4 Four Long Years

And I'm awake!

The suns pouring through the blinds, which were drawn for some reason. I quickly stepped out of bed, feeling amazing. The bandages were getting itchy, so I quickly undid them, beholding with fascination that they were still stained with blood, there were no wounds beneath them.

Awesome. The IV in my arm was removed because it was unnecessary and I hate IV's. Had enough of them during chemo in my first life. Heh, that was around this age, too. Ah, memories.

I shook my head and climbed out of bed.

Focus.

So, I did some stretches, relaxed my muscles. Oh, wow. I leveled up for the first time yesterday. Last night. Whatever. It felt good. I'm done with the longest tutorial in gaming history. That made me happy. I wonder if I'll encounter a lot more quests while I'm in the academy or if I'll just get EXP by being a good student or something. Most likely a mix of both, so it's not like an academy student is spending all his time killing rats or whatever.

With a final stretch, I sat on the bed, going over what happened in the fight. While I did get the drop on that first rat, the others swiftly taught me that I was a complete noob. First real fight in the world and I almost died.

I'm fine now, obviously, but that's freaky. I don't have saved games. If I played that any worse I'd be back in the afterlife. Worst case would be having to start the game over from infancy. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I heard voices outside and it was too late to dive into bed, because one of the Doctors and Matron Kumiko came right in the door. What happened next was pretty predictable. They gaped, eyes popping out of their sockets with their jaws practically hitting the floor.

"Hi, I'm fine now," I said with a small wave. "Is it too late for me to go to the Academy?"

"Y-you're fine?!" Kumiko finally sputtered. "I don't…how?"

The Doctor recovered a little bit quicker. "…young man, do you know if you possess a Kekkei Genkai?"

"Don't you need weird eyes for that?" I asked confusedly.

The Doctor glared. "Young man…"

"No, I don't know if I have a Kekkei Genkai," I quickly explained with a placating gesture. "I just know that when I woke up, I felt fine."

That and I'm a dimensional anomaly that trivializes his concept of power by being able to become the most powerful man alive in a few in game months with enough EXP by virtue of breaking the rules of the setting by adhering to a game system devised for an apocalyptic wasteland.

But telling him that will just get me slapped, so you miss out.

"Hmmmm…I see," The Doctor cupped his chin in thought. "You clearly have some form of Kekkei Genkai related to regeneration. Have you noticed any anomalies as he was growing up?"

"Well…" The Matron thought for a moment. "He's always had a normal sleep schedule, sleeping for eight hours a night and being awake for sixteen. Even when he was an infant."

The Doctor's eyes went wide. "I see. Then I would think that his Kekkei Genkai has something to do with sleep…"

They started talking and I kind of zoned out. I wasn't really worried. I was an orphan and as far as I or anyone knew, I didn't know who my parents were. I never asked, unlike some of the other kids in the orphanage. I wasn't under suspicion of having compromising village secrets like knowing Naruto was a Jinchūriki or that the Fourth Hokage is his Dad.

Spoilers.

I even had plausible deniability: I had no reason to know I had this ability before, as far as they knew. Worst comes to worst, they might ask for a sample of my blood and I'm not sure what they'd find if they analyzed it. I'm a bit curious, but I could say that I want to keep the bloodline to myself and hopefully Kumiko would be on board with me and not with him.

Granted, that could also be seen as Selfish and not in line with the Will of Fire, but not everyone in the village is as devoted to it as the Hokage. Right?

…luck don't fail me now…

"It's the start of a new bloodline and the Hokage should be told at once," The Doctor summarized.

"Uhh…I'm still going to be ninja, right?" I asked a little worried. Uh oh.

"There is protocol for starting a new clan," Kumiko said, folding her arms and glaring at the doctor. "Such things don't start when he's only Eight years old."

Thank yooooouuuu Obaasan!

"I…I see," Doctor replied, looking more than a little disappointed. "The Hokage will need to be told, regardless."

"Well of course," Kumiko replied. "And things will need to be planned out in advance, but the first thing he needs to do is become a powerful Shinobi so he can head his clan."

