Chapter 188 - An Ominous Warning

Daichi smiled and waved at the academy instructor as if there was nothing wrong. 'Man, such a faker. Makes me wanna kick his teeth in. But I can't let him know that I'm on to him.'

When the Genin saw Mizuki leave the smile fell from his face as if it was never there to begin with.

Shikamaru, who was watching the whole interaction from the corner of his eyes, slowly got up. He had a frown on his face as he recalled his teacher's face. 'There was no doubt about it. That was pure hatred. And the fact that he tried to cover it up… He could be up to something…'

The young Nara's gaze then turned towards his Genin friend. 'Did he know about Mizuki? Is that why he distrusts him?'

His eyes then focused on Naruto. 'Why does everyone hate you so much? It can't be because of the pranks… So why?'

At that moment Daichi spoke looking at Naruto and the others. "Well, since you've learned a chakra control exercise meant for Genin I'd say this calls for celebration. My treat. You pick the place."

"Nice. Thanks Daichi." Kiba and Choji were excited to go out and eat with their friends.

"Awesome. Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen." The blond boy said with a smile.

"Seriously, Ramen?" Ino and Sakura sighed expecting that predictable response.

"Come on. Once you've had a taste you'll never complain about Ramen again. It's the best place. And old man Teuchi and big sis Ayame are really nice too. They make the best Ramen in the village…" Naruto had a wide smile as he tried to convince them of the deliciousness of the food served.

"Hahaha… I figured you'd say that." Daichi smiled. "Alright Ichiraku Ramen it is…"

And so the group of future rookies slowly made their way to the Ramen stand.

As they walked through the streets the more observant ones in the group noticed how the people were looking at them with a smile and then their change in expression when they looked at Naruto.

Shikamaru frowned as he thought about the situation. He looked at Daichi and saw the small frown on his face. 'So he noticed the looks too… And I have a feeling Daichi knows the real reason for all this animosity the villagers are showing Naruto.'

He turned his attention to the blond boy and saw a wide smile on his face. But he had been around his friend long enough to know that it was just a weak facade.

Shikamaru sighed and tried to distract his friend. "So tell us Daichi, are you really treating us just because Naruto learned the technique or is there something else?" The Nara asked his friend, trying to draw attention away from Naruto.

Daichi looked at his friend and he realized what Shikamaru was trying to do. The young gamer chuckled and quickly replied. "Well, I did get some unexpected additional reward for my mission… And it's been a while since I've seen you guys. So I figured why not…"

"Oohh tell us all about your mission Daichi. What was it like?" