Chapter 25

It was one month after we all graduated from the Academy that I found myself looking intently at my Status screen.

[Eiji Satou

Title: Anko Mitarashi's Apprentice

Energy Points: 620/620

Chakra Points: 465/465

Strength: 31

Dexterity: 34

Constitution: 31

Chakra: 31

Chakra control: C]

It had undergone several changes through the week, most of which thanks to my now not so new weighted clothes. All my stats had grown like nobody's business and I had made sure to thank Naruto at every chance I got and spoil the guy rotten with food, although I had to make sure that it wasn't always ramen, for diet's sake.

The biggest change though, was one that brought a smile to my face every time I looked at it. It was understandable too, I thought, since it should have sat at 310 right now, but instead I had a whooping 465 instead. Why? Well, that was thanks to the perk I got when Chakra (and Constitution) had hit 30.

It seemed that all stats gave a perk at 30. Which brought the question of why Autodidact had appeared at 20, but I had given up on that mystery.

Case in point, the new perks.

[Calm Spirit

Increases Chakra Point gain for every Chakra level by 50%.]

That one was the best, in my opinion at least. Bloodhound was cool and all, but considering how restricting my chakra pool had been ever since I seriously started training jutsu, I was very grateful for Calm Spirit. I had been a little concerned at first, since such a change to my chakra would have been very noticeable, but at least it had slowly grown over the week since I had gotten it. It was still a drastic change, but nobody had said anything so far, which I took as a good thing.

The other two new Perks weren't bad either, I had to admit.

[Resilience (Basic)

The user recovers from injuries slightly faster than normal.]

Resilience had been the Constitution Perk, and I had to admit that it was great. I was nowhere near Naruto's regenerative powers, but it was noticeable nonetheless. And it was probably tied for second favorite with Bloodhound since it helped heal all my training injuries, which helped me keep training.

The Strength one though, was by far my least favorite.

[Knock Out

Increases the chances of knocking the opponent out with a hit.]

At first it sounded cool, but it didn't have any numerical value for a reason. The increase was either very small or more situational than it let on, since I hadn't noticed it taking effect so far. Anyway, it was so-

"Brat, either you snap out of it or I smack you," The annoyed voice of my teacher woke me from my musings and I grimaced.

We were currently making our way towards one of the village's gates. Why? Well, I was going on my first C-rank mission. Nothing too fancy though. A simple patrol mission, not even that far from the village, which was what made it C-rank instead of B-rank. There was little chance of encountering another ninja.

It was, however, a mission that would take more than one day. Which had Naruto whining like a baby at the injustice of me going on a C-rank and getting to be outside the village. The rest of the group showed several levels of annoyance too, since they were still stuck doing D-ranks and much more often than I had. Still, no one had really complained for which I was grateful. I really didn't feel like dealing with actual envy. The dangerous kind, I mean.

Back to the present though, I was slightly nervous, I would admit. Maybe I was being paranoid, or just a plain idiot, but I couldn't help but worry about something like what happened to Team 7 happening to me. Which is to say something messing up my mission and turning it into a higher ranked one.

Regardless, I tried to calm myself down by reading through my skill list. Anko had kept her word about accommodating my seemingly unreasonable desire for power and upped the training like there was no tomorrow. And thus, my skills had improved by leaps and bounds through the weeks. The Forest of Death was a great training ground to grind them and Anko-sensei's snake summons were even better, even if I couldn't beat them. I was actually kind of sad that they couldn't join in on the training every day.

Still, I had maxed several skills through that time. The first one had been Free Running, which was not a surprise at all, since it had already been pretty close to max. Also, almost all my Shurikenjutsu ones, for example, had maxed out except for Fuuma Shuriken Throwing. Intermediate Taijutsu too, which had given way to its improved version, just like Basic Taijutsu had done.

[Advanced Taijutsu – Lvl 2

Increases the skill of the user in hand to hand combat according to skill level.

Increases the user's physical stats by 2% when fighting without a weapon.]

I was surprised by the change from Intermediate Taijutsu, since this one didn't have an active effect. However, I was happier with this, actually, since it gave the bonus without cost and all the time.

The last skill to be maxed was Calligraphy. And while that was awesome, it made me grimace every time. Why? Well, I would have been more than happy to start training Fuinjutsu, but I simply didn't have the time. A shame that, really, but considering the time it had taken me to max the skill, I just didn't think I could get it to a decent enough level to be used before shit hit the fan.