"Ah, I see," The Doctor answered, understanding lighting in his eyes. "Yes, that makes sense. Well, in any case, he should be free to go."

Well, if they're thinking what I think they're thinking, this means being set up with a lot of women to get a clan started. Unfortunantly for them, I AM THE BIGGEST PRUDE IN THE ENTIRE ELEMENTAL NATIONS!

I don't do harems! I don't do Polygamy! Gah, this is frustrating!

Whatever. All that mattered is that I dodged another bullet. So, the Hokage is going to have a really good reason to come see me more often and I might get held back on more dangerous missions until I can prove I'm powerful enough to handle it. "I brought some spare clothes. Now get dressed so we can go home. Unless you feel up to going to school."

"I really want to go to school," I said, letter her go.

"You have admirable dedication," She said with a smile, handing me a new shirt and pants.

Well, after the Matron filled out some paperwork for me, we walked out, sped off to the orphanage, grabbed me a lunch and I was off for the Academy again.

Seriously, where's Naruto? I'll have to go look for him when I get home.

+150 EXP

1050 EXP until level 3.

No quest for today.

Darn. Well, time to find Naruto. I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. I need to make sure he's okay.

So I walk in the door of the orphanage. "Naruto!"

To my relief, I heard footsteps pounding toward me from around the corner and Naruto's there barreling toward me and he tackles me to the ground in a giant hug.

-10 HP.

Ow.

"Daisuke, you're okay!" Naruto shouted. Was he crying? He was crying. "I heard you killed a bunch of rats but got mauled and had to go to the hospital!"

"Yup, I'm fine," I replied. "Sorry I worried you. Where were you this morning?"

"I was trying to visit you in the hospital but you were already gone," Naruto said, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

Whoops. I didn't think that happened in real life. Well, the more you know.

"Heh, sorry," I replied and we stood up. We started to walk to the kitchen. "Thanks for trying to visit me, though!"

"So what was it like?" Naruto asked, now looking eager.

"What was what like?"

"The Academy!" Naruto exploded. "Did they really teach you how to kill those rats in one day?"

"Eh, I just picked up some things while sparring with a girl," I said nonchalantly. "Honestly, the rat's fiasco was the most exciting thing to happen last night."

"Really? How can that be more exciting than learning how to be a ninja?" Naruto asked, folding his arms with doubt.

"Because you sit and you listen to people tell you things you're supposed to remember all day at the academy," I explain. "And then you have to spar with the other students and it can just get really monotonous after a while."

"Well maybe for you," Naruto still looked miffed. "You remember everything."

"…okay that's technically true," I allowed.

When we entered the kitchen, there were Rikyu and Naora, standing side by side with the Matron behind them, looking really downcast.

"…hi," I said, waving. I was not prepared when they both got down on their hands and knees. "Ummm…"

"We're really, really sorry, Daisuke-san," They both grovelled at the same time.

"We had no idea the rats were so dangerous," Naora said.

"It was really dumb of us to feed them soldier pills," Rikyu added. "We should've taken care of them ourselves instead of leaving them for someone else to deal with."

"Uh…it's fine, I accept your apology," I said with a shrug. "Now, uh, can you stand up? Please?"

They booth look over their shoulder at the Matron and she gave a slow nod. They stood up.

"So why did you give rats soldier pills, anyway?" I asked them.

"We thought fighting rats would be a good way to train Taijutsu," Naora answered. "We just didn't think they'd be so viscious though."

"I wanted to practice Ninjutsu on them when we learned some," Rikyu added uneasily.

They…wanted to create giant rats to practice against and get better?

How decidedly munchkin of them.

I approve.

"Okay I can't lie, that was a good idea," I said, ignoring the Matron's and the pair's surprised looks. "But next time you get a brilliant idea like that, think it through first? So things don't get out of hand and you put people in danger again?"

"We promise!" The two looked relieved and more than a little happy I wasn't going to ream them.

"Good!" I smiled, glad things were going to look better. Honestly, I hope those two don't lose that spark of madness. It'll go really well for them in the future.

We had dinner and then we talked and then it was time for bed. I turned in, went into my bedroom and... I remembered that I needed to test Tsunade's megaton-punch. So, I opened the window and snuck down the wall.

