Chapter 10: Kaguya's new servant

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other references in this fanfic.

A quick shout out to all those who wrote comments.

I'm slowly going through the comments to include some of your ideas into the story so expect to see an increase in artifacts and such.

There will be more information at the end.

Chapter 10

Kenji opened his eyes in shock. He gazed at the endless void in front of him in fear, feeling a strange pressure in his chest followed by sense of weightlessness that was usually associated with being underwater.

In fact, he could feel water in his mouth and he grabbed his throat in worry, before realizing that he wasn't drowning. Relaxing a bit, he began to inspect his surroundings once more.

'Where am I? The last thing I remember is falling asleep on my bed,' he thought as he floated in the invisible water, unable to even see his body because of the lack of light.

Just as he was thinking that, the area was illuminated, and he was finally able to see where he was.

He was floating in the middle of what appeared to be a huge white marble corridor, and he meant 'huge' as the ceiling and the floor looked to be thousands of feet apart. It was like he was a regular sized ant that had stepped into the castle of a giant.

The entire area was shown brightly as if every surface was giving a white glow. The floor was polished until it looked like a mirror and the walls were lined with rich tapestry that resembled battles from Ancient China. Countless identical doors were on either side of the walls, and each looked big enough to allow even the bijuu to enter unhindered.

'What the? … I wonder how much one of those tapestries would be worth,' the small boy thought as he looked at one of the pictures and saw the induvial thread that looked more like ropes from that distance.

'Well nothing comes from just stand- floating here,' he thought and began to move around the room that was filled with some strange invisible water. He was glad that there was no one there watching him, he would be mortified if they saw him doggie paddling his way in the air.

He must have swam for half an hour already, and yet he had only passed 7 doors. Looking at the never-ending corridor, Kenji felt an overwhelming sense of despair, before gaining a look of determination. He was just lucky that it seemed he couldn't get tired.

2 hours of non-stop swimming and Kenji was finally able to make it to a large wooden door that looked to be made of ivory, gold, and silver with gigantic jewels and gems placed in such a way to make a mosaic of a large tree with a single fruit growing from the top.

Kenji immediately recognized the tree as the Shinju Tree, but that was the least of his concerns. At that very moment, he was too busy looking at the chakra fruit, which was just one large ruby the size of a large house. He gulped hungrily as he saw it, and without thinking he had already swam towards it, ignoring the much smaller gems and precious metals. 'I need something to yank it off the door! With this, I won't need to work a day in my life,' the boy said as his eyes reflected his greed.

Just as he touched it, he felt a shift in his environment, and he was thrown backwards with a tremendous amount of force.

"AAAhhhh!"

He flew through the corridor in the opposite direction he had just come from at rapid speeds. The doors that took him so much time to swim past, blurred into nothing and he could feel something approaching.

A set of doors the same size as the previous one, appeared in front of him, but he wasn't stopping. It felt like a whirlpool was pulling him towards whatever was behind it. Luckily, he was sucked into the keyhole on the door that was just big enough to let him get through.

He was still spinning out of control, but it looked like he was in a new room.

It took a second, but he was finally able to get enough control to tell up from down again.

Turning away from the door that he had just come through, he looked around causing him to nearly have a heart attack on the spot.

Right in the center of the room was a colossal white tree that reached the high ceiling. A single leaf from its numerous branches was as big as Kenji's entire body with the top of the tree looking big enough to hold the entirety of Konoha with plenty of room to spare. (Hidden Leaf Village, get it). There was a large throne carved right out the side of its trunk that stood hundreds of feet tall and sitting right in it was none other than the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya, herself.

She was a beautiful woman, as expected of a goddess. With soft ivory skin, long silky silver hair and bright red lips, she would be a woman that could enchant any mortal. What really stood out however, were her white pupil-less eyes that were so similar to the Hyugas and the two protruding brown horns on top of her head that were responsible for giving her the moniker. Her red rinnegan/sharingan was mysteriously missing from her forehead making her look slightly more human.

He said slightly because she was still hundreds of feet tall. A dozen normal sized people could sit comfortably in the palm of her hand with enough room to spare.

Kenji was captivated in an instant.

