wants, I would be able to get a spear by graduation... the problem here is that I would have gotten way more scrolls by then.

I am only four now and I can stare a trained ninja into a scare... My walk is akin to some of there ninja techniques and no one even knows about my breathing yet.

This is a major setback for now, I can learn the spear later in life... if I still want it by then, I am still sticking to learning genjutsu however- just need to change bell ringing into something else... maybe Fingers snap? Click?

Sounds similar and good enough...

Ill do it this weekend then.

For now however I am shopping for flowers.

"Hey! Does my hair look better long or short do you reckon?" Ino asks me.

I look back at her and examine her hair... it hasn't been cut, probably deciding if it is worth it to keep or not...

"From a ninja perspective short hair is much easier to keep out of a fight... from looks you asked? Long hair suits you" I let her know and she furrows her brow.

"What do you prefer...?" She asks slowly.

"I do like short hair... but then again stylized long hair is great too, I think you look better with long hair- maybe tie it or braid it? Could make a pony tail..." I suggest and she nods seriously.

I pick out another flower and Ino smiles at me before giving me all of its 'lore'... I love hearing these fun facts! I could listen to them day and night all the time!

"...Hey! We have all the flowers now... did you want to play together?" Ino asks me.

"Ah, I am sorry Ino but I have some homework I need to do to keep up in class- how about tomorrow?" I tell her.

"Okay... come by anytime!" She gives me a cheeky smile as we head to the counter to pay for my flowers.

"Bye Ino" I wave and she waves back as I head through the streets of Konoha.

I should probably have dinner soon... I guess ramen it is.

Not like we can afford anything else really.

"O! I managed to escape clean up duty!" Naruto cheers as I open the door and I whistle at that.

"Mighty impressive, what did you do?" I ask while placing my flowers in the vase.

"Well I decided not to use paint today- I did use an ink instead to throw people off my scent! Dattebayo!" He throws his hands in the air.

"Hate to break it to you brother- but switching to ink isn't going to stop ninjas from finding the culprit" I declare and his eye twitches as he thinks hard.

"I didn't think about ninja!" Naruto holds his head a yells.

"Hahahahaha! Maybe next time Naruto, have fun cleaning ink tomorrow when the ninja comes to find you~" I tease.

"Can you skip school to help me! Please!" He begs and I chuckle.

"No can do little man, a lesson learned perhaps~" I tease more.

"Kenzo~" he whines and I chuckle lowly.

We have dinner and go to sleep for the night.

Best decision to stop focusing hard on the scrolls.

---

Its the weekend! I get up and stretch before looking around- knew it, Naruto loves to prank on the weekends and he will probably be planning something big.

That leaves me a few hours to use the scroll uninterrupted!

Sure I had time through the week, but I have made sure to fill that time with other stuff, like reading and talking with Ino and Naruto.

I walk up to the scroll and pick it up.

------

Complete: A Test.

Reward: D-Rank scroll.

------

Oh! So holding back the scroll was the test... so he chose me for my willingness to enter these scrolls but didn't want a madmen who cares for nothing... what does this system want from me?

Haaa- I focus down on the E-Rank scroll.

'Finger Snap'

...

Blinking I open my eyes to the deep orange room once more.

*scratch* *scrawl*

'Snap, snap, snap. Follow the rhythm or your fingers snap'

I watch as the room darkens and I can only see around me- like a blindness affect in a videogame, in the distance I see a hollow circle shrinking into a- *Snap!* I snap my fingers when the circle matches each other.

...

Its a rhythm game, how hard could it be?

... *Snap!*

... *Snap!* *Snap!*

.. *Snap!* *Snap!* *Snap!*

. *Snap!* *Snap!*

Okay maybe it can be hard.... when I have to do it for OVER THREE HOURS!!!

My fingers hurt and four have been snapped off my hand.

... *Snap!*

*Scrawl*

'Completed E rank Finger snap'

Thank fuck! That was intense... not as bad as usual but intense is still bad...