Tree walking is the best.

So, I didn't want to break something if I got the jutsu correctly, so I looked around the alley and found a large cinderblock. Lifting it was a chore, but I managed to get it at chest height by balancing it on a trash can.

Okay.

So I gather up all the chakra I can into my fist and punch the cinderblock as hard as I can.

Pain shocked my hand and OWOWOWOWOW!

Chakra Control Check Failed: 62/70

Taijutsu Check Failed: 32/70

Your arm has been crippled!

Yeah, thanks game. Thanks a lot. Tears ran down my eyes and my hand started to turn red. I walked back up the wall, climbed in my window, then into bed. For an hour, so I could check my hand. I woke up an hour later and my hand was perfectly fine.

I'm just gonna abuse that.

Maliciously.

Days at the academy turned into a week and I still haven't seen anyone I would recognize. Specifically, I'm looking for Lee and his green jumpsuit.

Wait, he didn't get that until he entered Gai's team, didn't he? Well, that would explain a lot. Whoops. Oh well, live and learn!

On our way to the final class, we were in lines and we passed another class, which only happened like once before. I think they like to keep things relatively quiet in the halls. But, at the end of the line, was a Hyuuga.

Those eyes of theirs look freaky in real life. I mean really. It's like…it just doesn't look right. Like really creepy. Like deep in the uncanny valley, for me (it's the eyes, it's the eyes it's always the eyes).

But anyway, there was this Hyuuga and I'm reasonably certain it was Neji. Had that scowl, his forehead was covered and he didn't look anywhere but forward. Not much to go on and I imagine that all branch family members would cover their…curse seal…

…

…Urge to kill: RISING!

No, no, no. It would be pointless. I'm only level 2 and I can always do something about that entire infuriating situation when I'm level 50. Actually, that might take too long for my taste. Let's go for level 30.

But with my Charisma, convincing them to let go of the past would be…oy.

Anyway, we passed him on the way to class. Class was more of the same stuff, though EXP gain was significantly reduced. I didn't get called on as much either, even when I was bouncing in my seat and waving my hand around in desperation. That just pissed off Okawa-sensei, though.

It makes sense, the other students need to contribute in order to make the most of their learning. But it's getting in the way of my leveling. I only have 50 EXP more to go!

After school, I didn't go home immediately, rather I made it a point to walk around Konoha. Try to find something. Anything that would give me that additional boost to EXP. I found nothing.

I was sad.

Still, I got home, talked with Naruto, and Rikyu and Naora tried to join in but they seemed to have trouble for some reason. Stupid 1 Charisma.

The next day, I leveled by winning another spar with Hisako. Mizuki partnered us up, I think he saw how we fought the first day, so he put us together. I could tell she was getting better, but not quite there yet.

I made sure to only kick her in the stomach once this time.

Bum-bum-bum-Bum!

You have leveled up!

Level Achieved: 3.

You know, the level feels so much more empty because I earned it doing the most boring and routine of stuff. You know, the constant spars and drills don't actually do anything besides give me EXP but they're turning boring fast; no one wants to train with me later so it's not even a friendship activity later.

"No, I'm okay Daisuke. Thanks, though."

"What and get my butt kicked again? No thanks."

"No way, know-it-all dork."

...are there any perks that would actually justify me trying to build charisma? Because it's turning out to be kind of miserable without being able to make friends with anyone besides the town prankster.

Well, I repeated my choice from last time and wound up with 82 in Chakra Control. Which means I get the Rasengan next chance I can practice and get what I believe should be a massive EXP boost. It also lessens the chance of screwing up a jutsu like Naruto would end up doing to the Bunshin, which is a good thing for me.

Speaking of the town prankster, it seems that he's begun to pick up that hobby with a vengeance, which makes me happy because that's part of who he was in Canon and made him a memorable character. It's also the source of some of his biggest game breaking potential if fanfics from before were to be believed.

So yeah, I approve of these turn of events.

"'Scuze me, sorry Daisuke!" Naruto shouted to me as he ran past me one day. "Coming through!"