However, it was not her unearthly beauty or her radiating power that made his heart beat at an natural rate, it was the giant piles of glittering gold and jewels that were scattered around her feet, like tiny grains of sand. Her high-collared kimono looked exactly as the ones from the anime, but there was countless of small jewels and precious metals interwoven into every inch of the fabric, making it a sea of riches. Just one yard of this cloth would be enough to make him the richest person in the entire Leaf Village.

He knew he was caught gawking when he looked up and saw a small amused smile on her lips. For some reason he really liked that smile, perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it meant he wouldn't be dying a messy death so soon.

Kenji instinctively smiled back when he didn't sense any ill intent from her, all the while trying to remain afloat in the air.

They stared at each other, white meeting amber, both unsure as to what to say.

It was Kenji that broke first, as he gave a nervous bow, that caused him to almost do a barrel roll. This caused Kaguya's face to soften. Steadying himself so as to not further embarrass himself, he pushed down the growing blush in his cheeks and greeted the large goddess.

"Hello, it is pleasure to finally meet you Princess Kaguya. Do you happen to know who I am?"

'Yes. You are the young boy, Kenji Yamamoto, who prays to me every night. I have seen the shrine you have made for me as well as the offerings' Kaguya said telepathically in a collected voice.

The sudden use of telepathy surprised Kenji for a bit, before steadying his nerves once more.

"I hope you don't think it presumptuous of me my goddess, but do you think I might be able to ask you some questions?" Kenji asked in the politest manner possible, he was speaking to royalty after all. Royalty that could kill him with a single thought.

Kaguya gave him a reassuring smile and spoke directly to his mind once more, 'I do not mind, ask your questions child.'

"Thank you, my lady. I suppose my first question is: where are we?" the small boy asked looking around the room in curiosity. The ground was entirely covered in gold and other riches, while the ceiling had a glass roof that showed earth floating above them.

Kaguya gestured her hand to the side and spoke in a very casual manner, 'All of this is in your mind, Kenji Yamamoto. We are currently in something called a mindscape, a physical representation of your mind.'

"I see… that's too bad," Kenji lamented in sorrow as he gazed at the room full of riches that were nothing but a figment of his imagination. Gathering himself he looked into the eyes of Kaguya who had patiently waited for him to go on, "If this is all happening in my head, does this mean that you aren't really here?"

'Do not worry Kenji Yamamoto, for I am real.'

He didn't know if what she said was true or not, but either way it didn't make much of a difference. "Okay. So was there a reason for summoning me My Lady?"

This time it was Kaguya's turn to give him a curious look, 'That is where you are incorrect Kenji Yamamoto, for it was not I who summoned you. Quite the contrary, you were the one who reached out to me, I merely answered?'

Raising an eyebrow at the answer, he decided to say a follow up question, "Why did you decided to meet me?"

This time, the Rabbit Goddess gave him a small smile, that made her look even more beautiful, 'I was curious. It has been centuries since I was imprisoned, I was sure that all had forgotten me. It came as a surprise when some one actually called to me. Tell me child, how do you know of me?'

Furring his brow, Kenji looked confused by the question, "Can't you just read my mind to figure that out My Lady? It should be easy with your immense power."

'I only have as much power as you give me Kenji Yamamoto. This is after all your mind. Although I must admit I am flattered by the image you have of me in your mind,' Kaguya confessed, causing Kenji to let out a mental sigh of relief at knowing she couldn't read his mind.

He had always thought of Kaguya as some grand ultimate being, capable of unimaginable power, the pinnacle of life, so it was only reasonable that his mind would reflect that too by giving her an enormous body and surrounding her with riches. "I thank you for your sincerity My Lady, and for answering my foolish questions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask?"

'I see. I will have to take you up on that offer. I am curious? Tell me Kenji Yamamoto, who are you?'

Trying to stand as straight as possible in the air, Kenji puffed up his chest and answered in a proud voice, "I am mere a craftsman and a merchant. I create masterpieces and works of art for all, even the Daimyo's wife. While my name is not well known yet, I am confident that in a few years I will be renowned throughout the entire world! …and I suppose I could be considered a shinobi in training." He whispered that last part as he was unsure of the Rabbit Goddess's opinion on shinobi.

