The Pursuit of Strength and Power

I sighed as my stomach growled at the lack of food, but what can I fucking do when most of this inane, worthless, dumbass village is against me! My allowance is 50000 Ryo a month, and 30000 goes into the rent of my apartment, which only leaves me with 20000 a month for necessities. Now, every single store in the village has only three reactions to me as a customer. One, they either ignore me with a cold look. Two, they chase me away. Lastly three, they overcharge me for junk that won't sell and soon-to-be spoiled food products.

While Ichiraku will accept my patronage, I can't afford to eat there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even their cheapest bowl is 500 Ryo; times that by three, then thirty per month equals 45000 Ryo. Lack of proper nutrition aside, a single bowl won't fill me up, so I need to figure something out soon. I then looked at Konoha's public library and hoped I would not be kicked out as I entered.

I saw the main desk being managed by a middle-aged woman with graying black hair. I took a deep breath and walked up to her to ask.

" Excuse me, Ma'am, would you mind answering a few questions?"

She looked at me with the same eyes that the rest of the village had, which was dashing any hope I had of getting more information to help me survive this world. The Librarian narrowed her eyes as she coldly stated.

" Ask your questions, brat."

" Are there any rules I need to remember while being here?"

She snorted coldly before answering.

" Damage any of the books, and you will pay for their replacement. No food or drink. You can not take any of the books out of the library."

She reviewed a few more rules that were more common sense than anything, and I started browsing the books while she watched me like a hawk. Ah, here we go.

" A Hunter's Guide to the Land of Fire."

I read the title out loud as I picked up the book from the shelf and started going through it. Edible plants and mushrooms, locale wildlife, plus what to look out for when it comes to poisonous plants, the book had everything I needed to forage what I needed from the training grounds in Konoha as I am not going to waste my money on those shops that see me as the Nine Tails. I went over a couple of other books with similar information to cross-reference everything.

My stomach growled as I got hungry, and I knew I needed to leave while the sun was still out. I put away the books I got out, then ran out of the library to search the training grounds.

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I drooled as I watched the fish I caught roast against the fire I started. They smelled terrific, but that's probably my hunger talking since I have not had anything decent to do since I started living in my apartment. I suddenly felt bitter at how I was being treated and wondered once more how the original Naruto did not want to burn this whole village down after going through all this shit. While I waited for the fish to cook, I let my mind wander.

I was slated to join the Shinobi Academy next month with everyone else in my generation, and that means that the Uchiha Massacre is only getting closer. I sighed as I could only let things play out and watch. My mind went to Sasuke as I considered what I wanted to do with him; on one hand, I could try to help him be less... Dark, for lack of a better word, or maybe nip the problem in the bud, on the other hand.

While I can't kill him because Itachi will kill me in turn, I could deal with him in other ways, like putting him in a coma, for example. After all, one way to stop Kaguya from appearing is by Sealing Black Zetsu or destroying Madara's Rinnegan, and with her out of the way, I would not need Sasuke's help in dealing with her. While this plan appeals to me, it's too soon to say for sure. After all, things will play out differently, with me being me and not the original Naruto.

My fish looked done, so I grabbed the nearest one and started eating. It was bland because I had no salt or seasonings, but I did not care, as eating my fill came first. I soon devoured my fish and felt sated for the first time in a while. I need the Transformation Jutsu ASAP; otherwise, my situation is going to be the same as the original Naruto food-wise. I got up and buried the ashes of my fire with dirt and started foraging for food with a longer shelf life.

I started by checking for any berry bushes and stumps for mushrooms or bugs... I shuttered at the thought of eating bugs, but it was better than going hungry and having a lack of protein. As I searched, I did manage to find a few mushrooms that looked safe, but I was going to double-check first before trying to eat them. You can't be too careful. I added some nuts and berries; then I took off my shirt to use it as a sack to carry everything.

What I got should tie me over for the week if I fish regularly, plus occasionally swing by Ichiraku.

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I started my light Saitama workout today in order to lay down the foundations for my future growth. I set my alarm early, and it came with the apartment, thankfully, to avoid the villagers harassing me. I started my jog and aimed to pass by all the training grounds within Konoha to complete it while getting more familiar with the village itself. As I ran through the quiet streets of Konoha, I felt more relaxed than usual since arriving in this world.