Chasing him was a pair of men who were joined by their arms having been glued together, swearing obscenities as they tried to step around each other and the various obstacles in their way.

I laughed and ran after him, if only to make sure he was okay.

Later, it became time. It was in my room. I wasn't going to use the Rasengan. I just wanted to make it. And hold it in my hand. And know that I could use it to destroy everything in my immediate vicinity!

Feel the power!

So I focus chakra in my hand like before. Start to spin it around in a ball. Then another ball going counter clock-wise. Then another ball like an atom... and then…

Chakra Control Check Success: 82/80

+500 EXP

Jutsu Gained: Rasengan

Minimum Level: 20

Minimum Ninjutsu: 75

The glowing ball in my hand was beautiful, shining light in my face as I felt the air around me warp and bend as it pushed against my skin. Then it stopped and I felt the wind kicked out of me.

Oh wow. My chakra's gone. That was only two seconds. Dang. That is a bummer. Level 20 is the minimum level? With that high of a Ninjutsu? I…wow. I'm only level 3. 1000 EXP to get to level 4.

I find it hilarious that I was so excited to start the Academy because I thought that was the end of my boredom. Well, at this point it's more like depression but…dang. No quests. Negligable EXP. I just…ugh. This is pointless.

Weeks turned to months and months turned to a year. Naruto repeatedly demonstrated the ability to cheer me up, but it never seemed to last. After my first year in the academy, Naruto started going to the academy as well, which was awesome. But that was when the Hokage had given Naruto his apartment building, meaning he moved out of the orphanage and I saw him less.

We still ate lunch together when we could. It didn't always work because either he got in trouble for pulling a prank and had to do some chores over lunch, something I noticed didn't happen to any of the other kids, or my class simply ran a little long and we missed each other entirely.

Eventually, though, I managed to scrape together 1000 points and leveled up to Level 4.

So, another 20 points to spend. I put Chakra control at 100 because mastering that was something that made me happy. Like a lot. I hate wasting anything, so using this to make sure every point of chakra gets used correctly is a high priority for me.

My last 2 points went too speech, bringing it up to 26.

Now the feats.

So, Taijutsu Enthusiast was still there, alongside Swift Learner and Wall Crawler, but it now shared the space with Educated, Comprehension and Mail Bomber.

Educated increased the number of skill points I got per level by 3. Comprehension doubled the number of points I get from skill books from 1 to 2. And Mail Bomber increased the radius of explosive tags by 25%. I got that by being level 4 and having at least 25 Fuinjutsu.

Well, Educated needs to be taken right now to maximize its benefits and it's an awesome perk. So there. Now I've got extra specialization power. Or more to spread around, whichever I prefer. Whatever.

Still no quests. My EXP has completely stopped coming in now, but I'm starting to cope with the really bad decision that was having my Charisma be my dump stat. Pouring myself into the history and lore of the countries, as nationalistically written as it was, was fascinating. The tale of the Sage of the Six paths was fun to read about in a mythological sense, though I'm really hoping that doesn't come into play later.

In the Library, I managed to find some skill books. Six of them in all. Two were for Ranged Weapons, bringing it up to 19. Heh. Two more were for Taijutsu which was amazing, bringing it up to 34 and the last two were for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, bringing them both up to 18.

But they don't cycle them at all, so I'm stuck with the fun but unprofitable training books and I don't have any cash to go buy new ones. Being an orphan sucked. Class still happened.

Sparring during Taijutsu classes was interesting, if only because I got to see my classmates become better the more they fought me. Despite this, I've never been beaten. Though Hisako, a more and more frequent sparring partner, has been clearly been getting better. For once, she turned the tables and kicked me in the stomach. I've never seen her so smug.

I was amused, if not also irritated.

Another class was Genjutsu Class, which was the most freaking difficult thing, started the class in my third year. This one was taught by a new Sensei, Tange Mihoko. She was nice enough, had short black hair and dark eyes. We really didn't interact much. I was good with book answers and disrupting Genjutsu but the trick was realizing I was in one and she…we didn't interact much. I don't think it's really her fault. I think I'm getting better. I think it's mostly a 'you actually need to use your brain for this' rather than 'let my stats do it for me', which…you know, is a good thing. To be expected with my medium perception. I need something like that to keep me on my toes. Still frustrating, though.