For the first time, the Rabbit Goddess had a small frown on her face as she answered, 'I am afraid that I know very little of the happenings of the real world, so I am unfamiliar with the term 'shinobi'. Perhaps you might be kind enough to explain this term to me.'

Now it was Kenji's turn to look nervous.

Seeing his hesitance Kaguya decided to give him incentive, 'Perhaps a trade is in order. You stated that you were a merchant did you not. Sell me the information I wish to obtain, and I will reward you accordingly. Those pieces of parchment that you wish me to bless should be a fair deal.'

'Damn, is she blackmailing me? Does she mean that if I don't give her information, she will stop blessing the talisman? I absolutely can't let that happen!' Kenji though worriedly, his respect for the Rabbit Goddess rose at her clever plan. 'As expected of the goddess I chose to worship. She was able to back me into a corner with just the small amount of information I've told her. She probably pieced together the fact that I am a merchant and the large quantity of talisman she blesses every night, and correctly concluded that they are irreplaceable in my business.'

Seeing the small boy freeze, Kaguya was beginning to worry internally. She had thought that it was fair deal, she would give him new and more powerful blessings and he would in exchange inform her of what was happening in the outside world. She new it must have been centuries since she had been sealed by her sons, but she was anxious to know the current state of the world. She had felt her sons' passing a long time ago, and with her sealed, there would be no one to protect the world if her clansmen happened to come to this world and destroy it. She would never allow that to happen, the Earth was her precious nursery, and she would do her best to make sure it was safe.

Just as Kaguya was contemplating offering a better deal, Kenji looked at her with eyes full of respect and admiration causing her to momentarily be stunned. She felt herself grow bigger, and more jewels emerged on her kimono, until it looked like she was made of diamonds.

Taking a knee like a knight in front of royalty he gave her a blinding smile and responded, "I see. If that is your wish my goddess, then I would be more than happy to inform you of what has happened after your sealing. Although some of the information I say might not be entirely correct, it is true as far as I know of it."

Kaguya extended one of her enormous hands toward Kenji. The boy didn't look worried in the least, trusting the goddess to not harm him, not like he could stop her anyways. She placed him on the palm of her extend hand after noticing his struggle to maintain his position in the air.

Kenji was able to sit securely in her palm making him think, 'Is this her way of establishing her superiority, by saying that I am currently in the palm of her hand?'

She brought him closer to her face, until they were almost eyelevel. Again, he says almost, because at this point it was clear that Kenji could fit in one of those pearly white orbs.

'I would appreciate that very much Kenji Yamamoto,' she finished with a small smile gracing her lips.

Kenji could sort of sense her emotions now that they were connected physically. While there was a deep well of sadness and grief coming from her, he could also sense joy and hope directed at him.

Unknowingly he gave her a wide grin as he began to tell her of what he understood happened after her sealing. He was lucky that he was such a history buff and had studied the creation of the hidden villages so extensively.

Kenji made sure to not leave anything out or mislead her for two very important reasons. The first being that he wanted to gain her trust, so that when she was eventually revived she would not smite him on the spot. Second was that she would ultimately learn all of this anyway, when she reconnected with Black Zetsu and it would be more beneficial toward his health if she didn't think that he had been trying to deceive or manipulate her. Perhaps he could even foster a friendship with the imprisoned goddess, or at the very least an agreement.

He was only able to tell her up to the Clan wars before he felt the room shake.

"What!? Is this an earthquake?" he yelled in panic.

Kaguya looked as calm as ever as she inspects the large room and notice that she was slowly becoming transparent with every passing second. She turned to the panicking boy that was running circles on her palm like scared chicken, causing the edge of her mouth to raise by a small margin, 'It would seem that our time together is being cut short Kenji Yamamoto. You must be waking up right now.'

Kenji stopped his panicking and let out a breath of relief, he didn't know what could have caused the room to shake, but hopefully it was nothing dangerous. "I understand. I am sorry that I was unable to tell you anymore Kaguya-sama."

'I thank you for the information so far Kenji Yamamoto,' she stated as she inclined her head slightly in his direction in what could be presumed to be a bow.

