Chương 34: A Stranger in a Strange Land
The book was okay.
Naruto (the character, not my friend) and Tsuyu were…alright characters, the dialogue felt wonky at times, but there were a couple of moments where it was fine and Renge was…an okay villain. All in all, it was average. Neither terrible enough to attract a huge following of the tasteless or ironic, nor was it amazing enough to attract both tasteful and tasteless.
All in all, it was an alright four hours I just had. One line I'll remember, though; 'Give up thinking I'll give up.' So true.
I got home from the party and just dove right into the book on my wall. Then I finished it. What time is it? Oh, it's three in the morning.
The party was also okay…the rookie 9 were okay. Hisako and Nichiren seemed to have a good time. The clan heads were all there, talking. Negotiating some political thing, I imagine. Do I think that I could really be friends with the Rookie 9 alongside Cell 13? Probably. Did the world end? No.
So, yeah. I had a pretty okay evening.
What time is it? Oh, three in the morning.
I did get the message that the rookie 9 were being driven into the ground, though. That's good, it'll make them stronger for it. I was surprised about Hinata not looking on the verge of suicide – did something happen in the sewers?
Not that I'm complaining, anyone going from suicidal to non-suicidal is a great thing in my book.
But…now…it's time to go back to the guitar. I had a thought that I should wait until I could make shadow clones, make about two or three and make them play the guitar while I laughed at their misery. But that would be cheating and I cheat enough.
I picked it up.
Fingers in position. Strum. Switch position, play wrong note.
Inhale. Exhale. It's okay. Mistakes happen.
Raging doesn't help. It doesn't even make me feel better. It just ruins my mood for the rest of the day.
Strum, switch position, play strings…I…I did it.
I played the first five notes of the song I'm trying to play! Which is a practice song that came in the book, but still! I played it! Yay!
Fistpump!
Okay…time to keep going…pay off on what I've started.
Play string…adjust fingers…adjust fingers…play wrong note.
I sighed.
"So, I talked with my parents and we decided that you might like one of our flak-jackets instead," Tenten said, walking me over to the wall of jackets they had. "They're not uniform, so there's no chance of being mistaken for a Jounin or trying to pose as one."
"Why not a breast plate or cuirass?" I asked with a frown, folding my arms.
"We can still make one for you," Tenten replied. "But that kind of protective wear had a cost to mobility and that's an expensive trade-off for a shinobi. We did make these just recently…if you find one you like, great. If you really want an old-fashioned plate, we can make you one."
I hummed. That was actually a good point. "What goes into making these, anyway?"
"Well, they're flak jackets," Tenten gesturing to them. "They're like normal jackets, but with plates of metal sewn in. The metal is made of shops own alloy, handed down for generations in my family. They're protective, allow for greater maneuvering and are really comfortable."
"Okay," I said, looking over the jackets. I suppose it doesn't matter if the DR is the same, huh? "I mostly just wanted something that would stop me from getting stabbed from behind."
Tenten winced. "Yeah, I would too if I was in your position…here, let me show you our heaviest jacket."
She walked over and pulled a jacket off the shelf, placed there because the game told me it weighed thirty pounds. She held it up for me without effort, though. It was a flak jacket, standard Konoha green but it had sleeves, which was an automatic plus.
This was a heavy jacket.
+30 DR. +3 Endurance.
I blinked once. Twice.
"This is the heaviest thing we've produced and it offers the most protection," Tenten said, showing the parts off. "It has a solid plate here to protect to protect the upper back, coming to the area where you were stabbed, actually and protecting up to the neck. On the shoulders, here are other plates, separate from the back plate to keep the freedom of movement and here in the small area of your back, we've sewn in several rows of plates for additional protection."
"Now on the front," Tenten was actually smiling as she turned it around. She must've had a hand in making this one. "We have more plates, these ones on the pectorals and six rows of smaller plates on the abdominals. On the small of the back and on the abdominals, the plates are sandwiched in protective mesh. Finally, on the sleeves here, we've got plates for the elbows and mesh sewn into the arms."
She took a breath. "If you want heavy protection, this is the heaviest we've got."
Three endurance meant a bonus to Ninjutsu, which meant clones. The 30 DR was actually the most optimistic amount I could hope for as per Cuirass and the END was exactly what I needed. In fact, there was no guarantee that anything I commissioned would have that coveted END boost I needed and so…yeah.
"I'll take it," I said, not even wincing at the 100k Ryo price-tag.