For the last class, we learned the founding principles of Jutsu; Hand Seals. Most of the class was spent practicing and channeling in hand signs, as well as handling transitions from one sign to the other. It took me all of two seconds to get the hang of it, so I'd just do more and more complicated hand seal sequences for the sake of alleviating boredom.

But then Okawa-sensei uttered the magic words. "Alright class. Today I'm going to show you a jutsu, and you're going to perform likewise. Please stand behind your desks."

I was ready. I was born ready. I was so ready I was out of my chair before he finished speaking. I must've looked pretty stupid, standing there with this big grin plastered on my face but I did not care.

"The jutsu is the Bunshin. It creates an illusionary clone. Here are the seals," Ram. Snake. Tiger. Easy. "Start!"

I flipped through the seals really fast.

Ninjutsu Check Success: 18/10.

+25 EXP.

Cha-ching! I sang in my head alongside the ringing in my ear.

Next to me, faded in without smoke was my illusionary double. It was like looking through a camera placed behind me. Though I was able to manipulate the clone, who turned to me and I saw what I looked like.

It was odd, looking at me separate from a mirror. I thought my face would be a bit more vibrant than that. It almost like I'm looking at a statue or something and not because it was an illusion. Even when it struck an expression it didn't look right.

Huh.

It might be my inexperience with the technique or my low score of Ninjutsu making the fake seem obvious…but I had a suspicion that this was a fairly accurate representation of me.

…stupid 1 charisma.

I looked around the class, the smoke from everyone else's Bunshin's quickly fading and some had succeeded at the Bunshin on the first try, others had theirs on the floor, looking like a dead fish after it had flopped around the poop deck a few times.

"Again!"

Alright.

Eventually, everyone got it but that was when class was let out for the day. I could've sworn I was going to skip home at the start there. Now it's just a cheerful walk. Alright, next will either be the Kawarimi or the Henge.

I could have fun with the Henge.

Maybe give myself a temporary charisma boost.

That would be cool.

The time did come. We were taught the substitution jutsu first and…well, it does work. I'm usually some distance away from where I started and there is usually a block of wood where I used to be but I have no idea how it works. The jutsu confused me before I got here and I guess it will continue to confuse me after.

I'm guessing in order to understand it, you need a higher perception and less intelligence. Whatever, it works and it's probably abuseable on some level. Or maybe not. I don't understand it.

I wonder if I can tweak it to substitute with a pocket of air?

Instant teleportation.

Then, finally, the Henge.

Oh, the Henge.

Please, let this be an equivalent to Grapetats or a Nice Suit or something that would otherwise increase my Charisma. Please, please please…

Dog. Boar. Ram.

Cha-ching!

Ninjutsu Check Success: 18/10.

+25 EXP.

Combined with the EXP from the Substitution, that leaves me with 1675 more EXP until level 5. Yay.

I turned into the Hokage, as instructed. The drain on my chakra was negligible. It was regenerating from the initial expenditure, but much more slowly than I was used too. Okay, I think I can keep that up during school and stuff. Not during Taijutsu practice, unless I got Tsunade's version.

Hmmm…will have to try another version of me that's less…statue like. See what I get.

Just noticed I'm emulating Tsunade a lot, with some mix of Naruto. Not a bad thing, but something to keep an eye on. If I become too similar, someone whose experienced fighting one or the other might just smack me around with my inferior stats.

Anyway.

When class ended, I headed home. I didn't run into Naruto on the way out but…okay. I gotta go test it out.

I made it to my room, did a Henge that looked how I thought I should look and checked my Black book.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L

Strength: 5

Perception: 5

Endurance: 5

Charisma: 4(+3)

Int-it did it.

It won't fool a Hyuuga or anyone with enough know-how to know I've got it up, but hopefully, this will make it easier to talk to people at least. Okay. I'm actually excited, now. SOCIAL ACTIVITY!