So, I reluctantly pushed the Seal Arts to the side and focused on what I was already training in.

Training that was going very well, if I said so myself. All my jutsu had progressed incredibly fast. Even those that weren't actively used when Anko threw me into the Forest of Death, like Genjutsu or the Transformation or Clones Technique. Those Anko made a point of having me train before fighting some days. This not only made it so that I could grind those (and keep them up to speed in her mind) but also added difficulty to my fights since it exhausted my chakra pool.

Besides that, I had also started working part time at the shinobi hospital, as Anko had said. That had led to me learning my first C-rank jutsu.

[Healing Palm Technique – Lvl 3

C-rank technique with which the user helps a target recover from wounds using their chakra through their hands.

Hand Seals – 5

Consumption – 9 Chakra Points per second.]

It wasn't the Mystical Palms jutsu, being much, much slower to heal and also incapable of healing internal injuries, but it was a start. I would take what I could. Maybe I could get my hands on the higher leveled technique in the future.

My teacher had also started teaching me about poisons whenever I was too spent to continue fighting in the forest. First of all, she had demanded I train my poison resistance in her presence, which I had no problems at all with. And second, she had started teaching me about making my own mixes instead of just using the poison directly from the plants. She had also covered everything, from gathering venom from spiders, snakes and the like to actually concocting the dangerous substances. This had given me yet another skill to work on.

[Poison Crafting – Lvl 5

Improves the quality of poisons crafted by the user by 25%.]

I had flown through the first few levels, to be honest. It was probably due to my medical training and preexisting knowledge, mixed with Anko's teaching and the title I had. Still, it was very nice to see such fast progression.

As I mused over my progress, Anko and I had already made our way through the village and outside the walls.

I was kind of surprised that tree hopping wasn't a thing. Or, it was, just not as depicted in the anime. Instead it was just… free running through the tree tops, really. 'Yet another AU thing, I guess,' I thought to myself as I followed my sensei.

This mission, I would just follow and observe. However, the next one I would have to do on my own and Anko would simply correct me if I did something wrong. It was reasonable, since I had never done any of these and she had never actually taught me the process. She had said she should have, but she preferred to simply teach by showing instead of by lecture. I was more than fine with that. The same would happen with any C-ranks that I had to take in the future under her.

I just hoped that if we met trouble, it would be the expected sort instead of the unexpected one.

[}-o-{]

"Good, you are taking to this as easily as expected, you little monster," Anko said, more amused than annoyed this time. She was getting used to my 'bullshit', in her words. As for what we were working on… It turns out that tree hopping is a thing and I just hadn't been taught it until now. I had the strong suspicion that my sensei had left it until now so that she could counter the boredom. Which was very real, by the way, five days in and nothing had happened at all. And I could enjoy the sights only so much considering that it was all the same forest everywhere.

[Hopping Technique – Lvl 10

E-rank technique with which the user can jump between mid-range distances.

Range – 20 meters

Consumption – 5 Chakra Points]

It was nice that it didn't need hand seals, because damn it would have been annoying to use until it was maxed. The good thing though, was that it was the simplest technique I had learned so far. It worked kinda opposite to how tree climbing did, since I had to push the surface instead of clinging to it. It reminded me of those times where I would put too much chakra on my feet while learning the chakra control exercise. It also leveled very fast, which I was grateful for.

And so, we continued moving through the forest, stopping at checkpoints and looking for anything that seemed remotely out of place.

"Something like that, I guess," I muttered under my breath when Anko signaled to stop, her whole body tense and ready for battle. The reason for that were two people tree hopping some distance away from us, their path being a bee line towards Konoha. I reassured myself with the fact that they were so blatant about it that it couldn't possibly mean trouble for us.

"Raidou?!" Anko asked, her voice shocked and tinged with worry. 'There went any reassurance,' I thought as we got closer and saw that both people were very much wounded. One of them had a Konoha forehead protector, which I guessed was the one my sensei recognized but the other one didn't. That last fact was slightly confusing, if I was being honest.

"Anko?" The one with the headband replied, his voice strained due to the injuries.

"Brat, get over here, you give my friend a hand and I'll treat the other guy," Anko ordered instantly, which made sense. The Konoha ninja looked much better than the other one, and that was saying something considering that this Raidou person looked like he could barely stand still.