Tenten smiled wide. "Great! I'll ring you up at the counter."
"Does it come in blue?" I asked with a smirk as we walked her over to the counter.
"Coloring does cost extra," Tenten replied.
"I don't mind the cost," I nodded. I needed a consistent color scheme, I'm…okay, I'm casual about a lot of things, but the way my costume looks is not one of them.
"Alright, that'll be 100 thousand and 25 Ryo," Tenten said, and I handed her the cash. "Thank you, I'll be right out with this thing colored."
I could've colored it myself, but I both a; didn't feel like it and b; didn't mind giving Tenten's family additional business.
After a few minutes of waiting, she came out with the flak-jacket colored blue, like I asked. I'll add some additional colors later if I want.
"There you go," She said with a smile. "Anything else?"
"Nope," I said, donning the jacket immediately and feeling the extra hitpoints coursing through my gaming veins. "This…this'll work. Thanks, Tenten. You're the best."
"Anytime," She smiled again. "Be sure to come back when you need more kunai!"
"I will," I bade her farewell and left the shop. Next item on the agenda is to figure out, well actually it's fixing up the Orochimaru cylinder I got so any Hyuuga's watching my apartment get fooled by the switcheroo I'm going to pull. Then it's figure out clone jutsu and…I think I already know how to do the summoning jutsu. In fact, I'm already pretty sure. I could be wrong.
Third item on the agenda is to beg for missions/quest/whatever terminology they use. While it might be nice to get a contract, I mostly just want the darn missions. In fact, this will probably be a quest chain where I get the contract at the end of it. That would actually be best. Something I could see going wrong is the clone getting popped prematurely – I'll need to reinforce him with seals so he burst into smoke at a papercut. I'll be using a shadow clone since Hyuuga's can't tell the difference between them.
Aaaand…I'll have something of value to teach Naruto to complete the Chasing Shadows quest. Hopefully I'll also figure out the Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu and then I can get the bonus from that quest and also get more EXP.
Things are looking up!
Now, let's see…lets head on over to training ground 4, see if my ability to use Shunshin has improved. Then after that…I'm craving delicious food, so I guess I'll head to Ichiraku.
So yes, my ability to use Shunshin has gone up dramatically. The Ninjutsu skill is not just the ability to fabricate jutsu and understand how they work, but also my technical proficiency in using them…I still overshot somewhat, but circling the training posts, zooming away and towards them was much easier to do and predict.
So now, I sat in Ichiraku's, getting served up a steaming bowl of ramen by Mr. Ichiraku. Ayame was probably in the back making noodles, which was actually kind of disappointing but I can probably see her again later.
The various spices and noodles danced a symphony across my tongue and I couldn't help but smile. Even if you don't need to eat, good food is still an important part of your life. It makes me happy, at any rate.
"Hello, Daisuke," Ayame came out of the back, carrying a steaming pot of ramen out and setting it on a stove behind the counter. Her Dad went into the back…oh, I get it. They have shifts in place, while one is making noodles, the other works the counter and interacts with the guests and they switch out every so often. "How's the ramen?"
"Delicious as always," I nodded before slurping down another mouthful.
"Good to hear," Ayame smiled. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," I said, going back to my noodles.
I took my time eating this, trying my best to savor each mouthful.
"So, Daisuke," Ayame came up to me and started fiddling with some dials on the stove. "Naruto tells me you're helping him train. How's that going?"
I mentally sighed. "Naruto's got a lot of work to do. His technique really isn't that good. He's got endurance to spare and hits pretty hard, but that's really all he's got going for him."
"Well, at least your helping him get that work done," Ayame smiled good naturedly. "That's the second time you've helped him become a better shinobi, right? Once where you got Umino-san to help him make a Bunshin properly and now you're helping him with his Taijutsu."
I had almost forgotten that I caused the butterfly that allows Naruto to make regular Bunshin, now. Geeze. "I'm trying…he's motivated to learn, so that's good."
"Are your other teammates helping at all?" Ayame asked, still smiling.
"Yeah, actually they're doing most of the work," I shrugged, stirring my ramen. "I'm not much of a teacher, so I'm mostly a sparring partner."
"You do what you can, right?" Ayame was still cheerful.
"Right," I replied, eyes narrowing. "Did you want something?"
"No," Ayame shook her head. "Why?"
"No one's this cheerful talking with me so long," I replied, taking a slurp. "I thought you might've wanted something."
