NOVEL FROG Two!
We are two today!
Meaning that my body is ready to stumble and walk and I can talk without my mouth feeling so full! It is a triumphant day!
I stand up and stretch having slept through the morning and breakfast again, a habit that lets me ignore the hungry feeling.
Ever since I started hanging out with Naruto we only ever got dinners and even then the caretakers 'forget' our meals once a week at least, we are always exempt from going on excursions and the bookshelf never has anything other than the dictionary five times over... yeah they bought many dictionaries just to stop us from reading.
Well jokes on them! I am halfway through the last one! That's right! I am reading every dictionary at least once because I am going insane being stuck in this room full of beds.
I am not even allowed outside after the young caretaker framed me playing with fire, Naruto is allowed outside though and we often talk through the window as he runs around in the grass and points at the bugs crawling around.
Today though something different happens, I can see that an old man in white and red robes approaches all the kids playing and they swarm him ecstatically, Naruto drops the small rock he was playing with and runs over too.
The Hokage has graced us with his presence after all, and the kid loves the Hokage in every story... sad reasons though, he loves it when the Hokage gets praised or cheered for being the best.
I sigh and lean on the window frame ignoring the commotion and stare out into the buildings past the orphanage.
I watch the butterflies flap there wings and I watch the grass sway in the wind, I watch the spiders crawl up the buildings and I watch the leaves sway... I love this view, not when it is blocked by the Hokage though, I look up and see that he has appeared before me before I could even blink.
"Hoh? And what is a child like yourself doing inside on a day like this?"
He smiles warmly and I raise my eyebrow in confusion.
"Sorry? Oh, I played with fire and now I have to sit inside for a while"
I respond half-heatedly and yawn while looking past him into the distance again.
He continues anyway.
"Playing with fire huh? Hmmmm... you are the kid that's friends with Naruto Uzumaki?"
I glance back up and give my best intimidating stare.
"And what of it?"
He raises his brow and smiles even brighter before sitting down in front of the window and facing towards the direction I was, it is now that I can see there is two Hokages... that's odd, is he a body double?
"Hmm you are very mature for your age... Naruto is someone I consider precious and I would like to know, unfortunately I am unable to take care of him due to my duties"
"I see... you his secret father or something?"
He barks out a laugh at that and sighs.
"No, but I knew his father before he passed away... it is good to see that you are his friend"
I don't respond and we continue to stare into the distance before the Hokage gets up and looks at me one last time.
"You stay safe now child, may you grow strong for the leaves that burned"
I nod my head hesitantly, trying to understand what that means at all.
*puff*
The man is gone in an instant, like my scrolls but that was an entire man! I look over to the Hokage who is playing with the other children and he nods at me.
What....? The stories are real!? I'm in a magic ninja world!??? That fourth Hokage could really teleport! I thought that was an exaggeration! What????
------
Complete: Discover the truth of your situation.
Reward: C-rank scroll.
------
And is this system just going to upgrade my one skill??? Haaaa- at least I know what I'm doing tonight... or technically for longer, I'm going to be staring at something.
I stare out at the window and realise that I am the only one inside today... I step over to my tiny bed and I start focusing on the new scroll I have.
Suddenly the room changes into that of the deep orange colour and I blink. Another me is staring at me, standing right in front of me.
*scratch* *scrawl*
The floor inscribes these words.
'Copy these stares. Beat the challenge once learnt'
These stares? I look up to see that my copy has a bored expression, I do my best to mimic it and my face stays the same for about five minutes before his changes to a death stare... then a curious stare... then a doubting stare...
Slowly but surely the other me is teaching me how to convey different types of stares that have various meanings, using my entire body to convey a slightly different stare.
After I have learnt what felt like over fifty different stares the room changes into a dark expanse and a voice booms from the darkness.
"Cold stare"
I follow its instructions and I can feel my mental fatigue heal.
"Happy stare"
I flinch at the loud voice and my mental fatigue doubles... is this like a rhythm game? If I don't get the stare right-
"Death stare"
I immediately start forming my best death stare, phew... okay they are coming quicker... never mind the next one is slower than the last two, do I just keep staring like this until- ow! Yes don't change unless told!