I blink back to the apartment and wiggle my fingers as pain surges through them.

"Haaa- Haaa- breathe O.... breathe..."

I take deep breaths and as the pain subsides and I open the next scroll to focus on it.

'Finger Snap'

...

*scratch* *scrawl*

In the room again I look to the new words.

'Captivate everyone with your snap. Or snap in two'

I look around and the room forms into a stage... I stare at the massive audience in front of me.

I can feel it... the stares of anticipation.

*Snap!*

I snap my fingers and feel disinterested stares.

*SNAP!*

I feel my body snap into two different pieces and the amused stares of the silhouette audience.

"ARGHHHH!!!" I scream on the floor for a good minute until.

Haaa-

I am back on the stage...

I raise my hand...

*Snap!*

*SNAP!*

Haaaaa- Haaaa-

What am I doing wrong?

......
Again.
.....
Again.
....
Again.
...
Again.
..
Again.
.

*Snap!~*

I snap my fingers and a perfect snap rings out to the audience... it was odd but I managed to somehow mould my fingers and palm into making the best noise I could.

*scratch*

'Complete D-rank Finger Snap'

I blink back to my apartment.

Phew~

That went well... wait a minute? This is not my apartment... I am strapped to a table and I look around with worry... roof is grey and a single lightbulb peers out.

I am on a surgery table considering the instruments of a surgeon beside me and the room looks a mix between a labaoratoy and a prison...

I can see many other... children? Or what was children hanging from chains as many implemented devices hang from them...

That child looks like a tree was its mother...

"Are you awake child...?" A man asks from somewhere behind me.

"I am. So.. what's the deal with this?" I ask casually.

"So calm... you are quite the conundrum Kenzo~" The man steps up to the table and I see a pale figure with yellow eyes gaze down at me.

"Conundrum? Me? No~" I reply sarcastically.

"Then lets unravel you shall we?" He declares with a smile and starts opening up my chest while I am awake.

...

"Don't surgeries usually occur when one sleeps?" I ask as I grit my teeth and breathe through the pain.

"Yes~ but I thought you would be more compliant when I need information from you later... with my medical skills you will be awake... and alive..." The man hisses out...

...

Haaa- Haaa- Haa-

I breathe out and In slowly and surely... but my body feels weak, slow and asleep?

Am I conscience while my body is asleep? What did he put into me..?

I cant jolt myself awake with my breathing... I cannot breath fast enough.

Ahhhaaahhaaa-

This pain...

I have felt worse yes... but pain doesn't stop hurting because it happened before...

....

The surgery lasts for a few hours and the man leaves dissatisfied.

---

Pov: Hiruzen

"Old man! Old man!" Naruto slams open my door and screams at me.

He looks panicked... what happened?

"Kenzo is gone! He hasn't come back home! And he isn't anywhere he usually is!" Naruto yells.

"How long has it been Naruto...?" I ask curiously.

"Since this morning! He missed dinner!" He jumps up.

...

Haaa- Kenzo... always something happening but not when I dedicate a ninja to him...

"Its alright Naruto, I will have a ninja look into it immediately... how about I treat you to ramen to ease your worries...?" I get up and pat his back- he nods his head slowly.

...

I click my fingers and an Anbu is sent-Kakashi was guarding me today so Kenzo should be found quickly.

...

-One hour later-

After sending Naruto home I head back into my office where Kakashi is waiting for me.

"Report" I order.

"Kenzo is missing completely. His scent lingers in the apartment but never left... someone made sure he wouldn't be found" Hound reports.

...

Who? Danzo..? No he always makes sure not to overstep... a spy? If they left the village already there is no hope of finding him... why would they take a child?

...

I take a deep sigh.

"Hound, continue the investigation further- if he is not found by tomorrow morning let me know... he will be labelled as missing and I will have to tell Naruto..." He pauses but nods his head before flickering out.

