Chapter 3 - Truth or Lie?

[X] Go back home and train the Replacement Jutsu. That was a lifesaver. You will keep in mind to go to the library another day. (Gained a new Trait: Cautious)

***

Shinji decided that interfering with something like this might develop into a dangerous situation. If a Chunin tried to fight him, he knew that there wasn't anything that he could do against them. The difference between a just-graduating Genin, and Chunin was quite big.

In the future, this might change, but for now, he had to be cautious about what he tried to do.

Shinji walked back to the orphanage, learning that charging into unknown situations could be dangerous.

The old orphanage building greeted him. Unlike what most might think, the orphanage wasn't run down, or that old, since it was built just after the Nine-Tails attacks. But the matron used to be the head of another orphanage, and she was quite old. As he entered inside, the place had children running everywhere, of all ages.

Having lived here for so long, even the smell of the building had become familiar to Shinji. It smelled like home. But even though he was a Ninja, his situation changed little.

After becoming a Genin, his first instinct had been to learn many D Rank Jutsu from the Ninja Library. But he decided against it. After all, even if he learned many Jutsu without mastering them, then it would be the same as learning a thousand useless Jutsu. Just mastering the Replacement Jutsu would be his goal for now, once he had a clear goal.

'I should master the Replacement Jutsu first. Which would be very useful in actual battles as an escape technique. The library isn't going anywhere, and I can go there after this.'

He walked past many children, and like always, he did his best not to stand out amongst the children playing around. Going back to the cramped room that he used to find too tight, Shinji had grown to like the small establishments. Not like he was going to find a new place soon. Just because he became a genin didn't mean his financial situation suddenly changed.

He was still a dirt-poor orphan that would end up becoming a homeless Genin if he moved outside of the orphanage.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Just as he was about to train when he heard three soft knocks on the door, after opening it, outside stood an old woman with a crouched back, white hair, and a gentle grandmotherly look on her face as she gazed at him. "It feels like you're growing so fast nowadays. I still remember the days you were just a small babe…"

..

The old woman continued talking for a dozen minutes. Shinji didn't interrupt her. Because this gentle-looking grandma was the matron of this place, and getting on her bad side wasn't something he wanted to do.

Also, there were some rumors that she might have been a ninja. Some say that she was a Legendary Ninja of the past who killed a hundred enemy shinobi.

Shinji wasn't sure about that, as rumors were usually blown out of proportion. But he wasn't against the idea either, as raising the orphans of the village was a job that had to be given to someone trustworthy to not sell kids into the back market.

Killing a thousand ninja? Shinji believed that wasn't true. Since if it was true, someone of her stature would be too useful to let go. Instead, she should teach the younger generation.

*hic* *hic* "Shinji," the old matron now had tears in her eyes. "Never forget that this will always be your home. If anything happens, you can always come back here."

"Uhhh, okay," he nodded awkwardly, patting the matron on the back to console her. Truly, Shinji didn't have any attachments to this place. When growing up, he didn't have any friends. Few orphans went to the academy, and those who did had dropped out by now. At least, those that were from the same orphanage had dropped out. "Yes, of course. I will always remember this place."

He tried to smile and make the atmosphere a little more somber. "Also, it's not like I am going away any time soon."

The matron wiped the tears off her eyes with a pearly white clean napkin. "A Genin is calling you to the door and has come to notify you that you'll be moving into a Ninja Dormitory. You know, I hope Shinobi can be with practicing potentially dangerous Jutsu and rigging their residences, can't have them living just anywhere. But still!! Shinji! If you don't wanna go, just tell me!"

'Actually, I wanna go as fast as I can. It sounds like a good place and it's probably bigger than this and hopefully, there is a toilet I don't have to share with everyone else.' Thought Shinji, but decided not to voice out his opinions due to not wanting to upset the matron.

Having a bigger place to stay would help with his training, too. "Well, I am going to meet the Genin that came here and see what they want."

Shinji dodged the matron and went towards the door. He didn't hate the woman and even liked her, as she never treated him unfairly. But he knew that if he kept her company as she cried, he would be stuck there for hours. He had seen that scene twice when previous orphanage members moved away.

After going outside, he saw it was a short-haired man with a stubble of facial hair on his chin. He only had a headband and no Chunin jacket, so Shinji assumed that the man must truly be a genin. Some Jonin didn't need to wear the flat jacket when outside, but he doubted it was important to be escorted by a Jonin. "Hello," Shinji greeted the man cordially. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," the genin nodded. "Gather your stuff, and I will show you your new living quarters."

Shinji almost jumped up in excitement. He didn't know that there was housing provided for the ninja. But he knew that if he played his cards right, not only would he have a new place to stay, but also the place where he would train, sleep, and study.

Going back to his room, or now ex-room, Shinji hugged the matron, the feeling of happiness from finally moving away still was within him. "Matron, thanks for everything over the years. When I have breaks, I might come and visit sometimes. By then, I hope my name will be known."

While his words came from the happiness that he felt from getting a new place, there was also some genuine emotion in them. He truly was grateful for the Metreon he got. He never went to sleep hungry, and no one from the orphanage ever bothered or bullied him.

The matron just smiled at him sadly. "Oh well, it wouldn't feel right for an old woman like me with one foot in the grave to keep you from your dreams."

"Matron, stay alive a little longer," Shinji smiled at her. "Without you, many people would be sad. Me included."