"Sad stare"
I do my best sad stare, a longing gaze that would make one think that my father just died... or maybe I'm a just a kid who dropped his ice-cream-
"Cold stare"
Again? Alright, it seems random and will probably test me till it is certain I have memorized and learnt all of them.
"Prideful stare"
Okay... lets just focus, ignore all other thoughts.
---
Pov: Kakashi Hatake
I have been assigned to guard the Hokage today and it seems obvious why now, he brought me to Naruto... wants me to see how well he is doing and discern if there is any foul play afoot, after the rumours got out of hand it is almost certain that Naruto may be receiving bad treatment.
I'm looking in the staff room and it seems all fine... but the trash shows that only 21 meals where prepared for lunch and that there is 23 kids here... maybe just a small mistake, I look through the room and flip through various files but nothing here is certain or concrete evidence that he is being mistreated, I will make sure to have my pack watch over the orphanage and ensure that everything isn't amiss.
I hear cluttering and the orphanage doors open up, I hide in the shadows and escape outside to watch the children through the windows.
"Hey! Hokage! Can you read us a story!"
One of the kids shout and the young caretaker scolds him to add sama at the end of Hokage.
"I suppose... let us grab a story, anyone have any favourites?"
The Hokage goes over to the bookshelf and raises his eye.
"So many dictionaries?"
The kids shout at that.
"That's the only books we can reach!"
"Yeah! Dummy Kenzo always reads them over and over again!"
Kenzo, that was the kid stated to be Naruto's friend, I look over and see him calmly meditating on his bed, ignoring all surroundings.
"He likes to read the dictionary?"
"Yeah! And not the same one! Dummy has read every one at least once!"
"Yeah! Kenzo likes reading and the caretakers always place the most boring books for him!"
That's some good information, the Hokage sits down after picking something from the top shelf and the kids sit to listen to him read... no one is sitting near Naruto at all, the caretakers have been making sure they didn't.. it seems that they cant let go of what happened... Naruto... I'm so sorry...
*gasp* *haaa- haaa-*
I turn my gaze to the meditating boy who is suddenly sweating and gasping for air, his eyes bulge and his stare dangerous, he immediately leaps out the open window with a dive and vomits in the bushes near me...
"That keeps getting worse and worse..."
He mumbles before the young caretaker rushes through the door and meets the boy outside, now pulling on his ear roughly she takes him a bit away before scolding him for jumping out the window... did she not smell the vomit?
She keeps yelling at him and when she says "Seriously! You were such a good child before you started hanging out with that- ah!" She suddenly yelps and stumbles back and I tilt my head in confusion.
"You wish to keep speaking caretaker?"
I watch the boy speak coldly, stand and start walking away... what was she terrified about? She looks genuinely scared?
I listen intently to her mumble.
"That glare... he has been corrupted by that demon, I'm sure of it!"
Glare? The caretaker is being scared by a child staring at her? Haaa- that last sentence also gives me the information I need and I should start on my report to the Hokage, he will probably switch the workers and if that doesn't work... well lets hope Naruto is capable of taking care of himself... I might have to leave a pack member on watch duty for a while if he is forced to live alone.
Hmm? The kid didn't walk back into the orphanage... I sign to the other Anbu member that I am trailing the kid and I start following after him.
He just walks through Konoha and stares silently at the buildings, every once and a while he stops someone else and asks for some stuff.. knowledge on the most random of things.
Like is this the standard architecture of Konoha.
Or is that arachnid common here.
Sometimes asks about a ninja or two that roof up above him.
Even asking someone's income and the standard wages of the working class...
I watch in silence as the kid expands his knowledge and ends up back at the orphanage where the young caretaker is waiting with a wooden spoon in hand.
"I... got distracted?" The kid asks as if that was a good excuse to leave... they enter the building and I head back to the Hokage's office.
---
Pov: Kenzo
"O! you reading again?"
Naruto approaches me as I read the new books on the shelf before the new caretaker realises that the friend of Naruto is interested in reading.
We had a good month were the caretaker changed but soon she started being as malicious as the last one, I have been skipping almost every meal and eating the scraps alongside Naruto because if we eat with the others the caretaker can use that as an excuse to berate us for our manners and make us stand against the wall with our hands up for hours...