The small academy student looked shocked at her humble gesture and threw himself into a bow making sure his forehead was touching the ground (her palm) before hurriedly blurting out, "No! No! Kaguya-sama, please there is no need for that. I am just a humble servant, it is my pleasure to be of service to you?"

'… A servant you say? I will remember this the next time?' she said with a happy expression as she became complete transparent and disappeared from the mindscape.

It took Kenji a couple seconds to realize what he just said, but then his eyes shot open in horror.

'Oh no! What if she took that to mean that I was willing to do anything for her? What if she asks me to try and free her? What if she wants me to give her my chakra? Wait, what if she expects me to do things free of charge!?' Kenji thought horrified at the idea of doing anything for free. In the back of his mind he knew he was forgetting something, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Suddenly Kenji's head twisted to the side, and he felt pain on his cheek.

"Wha-oof!"

Pain blossomed on his other cheek, almost as if someone had hit him again.

He grabbed his throat in panic, when he noticed that he couldn't breath. The world around him was rapidly beginning to turn dark.

(Scene change)

Gasp!

Fresh air-filled Kenji's lungs as he sat up from his bed. Akame that had been sleeping on his face was thrown off, causing her to tumble off the side of the head and bump her head on the floor.

"Oh Goddess! I almost died! Damn it Akame, I told you to stop doing that!" the boy said to his rabbit partner as she rubbed her head.

He laid back down on his bed trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. It was then that he remembered the dream he had, 'Was it really just a dream or did that actually happen?''

Looking in the direction of his shrine, Kenji screamed.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Leaping out of his bed, he took refuge under it. Akame who didn't know why he screamed, followed him a second latter, trusting the cowardly academy student to always be aware of danger.

Kenji still shivering poked his head out of his hiding place with Akame. The small bunny scanned the room in search of danger but was unable to find anything. Kenji however was frozen stiff as he stared at the mask placed in the middle of the shrine, that he was sure wasn't there last night.

'Wait a second! Last night, what did I do last night? I-I remember walking into the red-!'

"Nooooo!" the small boy screamed in horror, no longer carrying about the mask as he stood up, throwing the bed above him to the side. Akame startled by the scream began to run in place, trying to find the danger.

Focusing on his spatial ring, he was shown a large room in his mind, filled with numerous items. Mentally scanning for the items in questions, he noticed that one of his briefcase full of money and an upgraded hairpin were missing. Crumbling to his knees in despair, he looked helplessly at Akame that was beginning to give him a concerned look. "Akame, I did something bad yesterday."

"Looks like I messed up. Tehee-oof!"

Kenji was kicked hard in the face after he finished telling Akame of what he had done for the girl. "Okay I deserve that," he admitted, trying to steady his vision. Akame's kicks were already powerful enough to break rock, and Kenji didn't feel like making her more angry by complaining.

Even with their newly established connection, Kenji was unable to make out her squeeks, although he was pretty sure she wasn't even saying words on account of how mad she was. Her fur was hiked up and an angry aura had began to manifest around her.

While he would normally stop her from escalating things this far, he took the following beating with grace, knowing that he would have done the same.

Once his partner had calmed down, she had refused to look at him and wandered to the fridge where she began to scarf down baby carrots in anger.

Kenji used medical ninjutsu to nurse his wounds.

Sometimes he regretted teaching Akame the value of money, and while she might not be able to do long division yet, she could do basic math. She knew that less money, meant less luxuries, and less luxuries meant less snacks like carrots. Simple but effective.

Finish healing the last of the cuts, he walked over to Akame who was in the process of eating her second bowl of carrots. He wasn't sure how she did it, but even after eating her weight in food, she didn't look any bigger. As a matter of fact, she was still on the small side despite it being months since her birth and eating regularly. She noticed him behind her but refused to look at him.

"Aww come on, Akame. I already feel bad enough already, can you please stop making me feel worse," Kenji pleaded as he hugged her close to his chest.

'Humph!' The small rabbit made a show of trying to resist his embrace but settled down without looking at him.

"Don't be like that, you know I didn't mean it," the small boy said as he began to scratch behind her shoulders, knowing that was her weak spot.

Akame immediately closed her eyes in bliss, '… no… fair.'