"Sir, yes, sir," I said mockingly even if I was already with my game face on and readying Healing Palm. Anko had doubtlessly rubbed off on me, I guessed. "If you could lay down, Raidou-san?" I politely asked the man who simply nodded and sat down against a tree instead of actually doing what I asked. I simply rolled with it, he was the higher rank anyway.

"So, this is the brat you brag so much about?" The man spoke for the first time after a few minutes during which I had treated the worse of his wounds. I had closed most of the shallow injuries with Healing Palm and stabilized anything too serious for the jutsu to work with First Aid. I let out a long breath once I finished, and turned towards Anko who was still treating the other guy, her palms shining with blue chakra as she worked.

"Didn't know you knew healing jutsu," I said tiredly.

"Brat, there's tons of things about me that you don't know," She muttered through her teeth, her eyes not moving from her patient and her hands not even hesitating at what they were doing. It was awe-inspiring, I would admit.

"Just stabilize him, Anko," Raidou said, and I realized why he hadn't wanted to lay down before. He stayed sitting, but his eyes darted around everywhere, looking for a threat. Evidently, whatever had attacked them was still out there or he expected someone else to come finish the job.

"Who the hell even is this guy?" Anko asked half-curious half-irritated.

I took that moment to look at the other guy. Raidou I could kind of recognize. At least I knew he was a named character, that weal-like scar on his face pulled a string in my memories. I would have to check my notes when I finally made it back home.

The other guy though, I had absolutely no idea. He looked plain, with brown hair and fair skin. There was no distinct feature on him. Honestly, the man looked like one of those background characters that authors just don't bother detailing. As mean as that sounded even in my head.

There was a long, silent pause to answer Anko's question. "Ok, I get it," My sensei was clearly running out of fucks to give, if her tone was anything to go by. "Eiji, this guy looks lighter than Raidou, disable your weights and carry him on your back."

I wordlessly did the seal Naruto taught me to make the weight seals stop working and picked up the guy. He had apparently passed out sometime during his treatment, which was honestly no surprise at all. As I picked him up though, I heard Raidou's complains behind me as Anko apparently picked him up. I decided that I was better off not interfering with that.

"Let's go, brat, full speed and don't stop until we reach Konoha. If you can't go on say the word and I'll give you a soldier pill," Anko said before hopping on a tree, I followed right behind her as I activated Running and Free Running just to not be left behind. Good thing I hadn't been using Energy Points throughout the trip.

"Is he really a Genin?" I heard Raidou say in front of me.

"You don't even know the half of it," Anko replied, although the tinge of pride in her voice reached my ears. The injured Konoha-nin chuckled, which promptly turned into pained coughs.

[}-o-{]

[Quest Complete: Finish your first C-rank mission.

Rewards:

+1 to all Physical Stats.]

[Chakra has gone up a level.]

'Wonder when Chakra will stop leveling alongside the physical stats,' I mused idly.

"I really didn't expect you to be the 'I told you so' type of guy," Anko grumbled next to me as we walked.

"I didn't even say anything," I said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's written all over your damn face, brat," She countered with a snarl. Meanwhile, I kept silent but my smirk spoke volumes. It was nice to throw in her face that my worries before the mission hadn't been unwarranted. "I swear I've done hundred C-ranks without anything happening in them, but I go in one with you everything goes to shit."

"You telling me your first C-rank was normal?" I asked in genuine curiosity earning a raised finger. Then she hesitated and closed her mouth before any sound left it.

"Point," She conceded and my smirk grew. It was amusing though, to know that something had actually happened during her first C-rank. I would have to ask for that story some other time. "But you are paying for the dango today, just because you are an annoying little shit and because you earned your first C-rank pay," She added quickly before I got a word out. At that, my smirk disappeared replaced with a frown.

Ultimately, I just sighed. Anko was a great teacher, I would admit, but she was also a pain to deal with outside of her teaching duties. It was like dealing with a Naruto that was far stronger and knew it. Not fun at all, let me tell you. Still, she wasn't bad, just… annoying.

"You were thinking something that would make me smack you, weren't you?"

"Don't know what you are talking about," I replied instantly keeping a perfectly straight face. "Anyway, about the dango, I've been thinking about trying my hand with making them myself. Would you mind testing them for me?" I asked, effectively deflecting the conversation from a very dangerous topic.

"Oho? You think you can cook the food of the gods up to my delicate tastes?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

'If you are anything like Naruto, I could cook the shittiest dango ever and you would still rejoice,' I thought to myself. Obviously, I didn't say that though-

"You are really pushing it, brat."

"I didn't say anything!" I protested only to receive an unimpressed stare. "I thought I had a better poker face than that," I grumbled, making my teacher snort.

"It's actually scarily good, but I'm a T&I expert. You might as well be an open book to me, brat," She explained. "And don't think you are off the hook. I expect double as many dango for whatever you were thinking about me."

"Troublesome."

Inviting her to my house turned out to be a very bad idea though. Naruto and Anko got into a very heated debate about what was better Ramen or Dango. It was frankly one of the most amusing and annoying moments of my life.

I was never making that mistake again.

Overall though, I was content. The C-rank hadn't gone as well as I would have wanted it to. But at least I hadn't gotten myself into Zabuza levels of bullshit, which was good enough on my books.

If only I had known…

[}-o-{]

I was very surprised that night, when a piece of paper appeared on my table. That in itself was a somewhat normal occurrence, I would admit. What wasn't normal was the contents written in it.

My assignment was very different from everything I had done so far. There were not proposals to analyze, no task to be done. Instead, there was a summarized history narration. At the end of the paper laid a simple question.

'What would you do?' I read with a frown.

Going back to the scenario, it was difficult. It detailed two nations at war, with one asking for outside support. That was basically it. There were no details about what side was winning, although it could be inferred though. The problem was, with absolutely no idea of what was going on, making a decision was practically tossing a coin.

In the end, I sighed and turned the paper around, starting to write.

As I did though, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this paper than I was getting. And for the life of me, I couldn't decipher just what it was.

[}-o-{]

Third Person PoV

The weary old man set the papers on his desk and took a long drag from his smoking pipe before letting it out as a sigh.

"What do you think?" The Fire Shadow asked his own shadow.

"Do you want me to tell you what I would like to do or what I think is best?" The other person on the room asked back instead, his non-bandaged eye looking out the window on his comrade's office.

"Both."

"I would like to leave them to their devices. Let them destroy each other out and swoop in once they are too weak to respond," The old warhawk answered bluntly before letting out a sigh of his own. "However… I can admit that it would could be a mistake should they retain enough power afterwards."

"They would never look at us the same way," The Hokage nodded grimly. "It could be as bad as driving them to ally themselves with our enemies."

"I thought we were in times of peace," Danzo Shimura couldn't help but jab, a hint of mockery in his voice, before clicking his tongue.

"There are always enemies and allies, even in peace," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with a sad smile.

"There's no correct answer, anything we do will be a gamble."

"What gamble to take, is the question."

"I say don't do it, you say do it," The warhawk summarized, without even having to hear his comrade's opinion on the matter. "How about a tie breaker?" He asked, taking a piece of paper from inside his robe and placing it on the desk in front of the Hokage, who took it and read it over.

"You would have us use this as tie breaker? Over the Council?"

"You've already talked about it with them and they are as divided as we are. If we follow that, we would do nothing at all. Which I find myself having to remind you, is not the same as what I want. Ultimately, what is the difference, really?"

"And this isn't a pride matter? Following my example, you said-"

"It's not, Hiruzen. If it was, I wouldn't have brought it up, you can see for yourself," He interrupted, pointing at the paper.

And, indeed, the Hokage could see what his comrade was talking about. The paper's content was… interesting, to say the least. Not at all what he would have expected, really. He did see hints of things Danzo would approve of, but overall…

"You would have us make such a decision on a genin's thoughts?" He asked eventually, his tone neutral.

"Do you disagree with what he wrote?" The other man asked back. "Besides, this is no normal genin we are talking about, at all," Danzo pointed out before leaving the window and walking around the room until he stood in front of the desk. "And yes, I did say that I'm following your example. It has… helped alleviate some concerns of mine."

After those words, nothing was said. The leader of the village pondering both the thoughts written on the page and his own. Eventually, another stream of smoke left the Hokage's mouth. And then, the silence was broken.

"We are doing it," Hiruzen decided.

"Very well," Danzo nodded, his expression unreadable, just like his leader's.

"The Leaf is stepping into the Mist's war."