Yeah I am really interested in what Naruto did to earn such ire... why am I sticking with him and suffering through this? I don't know, one whim ages ago has landed me in starving and cruel waters. Even if I leave I am regarded as the boy who hangs out with Naruto.
"Haaa~ yeah I am reading again... kind of wish we could go outside, I hate just sitting still and reading constantly"
"Yeah, dattebayo!"
He has started to shout that at the end of his sentences and its starting to get old real quick... then again everything in here is starting to get old real quick.
"Oi! You two! What are you doing inside!?"
The old caretaker enters the orphanage and I respond.
"You told us we couldn't-"
"No buts you two! I want you both on wash up duty tonight, understood!?"
We nod in silence and she huffs and puffs away outside to check on the other children, hypocrisy is a staple of this old lady, saying one thing and punishing us for listening.
I finish the book and place it on the shelf.
------
Complete: Read 50 books.
Reward: E-rank scroll.
------
Oh! I can get rewards from reading? Wish I knew what the tasks to complete were...
This also means a second skill, so what should I get? Hmmm... I need to check if I am right about something.
I am certain that learning how to throw things or learning a martial art is ten times easier then staring... why?
My theory is that martial arts and skills that already have a mastery level are easier to learn because the system can just take that knowledge from around this world... but something like 'Stare'? That's just something people do, there is no greater way to stare at something so the system has to drag the difficulty so high that my staring somehow improves, yeah?
Well I am going to test that by getting another simple skill and mastering it.
Last time it felt like weeks of repeated motions that went on forever just staring in different ways, and now I can express certain emotions just by staring the right way... so a B-rank would force the system to come up with a new way to enhance my staring further.
I have done the mastery of staring as far as a mortal should be able to stare at something, now it will have to help me stare with abilities that exceed the maximum.
How do you exceed the maximum in staring? I don't know, so theoretically it will make my staring supernatural.
At least that's what I'm hoping, if not I will have wasted a few skills while waiting for a B-rank scroll.
Anyway, my next skill will be something impossible to master over E-rank...
I focus on 'Breathing' and the world around me forms into the other realm of deep orange.
*scratch*
'Hold your breath. Don't drown'
As expected, what else can one do other than holding your breath? Breathing harder? The simpler the activity the quicker I will break mortal barriers... just need to confirm that with a D-rank scroll now.
The room changes into a foggy shower bathroom and I cannot open it, I watch as water rises from the bottom to the top and I hold my breath.
One minute later and I am drowning, it is a horrid death and if I had the breath to scream I would.
*slam* *haa- haaa-*
I breathe hard as I slam into the floor and collapse in the now empty shower, I just died and as soon as five seconds pass the water rises again.
---
Pov: Naruto Uzumaki!
O just placed a book back and then turned around, he sat in a meditative pose and then suddenly he is gasping for air, I approach him and he vomits bad, ewww.
"Are you okay O!"
I shake him but he faints and falls to the side, I call out for the caretaker who barges in and immediately starts yelling at O for vomiting all over the floor.
He wakes up to being threatened and I try to apologise for him- *smack*
Both me and O receive a slap and she yells at us.
"Go get the mop and go clean this up! The both of you!"
But... we didn't do anything wrong...
I start to sniffle and cry, O pats my back as the old hag leaves with scorn on her face.
I sit there crying and blink as O starts mopping.
"O! I-I will do that, you are sick! Dattebayo!"
I clamber up to the big mop that is uncomfortably resting on O's shoulder as he wields it with both arms.
"Its okay Naruto, I vomited after all... just make sure to look like your doing something if someone comes in"
I nod and sit down again... I start to tear up but shake the feelings off! I need to stop crying dattebayo! I want to be as strong as O and make sure to be Hokage! That way people will respect us! And I can have someone else clean up after O vomits!
Dattebayo!
---
Pov: Kenzo
Okay bad idea... a two year old body like mine is not built to hold there breath for that long, I don't even know how long I spent drowning in there and it feels like I'm putting myself through torture... but if I am right then the system will make D-rank breathing supernatural.