"It would really mean a lot to be if you could forgive me. I'll even treat you to a buffet of your favorite foods later," Kenji said the last part almost reluctantly, but that was enough for Akame.

She looked into his eyes trying to see if he was lying, 'Pro… Promise?'

He met her gaze and answered honestly, "Yeah, so please stop being mad?"

She didn't say anything, but she did manage to climb up his arms and press her nose against his cheek, before scampering off back to bed.

Kenji let out a small breath of relief, but his gaze immediately went toward the mask.

Steading his nerve he summoned a round shield large enough to protect him and walked toward the small shrine. Sitting there innocently was a black and silver wolf mask, on the forehead was the Otsutsuki Clan's logo. It looked to be made out of some type of metal put he wasn't sure what it was. He extended a single finger toward the mask and received some information.

Otsutsuki Dog Mask

Quality: Low-Heaven

Defense: Indestructible

+ Increases learning speed to all chakra related abilities by 200%-1000% for 6 hours every day. (Warning: $%e#%#$)

Chakra points Needed to Upgrade: 30,000

"Ack!" He pulled back his hand as if it had bitten him, dropping the shield on his toe, not that it hurt him much.

"What the hell!" he shouted as he grabbed the mask, which was surprisingly light. He couldn't believe it, "A Heaven grade artifact! The system said it was indestructible too! And it boosts learning speed to chakra abilities. I'm kinda worried about that warning though, … I wonder why I can't read it." Then he looked at the final line and let out a wince, "Ouch, the chakra needed to boost it is no joke. I'm not even close to that level."

Chakra: Genin

Chakra Points: 1,950/ 1,950

He wasn't sure when he would reach chunin level reserves, but he was sure that even that wouldn't be enough to upgrade the mask. He had managed to raise his chakra from low academy student to genin level in just five months.

He would admit that it was tempting, a mask that would never break would no doubt be the best protection when he needs to go out on missions, but he was still cautious of the warning. Deciding to stay on the side of caution he placed the mask in his ring and promised himself that he wouldn't use it unless it was an emergency.

It was then that he saw a talisman where the mask had been. It wasn't one of his so it could only be from Kaguya.

Kaguya's Monkey Talisman:

Quality: Ordinary

+Can transform any person, animal, or object into something else. (Effects can last up to 1 week.)

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 30

"Did she create this from my explanation on the Transformation Jutsu? Could this mean, that I'm able to make these now?" Kenji said in a confused tone unable to believe the reason for why she would do that. 'Wait! What if this is another part of her clever ploy?! By introducing new talisman, she intends to make me become dependent on them, and in turn, her! Genius! Of course, this is just what I would expect from someone called a goddess.'

Sure, that he figured out Kaguya's intention, Kenji took the slip of paper and added it to his collection. He was not in a position to refuse, and he was sure that she knew that too, so why be stubborn and say no. Pride? Ha! Nope, he would gladly throw away his pride if the situation demand.

"I'll have to make sure to place more offerings for her," Kenji thought as he paid respects to her.

Now that that was solved, Kenji could focus on more important things, such as how he would get his money back. He thought that maybe he could ask for the money back from the girl but left that train of thought immediately.

"I think I need a nice hot bath before I do anything else. Akame! Bath time!" the small boy said as he called out to her.

Kenji could immediately feel his mood improve after the bath. He dried Akame's fur with a towel and dressed her up in her regular custom kimono. Kenji looked at the mirror over the sink and finally noticed the length of his hair. It was now long enough to reach the small of his back, grabbing a strand that came over his face he looked thoughtful, "You know, now that I think about it, I've never had an actual haircut before. I hardly notice it since I always keep it in a ponytail, but it sure has gotten long."

He decided to put the matter off until it was more urgent, he wasn't one to care about his own appearance, unless it was to make money.

He dressed in a set of white pants and a colorful blue kimono shirt.

Taking out a large white cloth, Kenji spread it in the center of the room, then he called out the large fermentation tank he had gotten yesterday from his ring.

Placing a hand on its worn-down wooden surface he mentally called up its information.

Fermentation tank

Quality: Normal

Defense: 354

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 40

'Strange. I can feel residue emotions coming from the tank. It must have absorbed them from the sake masters. Could this be the result of Ninshu? Did I actually learn it yesterday?' Kenji thought as he closed his eyes and tried to connect with the left-over emotions.

Immediately he was able to see the image of the much younger sake master, stirring the pot with a huge smile on his face despite being covered in sweat. The desire to want to make something delicious had been strong enough to become imbedded into the tank.

Unknown to him, the reason why he was able to see an object's past was a result of his affinity for being able to control the nature energy located in objects. His Upgrade System did this automatically, so he had never noticed before.

Tapping the old tank fondly Kenji let loose his chakra. "Don't worry friend, you'll get your chance to shine again."

Kenji was able to upgrade it 7 times before he took out a Craftsman Talisman, since it was usually around this area where things began to get tricky.

From his experience the probability of an item getting upgraded got harder with each level. For example, upgrading items kind of went like this:

0-6 90%

6-7 75%

7-8 50%

8-9 25%

9-10 12.5%

And so on.

Every new level would cut it chance by half. The chances of an item getting upgraded to level 14 was less then 1%. Even with the liberal use of good luck talisman, Kenji didn't even have a tenth of the items he had upgrade and as a result he had an abundance of chakra dust which he kept in different storage rings. He had learned from his mistakes and was determined to keep a closer eye on his supply.

Unfortunately, he could only use one talisman at a time. So, he used the upgrade versions of the talisman whenever he passed level 10.

Taking a deep breath he pressed his hand onto the tank and activated the talisman. It would boost the chances of success by 50%, meaning that chance of upgrading it from a level 7 to 8 would now be at 75%, instead of the original 50%.

Upgrade Successful

'Good, it looks like it will hold up. Let's see how far you can go,' Kenji thought as he prepared another talisman.

He gave a mental prayer as he injected more of his chakra.

Upgrade Successful

"Good. Good. Just one more. You can do it buddy," Kenji encouraged it, as he calmed his nerves. This was usually the most worrisome part. It was always hard to see an item crumble into dust before his eyes. He had lost track of how many times he had to feel the bitter taste of disappointment when a treasured weapon or object was destroyed. That soul wrenching sensation of knowing that he would never be able to see that item ever again, almost like losing an old friend. It never got better no matter how many times he did it.

Closing his eyes, he forced his chakra into it with a battle cry, "Arggggggggg!"

He waited a few seconds, and only opened his eyes when he still felt something underneath his hand.

Upgrade Successful

Fermentation tank +10

Quality: Mid-Human

Defense: 354

+800

10+: Food and ingredients placed inside will absorb the ambient nature energy making it taste better as well as provide better nutrition.

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: 400

Letting out a breath of relief Kenji inspected the tank again. Some items that reach Level 10 had the tendency to change their outer appearance, especially those that had acquired enough kami.

The tank had transformed from wood and iron into a large white ceramic pot with green engravings half its original size. Though, it was still big enough to let a normal sized person bath in it. Anyone that saw it, would immediately declare that it must be a masterpiece made by the world's best craftsman.

"Looks good, how about we test it out Akame," Kenji said to his fluffy companion that had left the warmth of the bed to look at what he had been doing. "It says that it's supposed to make food and ingredients more delicious."

'…cheap-'

"What? You think this some attempt to go back on my promise?" the greedy boy said in indignation. 'Damn. She saw right through me.' "I told you already that I would take you out to eat. I am offended that you would think that!"

Akame looked at him with skeptical eyes, an amazing feat for a bunny.

Kenji couldn't meet her unflinching stare and turned his head to the side, "Tch. Fine, be that way."

Looking at the majestic pot, he thought of an idea. He took out the two sake barrels that he had gotten as a reward from yesterday. Each had 18 Liters, so a total of 36 liters were poured into it, but even that looked insignificant when compared to its size.

"There. I'm not sure how long this is supposed to take, so why don't we go out to eat and come back later?" he told his furry companion, who excitedly ran to the door wagging her cotton tail in excitement.

Momentarily offering a prayer to his wallet, Kenji gave the pot one last look and shut the door behind him.

The inside of the pot began to give a faint glow, as the liquid inside began to stir itself.

(Hokage Tower)

"As I was saying, it is an honor to have you here Daimyo-sama," Hiruzen said as he sat opposite of their Country's ruler.

To either side of him were his old teammates Homura and Koharu. Danzo was purposefully absent on account of the Lady Shijimi's recent dislike for him.

The Fire Daimyo was accompanied by one of his chief advisors and one of his personal guards.

"Please Lord Hokage, no need for formality, I get plenty of that back at the Capital," the man said in a jovial tone as he tried to wave his customary fan, only to once again remember for the umpteenth time that day that he no longer had it.

He gave a sad sigh at the lack of fan, but his wife had been adamant on leaving it behind.

'What is wrong with his face?'

All three shinobi thought to themselves as they took a careful look at the man's appearance.

The current Daimyo was not someone you might call handsome, in fact he looked rather plain compared to most nobles, but the current him looked even worse than normal. He had dark circles under his eyes with sunken cheeks and pale skin. His usually shaved face also had the beginnings of a 5 o'clock shadow, making him looked scruffy. The traditional white and blue robes worn by daimyos was absent, instead being replaced by some red and yellow silk robes with an elaborate headpiece in the shape of a phoenix.

Yet despite all of this, there was still a bright twinkle in his eyes. The trio thought that he looked the happiest than they had ever seen him before.

"Right. Well anyways, I apologize for the lack of preparation, but we were not expecting a visit to be honest. If there is something with which we could help you with, you need all but ask," the Hokage said, curious for the reason as to why the Daimyo, who was famous for rarely leaving the safety of the Capital, would come to the Hidden Leaf. More over, why a large number of nobles had seen fit to follow as well. Usually those stuck-ups noblemen would never come to a 'backwater village of murders,' as some of them would say, without good reason.

"Haha, it's nothing serious I assure you. But my wife has recently taken a shine to one of your shinobi," the man said with a grin on his face.

Getting an idea where this was going Hiruzen couldn't help but ask, "Might I ask what their name is?"

Still looking cheerful the Daimyo spoke, "Yes, I believe his name is Kenji Yamamoto. My wife says that the boy is genius at his craft, I was hoping I might meet him as well."

'Kenji Yamamoto?' Homura and Koharu thought to themselves as neither one of them had ever heard of that particular shinobi before.

The only one that wasn't confused was Hiruzen as he had expected that. He had been sure to keep all information on the boy a secret, even from the rest of the council.

Stroking his beard in a slow motion, Hiruzen responded, "Ah yes, Kenji. If I'm not mistaken, I believe he is still an academy student at this moment, although he is scheduled to take the genin exam in a few days."

Immediately after he said that, the Third could feel two piercing glares from his former teammates, no doubt they would demand an explanation about this later.

The plain looking man put on a thinking face and began to mutter out loud, "Hmm. I suppose it would be best to postpone our meeting until after the test. No doubt it will only cause excessive worry if we were to meet him now." Looking at the Third with a smile he inquired, "Do you think it would be at all possible for my wife and I to observe the exam Hokage-sama?"

Although it was phrased as a question, Hiruzen knew there was only one answer that the Daimyo wanted to hear, "Of course Daimyo-sama, I'll be sure to take care of it."

"Splendid! My wife will be overjoyed by the news," he said clapping his hands together like a child that had gotten their way.

"I see, if I might ask, but where is Madam Shijimi?" Koharu asked, as it was usually the Daimyo's wife that headed these meeting.

"Ah, she is currently entertaining the many young noble ladies that chose to accompany us," the childish leader said, as he gained a far away look thinking of his wife.

Like a gong, all three shinobi felt their stomach drop.

The only thing worse than Nobles were the children of those Nobles. At least the adult still had something that resembled self-control, but many of their kids had yet to feel the vicious sting of life and were what many shinobi described as 'self-intitled, arrogant, little shits.'

And now there were a bunch of those little bastards in their village, all three could already feel the growing headache.

'Please Kami-sama, let nothing big happen.'

(Scene change)

'My poor wallet,' Kenji lamented as he opened it up and momentarily imagined a stack of ryo bills with a tiny halo and angel wings fly into the light.

As he promised, he had bought Akame her precious meal, an all you can eat buffet with the main dish being an entire roasted pig.