"No, but…" Ayame said. "Well, Nichiren comes over here sometimes, and we talk and I was wondering…well, you guys are friends, right?"
"I guess so," I blinked. "Why?"
She took a few moments, adjusting the knobs of the stoves and stirring the pot she had brought out before responding. "Do you trust him?"
"Do I trust Nichiren," I repeated, confused. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," Ayame began. "Nichiren's been trying to get to know you better to get over his discomfort with you."
"Okay," I gave a slow nod.
"Well, he's told me about how you prefer to deal with situations on your own," Ayame started. "He honestly feels like you don't trust him. Do you?"
I took a breath. Did I trust Nichiren? "Honestly? No."
"Why not?" Ayame frowned. "Has he done something to violate your trust?"
"No, not really. I like him fine, he's a good friend," I answered. "I just don't understand him. I don't understand why he reacts to situations the way he does, what his thought process is or even his own opinion of me. I don't trust anything I don't understand."
I understand hand signs. I understand Jutsu, except for the Kawarimi. In my old life, I understood my family, my religion, how the world worked. I don't understand people now, nor the people around me -why they call me friend, rather than phenomenally useful errand boy.
"I…see," Ayame's frown deepened. "But you trust Naruto, right?"
"No," I replied. "He's my oldest friend, and I'd do everything I can to keep him safe, but I don't trust him."
Ayame blinked in concern. "Well…I hope you can learn to trust him-them, eventually."
I looked down at my ramen. Naruto was a good friend. For a long time, my only one. But I didn't understand why he was my friend either. "Honestly…so do I."
I helped train team 7 again. I was out of it…my tunnel vision was in full force. I was going to reverse summon my way to whatever, I'll hopefully get a steady flow of EXP and then I can deal with life again.
It was nearly midnight, a poetic time for this dangerous journey I was going to undertake.
The summoning jutsu took some thought, but I deduced that it's hand signs were Boar then Dog, then Bird, then Monkey, then finally Ram. I didn't get the EXP because I didn't solidify my knowledge that that was the case.
Next, however, came the cylinder.
Fuinjutsu Check Success: 76/75.
Orochimaru's Stealth Boy (that's what I'm calling it) was now fixed up and the holes left in the array upon it's destruction were filled, allowing it to work on command. In a word, it was beautiful. Frankly some of the most sublime work that I had ever seen for anything, ever.
Part of me wondered if Hisako would be interested in how this thing was constructed, but for some reason, I doubted it. No reason to assume she would be, she's never shown much interest in sealing when I've been around.
Now for the master stroke. I walked into the bathroom, since that was the only room in my apartment that didn't have a window. This wasn't unusual, in spite of the fact I didn't need to use the toilet, as the boot marks on the walls showed.
Then…shadow clone.
Ninjutsu Check Success: 68/65.
Quest Updated: Chasing Shadows
Completed: Learn the Kage-Bunshin before Naruto graduates.
Teach Naruto the Kage-Bunshin.
(Optional: Learn the Tajuu Kage Bunshin).
+600 EXP.
A smokeless clone, just the way I like it. I activated the Stealth-Boy right at that moment, used the substitution jutsu on him right at the instant he appeared, making it look like I had never moved. Hopefully, it will have fooled any Hyuuga watching my house right now.
But I needed to talk to the clone.
"What's the damage?" I asked.
He blinked and frowned. "I'm on a timer and I only have ten hitpoints."
Crap. "How long do you have?"
He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I have about an hour. Were you thinking of a seal to feed me chakra?"
"Yes," I replied, putting my hand on the clone's shoulder and putting a chakra-storage seal all over him, then I fed it all the chakra I had. "How's that?"
"My duration's been extended to eight hours and I have eighty hit points," He replied with a deep frown. "Not optimal."
"If you get popped, the whole operation goes up in smoke," I told him. He would've looked like he was talking to himself, which wasn't…unusual for me. I still did so some times. "So, stay safe, understand?"
"I'll do my best," He nodded. "You get my memories at the end, so it's not like I'll die when I pop. Again. Right?"
"Right," I nodded. "The chakra comes back to me. Besides, it's not like we haven't died before."
"Point," The Clone nodded. "I'm not touching the guitar while you're gone though, I can't afford the chakra cost to fix it."
"Good. Okay…here I go," I said, starting the jutsu. Then I stopped. "Actually, this would be bad if game mechanics made you disappear after I left."
"Good thinking," The clone replied. "A communication system would be good to set up. Perhaps a seal with a quantum link to another one? Send chakra through it for a blip."
"That's what I was going to do," I said, grabbing his wrist and putting it next to mine. A few hand signs later, and a small, watch-like seal wrote itself on our wrists, beneath our gauntlets.
+600 EXP.
Well, dang. Alright, go new communications jutsu.
3,745 more until level 17.
"How close are we to leveling?" The clone asked.
"You didn't get the prompt?" He shook his head. "3745 more points."
"Excellent," He nodded. "Alright, send me a beep when you get to the other side."
"Will do."
Ninjutsu Check Success: 68/55.
+300 EXP.
Quest Updated: A Stranger in a Strange Land.
Completed: Learn the Summoning Jutsu.
Quest Updated: A Stranger in a Strange Land.
Completed: Go to the Summons Realm.
Speak with the Boss Summon.
The first thing I noted after I finished passing through that bizarre wormhole was that I was cold. Really, freaking…cold. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, but I was colder than I remember being in years.
All around me was a frozen tundra, waves of snow piled up in dunes and the wind carried frozen snowflakes across the landscape. The light reflected off of the plains of white, almost making it hard to see…I had to squint.
I had two thoughts. Number 1, what creature called a frozen tundra so barren home? The second…SNOOOOOOOOOOOW!
I dove head first into one of the tundra's, feeling the fluffy, freezing water cushion my fall as I came out again, before making snow angels. I hadn't seen snow in over a decade. I missed snow. I missed it so much, I almost couldn't believe it.
Huh, I had tears frozen to my face.
Whatever.
I…remembered to send a ping to my clone and happily made a snow angel when I got a ping back. The clone was still operational, so that was a weight off of my mind. I tunneled through, made an igloo with chakra strings and scalpels and finally got back on track.
Now, I got to find the creatures that would be my quest givers. Or my summons. Whichever one gets me EXP.
With chakra-slide as my skis, I traversed the tundra's. Goggles were pulled over my eyes as I switched stances from skis to snow-board to bobsled…I was traversing snow for the first time in forever, I'm going to have fun doing it!
Over the hill! Do a black-flip! Ye-he-hes!
This…this was awesome. Just me and the frozen tundra to traverse…me and a little slice of home. My…old home, in any case.
Eventually, I came to a bay. The crescent shore was encroached upon slightly by the frozen body of water that clearly lead into an ocean. Across from where I stood, I could see a frozen mountain-top in the distance.
That has to be my destination.
I carefully examined the body of water and didn't see anything of spectacularly large size stirring beneath, but I decided to go around the frozen lake just in case. But as I was going too, I suddenly saw a lone…figure…on the lake, waving to me and shouting something that sounded like it was beckoning me…over…am I seeing this right?
Perception Check Success: 8/2.
Yeah, I'm seeing this right.
That…is a penguin. Waddling his way over to me and waving his flipper to me like he wants me to come on the ice.
My summoning animals are penguins.
I don't get it.
But…whatever. I guess I'll go talk to Waddlesworth over there.
I slid down, onto the ice and approached the penguin, who tilted his head on my approach.
The penguin was a short guy, came up to just above my waist. His chest was dotted with black freckles and his feet were black. His head tilted when he got a good look at me, before he buckled over laughing, his flippers holding his stomach. "Oh, oh! That's hilarious!"
"What's funny?" I asked.
"Oh, man! You're what's funny, that's what!" The Penguin crowed. "We got a couple of ninja coming here every few decades or so, but we've never gotten a kid before!"
"I doubt I'm anything like your previous applicants," I replied, trying to keep my cool.
"'Zat so? Well, you probably are a lot like 'dem, seeing as how the summoning jutsu brought you here," The facial muscles around his beak were curled upward like a smile. "Oh, oh. Unless you're talking about your power level or something. In which case, we don't care!"
"You…don't care," I repeated with a frown. "Why don't you care?"
"Because, fool!" The Penguin was still smiling. "We ain't interested in handing out our contract!"
"That's irrelevant to me," It's unfortunate, but it probably meant I had a quest line. Nothing unexpected. "I'm more interested in what I can do for you."
The Penguin stopped short, and cleared his throat. "Wazzat?"
"I don't want a contract, I want something to do," I explained further. "Preferably something dangerous, with lots of enemies to kill and a reward at the end."
"You…performed a summoning jutsu…so the summons can give you a mission?" His head tilted even further than the first time. "Really? What's the matter, you ain't getting missions from your village?"
"That's precisely it," I explained, figuring it best to be honest.
"Oh, that is just rich," The Penguin smiled again. "Da wittle ninja-brat got grounded and now he's trying to get out of it."
My eyebrow started twitching.
"But you know what," The Penguin got up on his tippy-toe-claw-things, looking me in the eye while mimicking my twitching eyebrow. "We don't need help. And even if we did need help, there's no way you could actually help us."
Don't flip out, that's what he wants. Don't flip out, that's what he wants. Don't flip out, that's what he…
"Says idiot penguin who can't run for anything," I flipped out.
Charisma Check Failure: 4/5.
The Penguin just laughed harder. "Hah! Jokes on you, I don't run! I dance."
Then he…started…tap dancing. On the ice, his feet moving quickly with a pretty good rhythm.
Tap Dancing Penguins. I screwed up big time with this summoning jutsu.
Then the penguin span in place jumped up and kicked me square in the stomach with both feet, balancing perfectly on one fin. I was knocked straight onto my back and slid backward on the ice until I stopped myself by sticking to the ice.
-15 hp.
"And, you know…smack idiot kids like you," The Penguin said, planting himself on the ice and assuming a Taijutsu stance as I stood up. "In my spare time."
I'm not a child.
I zoomed forward and he…slid to the side, twirling with his fins out like helicopter blades. I ducked under these and brought a pair of knife-hands for a rapid strike to his side, only for him to fall flat on his back on the ice and zip around. He nearly jammed his beak right into my ankle, but I circled him with a Shunshin and punted him to the side.
He went sprawling until he arrested his slide and stood himself up with a glare. "Alright. You got some skills. Tell you what, runt. You beat me here, and I'll take you to see the Emperor…and he'll tell you what he has to say about your…'Oh please gimme a mission Daddy! I'll do good, I promise!', hahaha."
I'm going to kill him. Well, no…that would be bad. I'm going to put him through the ice. As many times as I can.
Chakra strings sprung from my fingers and quickly encased this buffoon in a cocoon. I yanked him to me and held him like I'd hold a spear.
Intelligence Check Success: 10/7.
I stomped on the ice, causing a humongous spider-web of cracks to appear, with a small hole right in the center. Despite his protests that he was only kidding (sure, pal), I chucked him through the hole, leaving a penguin-sized hole in the ice as the cold water splashed up has he sunk underneath.
…won't lie. That felt good.
Then the water splashed back in my face as the penguin leaped out, flipping in midair and landing on the ice with grace defying his poor skeletal proportions for such activities.
"Okay," He breathed in frustration. "I'll give you that one. But you're still a dumb kid. Kid."
I growled and surged forward. He fell on his chest and zoomed forward himself…until he turned sharply and dove into the hole he just left.
…wait, what?
The sound of shattering ice came from behind me, and I whirled around to see AGH WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!
I slid backward to get away from it and fell right into the hole I just threw the Penguin in, the cold water being…. actually being phenomenally uncomfortable.
-1 hp.
Nope, gotta get out, gotta get out…I swam out of the hole, bracing myself on the ice of the ledge and saw the penguin as he howled with laugher, falling on his back.
"Paybacks a pain, ain't it kid?" He laughed as I shot out of the water with another growl.
That was the inside of his beak. That image isn't going to haunt my nightmares at all, no sir.
I sent out another set of chakra-strings and this time he slid out of the way like a jet-ski across the ice, turning around to ram me with that beak of his that I was sure had been reinforced with chakra. I jumped up and he jumped with me, grabbing my ankle with both flippers and pulling me down, sending me face first onto the ice. I braced myself with both hands on the surface and…
Chakra Control Check Success: 100/75.
Easily slid out of his sticky grip and flung myself forward out of my impromptu hand stand back onto my feet, whirling around…my prowess with tree-walking and chakra-slide is paying off in dividends here.
I could try a Ninjutsu here, but I didn't want to kill him and Genjutsu might make him laugh more…or cause him to be a sore loser and not honor his deal. Either way, I'm actually having a bit of fun, except for his incessant laughter.
This time as he was zooming towards me, he made a new hole in the ice. I quickly applied my water-breathing jutsu and a new seal to keep my heat in and prevent the cold from damaging me…
+150 EXP.
Then I sunk into the ice, and caught my assailant by surprise when I appeared right in front of him and with an uppercut sent him back through the ice above us. It was three-feet of frozen water, so it wasn't like it was going to start breaking apart on us any time soon.
Also, I could see the bottom, which made me feel a lot better – bottomless abysses made me feel on edge.
I followed the penguin straight out of the ice and quickly caught up with him, only to find my punch was quickly deflected by a helicopter spin and he stuck to me again, this time deciding to slide around my torso and start pecking at my jacket.
Chakra Control Check Success: 100/70.
He was quickly ejected and I followed him once again. He was up in an instant and he ducked beneath my strike, but was caught by the circle kick I rapidly spun into. Again, he was sent sprawling, but got up one last time.
"Alright. Alright," He nodded with a moderately impressed expression. "You got some skills. I think I've seen all I need. But you're still dumb, kid."
"Can you…stop…calling me that?" I seethed out to him. "It's irritating."
"Then maybe you should gimme a name then, don'tcha think?" The Penguin snarked. "I mean, it probably would've been better if you lead with your name, huh?"
"Shimoda. Daisuke," I just avoided screaming that he should've not laughed at me at the start. "Yours?"
"The names Yujiro," He finally introduced himself. "And I guess a promise is a promise…I wouldn't get your hopes up, though. Just cause you had a decent showing when I held back doesn't mean the Emperor will grant your request k-Shimoda."
I think my look was suitably murderous for him to get the hint. "Whatever. Let's just go."
"Right this way," He waved ahead in mock seriousness. "But you better show the Emperor some respect or the entire Penguin clan will rise up as one and eat you."
"Whatever," I replied. I was done with this joker and I had already deduced the redoing the summoning jutsu would send me home.
He took off, sliding on the ice and I followed after him, doing much the same. We zipped over to the other side of the bay, then along the side of a sheer face of ice. I was right earlier, the ice-topped mountain was my destination…but it wasn't a mountain at all – it was an ice berg.
A huge, gigantic ice berg that lie suspended in the middle of a frozen lake, to be specific. And there were penguins. A lot of penguins. In fact, I didn't realize how many species of penguins there actually were. There were some small ones that only came up to half-thigh, but I wasn't dumb enough to simply assume they were children. Others were as tall as I was…some, which looked like Emperor Penguins, were actually taller than I was.
The ice berg, I quickly realized, functioned as a palace. A pair of gates loomed in front of us. Penguins gathered all around us, but left a path for us to move forward. All of them almost without exception, looked tired. Their eyes had bags beneath them, and their facial muscles were placed in what I would approximate to being a frown.
"Make way! Make way for a guest of the Emperor!" Yujiro called, putting his flipper forward in a show…the fact that people listened to him without complaint meant he actually held some power here.
That…I'm not sure how I feel about that.
The gates opened, slowly, displacing cold air with their movement until the stopped, being unable to go any further. Yujiro and I slid forward on the ice, into the iceberg and I heard the gates behind me close with a sound that echoed throughout the berg.
Inside was a large circular room, with hundreds of windows and other seats lining the walls, reminding me of a sports stadium…or the seats for a choir. Penguins filled in through the windows, taking seats and paying rapt attention. I felt more than a little self-conscious at this, and a little incredulous when all the seats filled but it looked like more penguins wanted to get in.
Right in the center was a large pool of water with a podium on my side reaching over it. There was a large bell suspended over the side, coated in snow. Yujiro slid up to the podium and rang the bell and the whole auditorium went quiet.
…he's going to come out of that massive pool, isn't he?
A great wave sprang from the pool as it was suddenly filled by a colossal Emperor penguin, easily over a hundred feet tall. He…I wasn't sure how old he was. He didn't have a beard, but the gold coloring underneath his beak seemed to give a semblance of one.
He looked down at Yujiro then at me, pausing upon my face for several moments before he turned back to Yujiro and spoke. His voice filled the auditorium, and did not sound old in the slightest. His voice was vibrant, carrying with it every ounce of authority he assuredly possessed. "Yujiro…you seem to have failed your task for the first time in years."
"My lord Emperor," The joker actually bowed. "This one is different. He told me he does not wish for the contract."
The Emperor's head tilted in incredulity. "Is that so?"
The massive head, the motion causing the air to whistle due to his size, turned to look at me. "Young one, have I heard correctly? You do not wish a contract?"
"Th-that," I cleared my throat. "That is true…Emperor Penguin. Sama."
"But you were the one who cast the summoning jutsu, the very same which all penguins felt upon your arrival," The Emperor asked for clarification.
Oh, suck it up. "Yes, Emperor-sama."
"I see," His eyes narrowed and he frowned. "Then what is it you want?"
"I…I'm more concerned with what you want?" I said, taking a breath. "I want something to do. Preferably something dangerous, with lots of life threatening obstacles and a reward at the end."
"You desire to take missions from us," The Emperor blinked, then he smirked. "That…is more than a little strange, small one."
"Well…I'm a strange person," I replied, starting to regain my composure. "Emperor-sama."
"Then the first question I must ask is why?" He asked, sounded just a little amused. "I presume, from your belt, that you are from the Leaf. Are they not satiating your lust for danger?"
"No," I replied. "They…are not."
"You've been pulled from duty," The Emperor stated like I had explained everything. "Temporarily, I'm guessing. Reckless behavior?"
"Yes, Emperor-sama," I said, not liking where this was going one bit. "I need missions. Can't live without them."
The Emperor hummed. "Yujiro, did you test this youth?"
"Yes, my lord," He replied. "He is quite capable, though easily angered."
Flipping out here would be disastrous.
"I see. Well," The Emperor nodded slowly, turning to face me once again. "Youth, have you a name?"
"Shimoda Daisuke," I responded.
"Well then, Shimoda," The Emperor said. "I will grant your request. I will give you a single test. If you pass, we will move forward. If you fail, well…you knew the risks when you came here."
"I understand, Emperor-sama," I replied. "I won't let you down."
Charisma Check Success: 4/4.
Charisma Check Failure: 4/7.
I have no clue why he's being so indulgent with me. I…don't like it.
"Perhaps before you pledge yourself to our cause, you should understand what we're asking you to do," The Emperor said, smirking just a tad. "You see, our clan is at war."
"Perfect," I said before I could stop myself. "…please excuse me, Emperor-sama. I meant no disrespect."
Charisma Check Success: 4/4.
I don't understand how that's a success.
"As I was saying," The Emperor was smirking now for some reason. "We are at war. We have been for many years. It's why, if you had come asking for a contract, we would have turned out away without a second thought…we cannot be without our best fighters at a crucial moment."
I always wondered how something like that worked.
"Our war started with the Fish Clan," The Emperor explained. "We've been warring ever since we formed clans. We needed to eat and they took exception to that. At first it wasn't too serious, they'd send the occasional disorganized army our way in anger or fear and we'd freeze whatever we didn't eat. After all, if they wanted to throw themselves at the meatgrinder, who were we to say no?"
Laughter echoed from around the auditorium as the audience yucked it up. I was grinning. Because someone got it.
"But, of course, things like that didn't last…the Fish Clan enlisted their cousins, the Shark Clan…somehow, to protect themselves from us," The Emperor shook his head. "Before we knew what had happened, the Sharks had allied themselves with the Sea-lion clan, so we find ourselves fighting two enemies at once."
I didn't interrupt, but it didn't sound like the war was going too well.
"So, tell me boy," The Emperor asked. "What do you know about Sharks?"
"I know they're carnivorous, can be really fast in the water and…can't float unless they're swimming," I listed off. "They aren't as buoyant as their cousins."
"Very good," The Emperor nodded. "Now what does that tell you about their combat tactics?
I thought. I thought long and hard. They lived and fought wars in water, but had trouble staying afloat, which would be trouble in a sustained offensive. Which means… "They need staging areas?"
"Exactly," The Emperor nodded with a satisfied look on his face. "That…will be your test. We have found one of their staging areas they've been using to harass us. We were going to clear it out ourselves, but we're going to send you instead."
"I see," I said. Sharks. I…did not like the idea of going up against sharks. Sharks scared me. They've always scared me. But…I'm here. I need the EXP more than I need to stay away from sharks. "I'm ready when you are?"
"Are you certain?" The Emperor asked.
"Yes," I nodded. "I am certain, Emperor-sama."
"Very well!" The Emperor nodded. "Yujiro – show him to the East Shore. We will meet there, post haste."
…I'm starting to see why it was so easy to convince him to sign me on…he wanted a spare body to throw at the enemy and I don't think he cares if I die.
…
Perfect.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
Leylin_Farlier
Leylin_Farlier The Previous was a Fanbased Work of Fiction, written by Fulcon. Naruto is owned by Shueisha, Viz Entertainment and Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the Official Release.
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