…I'm excited about the possibility of getting noticed and talk too by a student body of 8 to 9-year-old kids. My life has gotten weird. And possibly pathetic.

Quest Received: Entering the Workforce

Take the Graduation Exams.

Oh. Heck. Yes.

Oh, I was out of bed and at the Academy in record time. The Henge helped somewhat with being social and it was better, but I was still ready to get out there and do a crap ton of quests to gain a crap ton of experience to gain a crap ton of levels.

I was in my seat. First was the Taijutsu exam.

We were all gathered in the training room, with Mizuki standing on the center matt, where he had demonstrated lots of moves to all of us over the years. We've all been his training dummy. We all want a piece of him, a little bit.

"Alright!" Mizuki called out. "It's time for your Graduation exams! I'll call out to you alphabetically. To pass this test, you must land a confirmed hit on me before the timer dings."

Sounds easy enough. Provided his skill isn't much higher than mine, I should be able to hit him fairly quickly. Written exam and jutsu tests should be a breeze. The only thing I'm really worried about is throwing Kunai. My accuracy is nowhere near 100% with those things and I need to hit 3 out of 5 of them. The percentage of my hits isn't good enough to be reliable.

But Luck hasn't failed me yet!

"Shimoda Daisuke," Mizuki called.

Show time!

I stepped up to the matt.

"Take your stance," He said. When I complied, he continued. "Begin!"

I jumped forward and threw the first punch, which he dodged, hopping lightly to the right. He threw a punch at my side, which was parried while I threw another punch at his face. He ducked underneath and threw a kick.

I hopped to the side and tried to hit his arm. He moved aside and tried a punch of his ow- oh screw this! I wrapped his arm in the crook of my shoulder and used the surprise to punch him in the face.

The bell rang.

"Alright Shimoda," Mizuki said, rubbing the side I hit him at. "You passed Taijutsu."

Cha-ching!

+250 EXP.

Now we're talking! Putting my henge back up, I joined the rest of the class.

"Nice job," That was Hisako of all people.

"Thanks," I replied with a smile.

"I was mostly talking about how you didn't beat him with a kick to the stomach," She smirked.

Oh haha. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Hey, the first time we fought, I had a bruise in the shape of a sandal-print for a week," She replied with a risen eyebrow. "I didn't know anyone could kick that hard."

…wow.

Critical hits. They are real.

"Neither did I," Was my reply.

Eventually, Mizuki was finished. The failures were sent off home to come back after the break, if at all. Then we went to the range. In order to pass, we had to hit the target three times and one of them had to be the bullseye. The signal was given and one by one, kunai were thrown. The all clear was sounded, the kunai were recollected, and some were sent home. This process was repeated.

When my turn came around, I picked up the Kunai, and started throwing.

Complete miss, going over the target.

Miss again, going too low.

…oh no.

Okay. Calm down. It's going to be okay. We've hit three shots before. It can be done. Just calm down and relax.

I threw one and hit the target on the outer ring. I threw another and hit the outer ring again. I was sweating bullets now. If I failed, this was going to suck. So…

LEROOOOOOOOOOY! JENKINS!

I threw my final kunai and it went through the target and into the pole once again.

Cha-ching!

+125 EXP.

I almost laughed in relief, but I held my cool. Whew. Okay. That was scary. When the all clear was sounded, I marched forward and scooped up the ones on the floor, then pulled the two on the target. Then I tried to pull the Kunai out.

Strength Check Failed: 5/7.

"Mizuki-sensei!"

He appeared way too fast.

"Again?"

"Yes, sensei," I nervously smiled.

"Well, if there is one thing I have to say about your throwing skills," Mizuki said, digging into the target and gripping it with both hands. It came out, this time without any bark but otherwise how you'd expect a Kunai thrown really hard into a steel pole would look. "It's that I don't want to be the guy that gets hit with one of these."

"Thank you Sensei," I said, bowing in respect. I hope he's not a traitor right now. He's not as bad as I thought he would be. But then, I'm not Naruto.