The waiter looked a little horrified when he saw the cute little bunny finish the entire meal by herself. Kenji had opted to have a glass of water and some bread.

Walking into his room, he placed the sleeping Akame on the bed, her stomach was slightly bulging.

Taking out five roasted ducks, he dropped one in each of the darkly tinted aquarium tanks placed to one side of the room. They rattled behind the tarp, and he could already hear the crunching of bones and slurping of juices.

These were some of the chakra beast that he had managed to capture. Since his run in with the 'bear brothers' he had been attacked a handful of times. None had been as strong as the bears, but some of their abilities had managed to surprise him. Those he could use to make a profit were captured and the rest were killed. Some had a chakra crystal while others didn't, bringing his count to 4. He had 2 fire types, 1 wind type, and 1 earth.

He found a couple of uses for them already, but he was hoping to use one to make a better weapon after his last one had been destroyed.

He turned to the large bath sized pot and peeked over the edge to see the contents below. Most of the sake that had been in the pot had disappeared, and only a small fraction of the liquid was left.

Frowning slightly, Kenji took out an empty bottle and using his perfect chakra control, used it to scoop an adequate amount to fill it.

He got a new message.

Lion Breath Sake

Quality: Low Human

+ Sake that fills you with vitality. Too much and your agility will decrease.

Chakra Points Needed to Upgrade: N/A

"Wow. This is the first time that I got a message for something like food. Maybe I can sell it," He contemplated as he took out more empty bottles and slowly began to fill them up one by one.

He was left with 6 bottles in total.

Unfortunately, he didn't know if it was any good, as he didn't have much experience in drinking, and the only one he had was from the memories of Adult Kenji. He would need to find a professional drunk to see if it was actually good. Damn, where was Tsunade when you needed her.

Still, the job of a merchant was never ending, and with a sigh he put on an apron and headed to the kitchen. There was still a lot of experimenting to do.

(Scene change)

"… and that was what happened after the Kyubbi attack," Kenji explained to his patron goddess.

Kaguya looked a little sad, after hearing the fate of the tailed beast. They were technically a part of her, or more precisely they were part of the God Tree.

This was Kenji's third time visiting the Rabbit Goddess, making him able to read her a little better.

He had expected her to be cold and uncaring, so he was surprised to see so many emotions when he would tell her the history of the world. She had looked very sad when he had to recount all of the wars that had taken place.

'It would seem that humans will wage war, no matter the era. It pains me to think that my chakra is being used for such absurd reasons,' Kaguya said with a melancholy look.

Floating closer to her face, Kenji tried to gain her attention, "Do not worry so much My Lady. Look on the bright side. At least this way, they will be strong enough to fight back your clansmen-"

Immediately, Kenji's eyes shot open at what he had let slip.

Kaguya on the other hand had a triumphant look in her eyes as she gave him a sly smile.

'Damn it! I let my guard down.'

Gulping down his nervousness, Kenji looked into the smug face of the goddess.

'And tell me Kenji-san, how do you know this? I also seem to recall you avoiding my question during your first visit here. So would you mind answering me this time? How did you know about me?'

Immediately the roles had changed.

Kenji had turned into the scared bunny being cornered by the large cat.

A/N: Gotta say, this was a long chapter.

So the next one will have the actual genin test for Kenji and the rest of the reserve kids.

I'm glad to see so many comments.

I got the idea for the talismans from this one show. Try to guess which one it is.

Any who, I was finally able to write Kaguya into the story. I had trouble with her character because we didn't really see much of her in the manga or anime. I'm trying to make her seem aloof but with that underlining layer of tenderness that she showed when she was fighting Team 7. I'll try to flesh out her character the more I go. Expect a couple more misunderstandings between Kenji and her.

I showed a little bit more on the process of making an artifact, so I hope that helped.

So noblemen came to Konoha.

…Yeah let that sink in. Kenji will show no mercy. Mwahahahaha!

A quick shout out to 'mermizle' who was able to guess what I was going to do with the sake. Good job man.

I'll be sure to bring back Aiko later in the story, and maybe dedicate a chapter of her own journey after she parted with Kenji.

Anyways hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.