If Kakashi cannot find him then no one can... who did this..? Naruto... I am sorry but it already seems unlikely that Kenzo will return...

---

-next day, lunch-

Pov: Naruto Uzumaki

"Naruto... I am sorry, I made sure to send our best... it is going to be alright Naruto...-" The Old man tells me once more and I know that... but- but Kenzo! Dattebayo!

Was it because of me? Because everyone hates me? Why do they all hate me so much? Why did O have to vanish!

...

I run off back home and I hear the Old man sigh a deep breath.

I run and run.

...

I arrive at home and slam open the door.

...

I don't want to be here... I hide under my covers and I cry.

---

Pov: Kenzo

Blood sample again? It seems he found something interesting in it yesterday...

The man leaves the room once more and I am in silence again- to the mans credit he is very talented in this stuff, not a scratch left on my body... well not a scratch accidentally left on my body, some remain to torment me as the pain continues.

Lucky I had practice not giving in to this kind of stuff.

...

------

Complete: A snakes conundrum.

Reward: D-rank title.

------

I raise my eyebrow and focus on my abilities... they form and itch in my mind.

------
Titles:

Knowledge Taker: E-rank.

Occupied: D-rank.

Skills:

Unyielding Stare: E×D×C×B×A×S•K•

Breathing: E×D×C×B•A•S•K•

Word- Truth: E×D×C•B•A•S•K•

Walk: E×D×C×B•A•S•K•

Finger Snap E×D×C•A•S•K•

Statistics:

Genjutsu Affinity +1

Strength +1

------

Occupied..?

What does that even mean, I managed to discern that Knowledge taker allows me time to process insanity within the deep orange room but Occupied? What am I a bathroom?

...

What does it do?

---

Pov: Oorochimaru.

Interesting... his blood has something attached to the oxygen it carries around the body... and yet I cannot grasp it- the second the blood is touched or messed with in any way an electric pulse turns the blood black, thick and useless.

...

I enter back into Kenzo's holding table and I walk over to him.

He raises his eyebrow and smiles at me... if I didn't know any better I would say he has been through extensive torture training... but a four year old cannot have done that, so he is naturally tolerant to torture... I want him as my subordinate...

My neck elongates as I hiss.

I bite into his neck and send my prototype heaven seal into him... it sucks up his chakra and starts forming a seal... he trembles violently and shakes against the table.

*Slurp* *Scrape*

A slurping, scratching and scraping noise is heard as my mark is consumed by the boy...

What?

How?

His chakra ate it? No... his chakra was being eaten so what else could have eaten it? The stuff on his blood?

What happened to the fragment I left in that mark..?

---

-one minute ago-

Pov: Oorochimaru Fragment.

I open my eyes to a deep orange room... curious, most have a form of tunnels for their mindscape...

...

My current form is a small ink made snake... I smell the chakra around me and I start devouring it, slowly growing bigger and bigger.

*Slither* *hssss-*

I spend moments taking on his chakra and devouring it...

*Thunk*

I hear a thump on the roof of this orange box.

I look up.

*SCRATCH!!!!*

A loud scratching noise akin to claws on a blackboard but condensed to a mere second.

It shakes me and I wince in pain... words appear on the ceiling of this mindscape.

'OCCUPIED'

...

What is this...?

I raise my snake head in curiosity.

The roof tilts open and darkness greets me... two eyes stare downwards at me.

I tilt my head.

"RAGGAGHAGHHHH@%##$@%@@&#" An incomprehensible scream or sentence is spoken to me...

...

*Slurp* *scratch* *Scrape!*

A large black hand slams into my body from the roof and hundreds of smaller hands emerge from the fingers of this oily black hand scrape and attack my body.

It hurts...

"HSSSSSAAAAAERRGGHHHHH!!!!!" My screams aren't heard by anyone as the box closes and I am dragged out.

---

Thanks for reading :)