She looked at the ground as if contemplating something. But she came out of her deep, reminiscing thoughts, and smacked Shinji in the back lightly. "Go now, before I regret my decision, and keep you here."

He chuckled and ran off with only a small bag over his shoulder. Shinji had little belongings, as even the sheets he used to sleep in were the orphanage's property. Well, technically, the clothes on his back didn't belong to him either, but he would not run through Konoha naked.

The genin outside waved at him to follow and silently started walking away. Shinji did so without saying much at first, but not long after, he asked. "So, do we get to keep the apartments after moving in?"

He couldn't see how that would make sense from a village economical standpoint. Shinji was sure that Konoha had at least 6000 Genin. Though the number of Ninjas in any Hidden Village is undisclosed, as that would give information to the enemy that could be used against them.

"No, after five years, if you haven't become a Chunin then you'll have to start paying rent," answered the Genin visually, getting an annoyed look. Which made Shinji guess that he probably had some difficulties with a similar situation in the past.

But now Shinji understood why Konoha gave away free apartments to the Genins. Not only was it to be used as an enticement, for the Genin to take the Chunin exam so the apartment could stay free. But even the Genin, after years of living there, would develop a sense of home, get to know their neighbors, maybe even form friendships in the area. Those factors and many others combined cause them to pay rent, no matter how high the price was.

'As expected, whoever is in charge of these decisions, made an excellent system on how to handle these things. Better be careful, so I don't end in debt, or sign a contract with a loophole in it.'

People always say that ninjas have high wages. Even low-ranking missions paid a lot. At least that was what Shinji heard, and he wasn't sure of the facts on the matter.

…

Neither of them said much, and they arrived at Shinji's new apartment. It was in a normal-looking neighborhood. There were a lot of shops nearby too.

The genin handed him the keys to the apartment and walked away, going to do his job. "See you around… hopefully you don't die too soon."

Shinji ignored the latter part of his words. "This apartment building should be filled with Ninja, but looks so normal from the outside."

Opening the front door, the first thing that caught Shinji's eyes was the spacious living room. While the furniture had a dull decoration, he saw a bed in the middle of the living room. To the right was a bathroom, and at the end sat a small balcony. The living space here was infinitely better than the cramped room in the orphanage.

Putting his bag down, which only had some notebooks, a change of clothes, and some pens. So nothing really special. Still, Shinji knew these things were his, and would not leave his last possessions behind.

Checking out the room, there was a note on the dining table. It was a list of rules and what you're allowed to do. Though as Shinji read along, it was mostly a list of what not to do when you booby trap the room.

'Not using explosive tags that could destroy the neighbors' room, you must pay for damage done by your traps.'

The list was quite detailed, and while there wasn't a limit on the lethality of the traps. Property destruction and traps that annoy the neighbors were forbidden.

"It's like they expect me to build traps already?" Muttered Shinji, as he looked towards the balcony and another window. While he had some theoretical knowledge of traps, he never put them into practice before. Also, who would even want to harm an average Genin like him? It wasn't like he had some special talent or secret information about anything.

Still, he would worry about traps later. Especially since there were many ninjas in this building, and there might even be some Jonin. They would notice intruders before Shinji. So for now, trapping his room wasn't something he saw as being needed, though he might later.

Then he laid down on his soft bed, feeling the texture of the sheets and giggling. "It's soft."

After that small, momentary enjoyment, he immediately got up and started training his Replacement Jutsu. It felt like soon he could use it with one less hand sign. Also, the familiarity of using the Replacement Jutsu has made him able to go through the hand signs faster than before.

"Still, I need to improve faster," but this did not satisfy Shinji with just so much progress. Now that he had gotten a taste, he wanted more. He wanted to be better than this, and wasn't satisfied at all.

…

His training continued until night came about. Like yesterday, he also brought his chakra down to a level where he knew it would be filled up during the next day.

So by night, he learned how to use the Replacement Jutsu with one less hand sign and it made a big difference. While the chakra consumption was a little bigger when using fewer hand signs. But the difference wasn't anything to worry about.

Sitting on his dining room table, Shinji stared at a note in front of him. It was the registration paper, where he had stapled a photo of himself on, and there were things that one needed to write. Like name, hobbies, and date of birth.

He thought about what his hobbies were, and there wasn't anything he liked. Lying in the village didn't sound like a good idea either, especially for such small things.

But Shinji remembered recently what he had been doing.

____________________

[Pick one, and write your choice in the comments down below.]

A ○ Write the truth. You've shown an interest in Jutsu, and how far you can push them. So that should qualify as a hobby.

B ○ Lie, and write something that sounds. (Was it a good idea to lie about something this small? Would someone investigate and figure it out?)

C ○ Write nothing in the hobbies section. (This might seem like you have something to hide.)

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Stats Update:

Replacement (E Rank) [Mastery 58% -> 63%]

Hand Seals: 1 -> 1.1

[Cautious] (New Trait!)

Shinji can generally tell when a situation is likely to develop in a dangerous direction. He isn't reckless and is less likely to get caught by surprise during a sneak attack.

Sometimes it will give hints of which options might be dangerous to take. (This time the hints are in brackets, to make them more noticeable what I mean. But they won't be anymore.)

The warnings are just what Shinji perceives as dangerous, so they might not always be true.

________

Relationships:

Old Orphanage Matron 7/10 (Though you weren't the most outgoing or loving kid around. She cares for every child in the orphanage.)