I guess not having everyone glare at you makes a big difference. I also hoped to run into Might Gai, as Taijutsu was on my list of things to master no matter what. Canceling out Ninjutsu and Genjutsu was in the arsenal of a lot of my future enemies, and Taijutsu or Weapon Jutsu was the only way to deal with them. I remembered to Inhale through my nose and exhaled from my mouth as it was the right way to breathe and get the maximum amount of oxygen in my system.

Thinking about this bit from my past life, I wondered if I could maybe recreate the Breathing Styles from Demon Slayer, but I put that on the back burner for now as I need medical knowledge to find the most suitable breathing technique for me. I also recalled a Filler Arc where a Shinobi from the Suna had a similar technique, but I could not remember what it was called right now. But that made me wonder if the Movies and Filler Arcs are real in this world.

If they are, I could get some goodies like the Land of Snow's Chakra Armour or Land of Sky's tech to study and help me out. Kara is another thing to look into as well, but right now, I need to focus on the here and now. I am only six, after all. I frowned as while I was plenty familiar with Naruto, Boruto was... Lacking, to put it politely, the premise was good, but its execution left a lot to be desired.

I only knew some bits and pieces from the Manga through reviews and the odd meme about the anime. The biggest headaches are the Ōtsutsuki Clan and Kara; well, what can I do? One is a bunch of space-traveling Cultivators, and the other is run by a space Cultivator who got betrayed by Kaguya and is hiding in the shadows. Well, I can only take it one step at a time for the time being.

I finished my jog around Konoha before the morning rush kicked in, and I headed back into my apartment to do my squats, curl-ups, and push-ups. I dug into my bowl of nuts and berries after finishing my exercises, but my stomach still growled from my lack of food. Fucking villagers, I will laugh my ass off at their misery when Pain comes around and kills the majority of them. A dark satisfaction filled me at the thought of my tormentors being dead or grieving.

My dark thoughts aside, I will get myself cleaned up at the bathhouse down the street and head to the library to kill time. Gods, what would I do for even dial-up internet if not a smartphone included? But unfortunately, the tech revolution is still decades away from Konoha at least. I sighed as I had few means of dealing with boredom right now.

Hmm... Maybe I should take a page from the original Naruto and prank the heck out of the village?

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My alarm went off, and I hit the snooze button as I still wanted to sleep more. I peeked at my calendar with one eye, and I realized today was my first day at the Shinobi Academy! I got up and stretched as I still needed to do my light Saitama training before heading over. I was excited, to say the least, since I would finally learn how to mold my Chakra and use the three basic Academy Jutsu.

The Substitution Jutsu was the one I was most curious about since it honestly made no sense. Is it a low-key spacetime Jutsu or simply a quick switcheroo that uses speed and the environment? I will find out soon enough. After my light Saitama training, I went to the bathhouse to clean up, then to one of the rivers in Konoha to fish out my breakfast. After eating enough to tie me over for a little while, I went to the academy. Hopefully, Ninja School is better than regular school.

I was at the entrance where the other kids were with their parents and met with hate-filled glares from the majority of them. I noted that only the Ninja Clans didn't have any looks of hatred, which was expected. I looked around and ignored the hushed warnings the parents were giving their kids to stay away from me. All that was missing was that sad BGM from Naruto to complete the feeling of isolation. It's a shame, I would have enjoyed listening to that over the usual idiocy I have grown numb to since I transmigrated here.

I could not help but smile at seeing some familiar faces: Shikimaru, Choji, Ino, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. I also saw the pink-haired banshee, Sakura, and while her hair was undoubtedly beautiful, I knew she hadn't gotten her reality check yet that would make her into an actual functioning Kuniochi. I wonder if I could speed that process up. It was the next face, or I should say faces, that made me lose my shit.

Sasuke "The Edgy Emo" Uchiha, with his twin brother!? SASUKE FUCKING UCHIHA HAD A FREAKING TWIN!? OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND DECENT IN THE WORLD ,WHAT DID I DO TO GET SATTLED WITH TWO EDGY EMO AVENGERS!? All my previous excitement left me high and dry as I muttered to myself.

" Somebody kill me now..."