So we were directed into the classroom again, where we found a written test and Okawa-sensei watching us as we entered. I took my normal spot, by the window up in the corner. "Alright, in front of you is the written exam, plus some scratch paper. It's twenty questions and in order to pass, you must answer fifteen of them correctly. You have thirty minutes."

Alright, that works.

"Aaaand…start."

I turned my paper over.

Intelligence Check Success: 10/5

I passed the test within ten minutes. It was hilariously easy. The most difficult required an Intelligence of 7. I double checked each answer, made sure my name was signed in the corner and everything. Yes.

Cha-ching!

+250 EXP.

I wonder if the obscene EXP gain is the games way of apologizing for the disgustingly long time between quests. It would be appropriate. I only need…what? Check the book here…1050 more EXP to reach level 5.

Geeze.

So, once thirty minutes had passed and we handed our tests in. We were asked to assemble in a line and wait for our turn to take the final test. The one where we demonstrated our jutsu…you know, the one where Naruto kept screwing up and had to steal a scroll…which gives him his best technique and lets him become the Hokage that ushers in world peace. Because he can do that.

Anyway.

So, eventually my turn came around. There was Okawa-Sensei and Mizuki-Sensei and Tange-Sensei, sitting at a table at the end of the room.

"Hello again, Shimoda," Okawa-sensei nodded to me. "Are you ready to begin?"

I nodded confidently. "I can do all three."

"Someone's confidant," Mizuki smirked.

"Performing all three will be unnecessary," Okawa-sensei said. "We only need two, them being the Bunshin and the Henge."

Huh…why those two? I rose my hand.

"You had a question?" Tange asked with amusement.

"Yeah, uh…why those two in particular?" I asked. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Because the substitution takes you some distance away, and we'd like to save time for both of us," Okawa-Sensei replied. "We do that for every student and the Jounin's are aware that students may need tutoring in the Kawarimi after the academy. Now, are you ready to begin?"

"Yes Sensei," I nodded. "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Two clones rapidly sprung to life beside me with no chakra cloud.

"Henge No Jutsu!" And I turned into the Hokage.

"Excellent work," Okawa praised. "Your chakra control is exquisite."

You have no idea.

"The Bunshin's looked good," Mizuki nodded.

"The Hokage disguise was believable," Tange-Sensei nodded. "But I did have one question."

"Hm?"

"Why have you started wearing a Henge of yourself?"

I blinked. "Because I look like an unapproachable statue without it."

"I see," She said. "I hope you'll get to the point where you won't need it."

"Thank you Sensei," I said, bowing.

"So, congratulations are in order," Okawa said. "You have graduated the academy and can now be considered Genin."

Cha-ching!

+250 EXP.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sensei's."

"We have forehead protectors, unless you'd prefer an armband or a belt," Tange-said, causing three boxes to appear. I walked forward and saw each of them.

…I've never worn hats or arm bands. But I have worn belts. I like belts. So with that in mind, "Which box has the belts?"

"This one," Tange-sensei smiled. I noticed this one was a little fuller than the box of headbands, but that was the go too style. I grabbed one with a black band and used chakra to manipulate it and tie it around my waist.

Chakra Control Check Success: 100/35.

"Thank you again, Sensei's," I said, bowing once more.

"You did good," Mizuki replied.

"Meet here tomorrow at 0800 for your team assignment," Okawa-sensei said. "Dismissed.

"Hai," I took my cue to leave.

As I left the room, I felt happy.

I felt proud. Very proud. In spite of my emotional baggage, which was hard to sort through even with daily meditations, in spite of the difficulty I had…I made it. I'm a Genin.

Quest Complete: Entering the Workforce!

+1000 EXP!

Bum-bum-bum-Bum!

You have leveled up!

Oh yes.

So, my Charisma problem has been temporarily taken care of, so I'm okay. For now. The Megaton Punch, which will end up being my main damage dealer this early in the game, needs a Taijutsu score of 70, so I put all 23 points into it, bringing Taijutsu up to 57.

The walk home was slow, even as around me, parents were congratulating their kids on becoming a Shinobi, that they got through it.

I wondered what my parents would've thought if they knew I had become a child soldier.

I snorted in amusement

They would've been mortified.