How does one do that? I have no idea.
I clean my vomit and then have to wash up with Naruto after that is done, he is drying the stuff while I wash them... they even bought stools so that we can wash up for them, this is getting messed up.
Sorry, this was messed up ages ago, I just keep putting myself through torture and thinking nothing of spanking and washing up, I mean the amount of times I just drowned...
Yeah... dangerous stuff, like that button experiment that electrocutes you and people wouldn't stop pressing it because they were bored... and being trapped in this building is making me outrageously bored.
I turn to Naruto who has been uncharacteristically quiet since I vomited.
"Naruto? You have been quiet"
"IM GOING TO BE HOKAGE! DATTEBAYO!"
"Never mind"
"STOP SHOUTING! YOU TWO WILL SWEEP THE GRASS IF YOU KEEP IT UP!"
the old caretaker yells back and Naruto doesn't relent, it seems he has gone insane as well... I nod sagely and follow his yelling.
"NO! I WILL BE HOKAGE! MARK MY WORDS! DATTEBAYO!"
"YEAH! HOKAGE YOU OLD DUMBASS, WANT TO OFFEND THE NEXT LEADER OF KONOHA!!??"
Naruto chuckles and beams a smile at me, we hear stomping and I shrug my shoulders before dropping as many plates and smashing them as I can before she enters, Naruto laughing like a maniac starts uncapping all the bottles of cleaning supplies and starts pouring them all over the kitchen benches and floor.
"WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOUR DOING!?" She bellows out and we reply with laughter! Man this feels great!
I throw another plate and she grabs the back of my shirt and Naruto's before throwing us outside.
"Sleep outside for a night then! See how you fare out there!"
She huffs before slamming the doors shut, me and Naruto start laughing harder in street and eventually we calm down.
"O! You really think I can be Hokage?"
"Absolutely Naruto! And I will be there right with you, brothers forever!"
"Brothers forever, Dattebayo! I'm going to be Hokage!"
We get up when we hear the old lady slamming open the doors to yell at us again and we sprint down the streets into the alleyways.
"Where do we sleep?" Naruto asks.
"Haven't thought about that... we could just not? I mean we can wait till morning and then go back to the orphanage"
"Alright! Lets go get something to annoy the old hag with!"
We spend the night gathering various things to prank the old caretaker with, when we return in the morning we throw a bunch of garbage at the walls and some paint we found left in the alleyway...
There we go! No one was even here to notice!
We walk away and hide within a bush, watching as the old lady walks outside to water the gardens in the morning and she yells out in shock.
"Who the- damnit!"
We chuckle and she looks in our direction... oops.
"You two! Out here now! I want you both cleaning this thing for the rest of today!"
------
Complete: Sweet revenge~
Reward: B-rank scroll
------
-ten minutes later-
Now that was definitely rewarding, shame we have to clean all this though, the orphanage definitely looks better in a bright orange rather than a dull brown.
Hmm? Is that the Hokage? I watch as he enters into the orphanage and smiles at us as he passes by, after ten more minutes he approaches us... actually just Naruto, but I eavesdrop.
"Naruto, it has come to my attention that the orphanage has not been treating you right... I have decided to take you out and place you in an apartment"
Naruto beams at getting out of here.
"Really! I get to leave here Old man! Woohoo! Dattebayo!"
Naruto does a cheer and drops the rags he was using to clean the wall.
"Is O coming with?" Naruto asks and the Hokage responds.
"Did you wish to live with him?"
"Yes! Please old man!"
"I suppose I can do something to help you, I will be back tomorrow Kenzo"
I nod my head and beam a smile at him and Naruto, for now this wall isn't going to clean itself so I better get to it!
The two walk away into the streets of Konoha and I scrub hard and make sure the paint gets off before it dries.
When I am done I enter into the orphanage again and the old caretaker points to the mess in the kitchen.
I enter the kitchen and see that no one has cleaned that either... I roll up my non-existent sleeves and start sweeping up the plate fragments... which is extraordinarily difficult with a two and a half year olds body.
After that I exit into my bed and accept the B-rank scroll... this is going to make me hurl again isn't it?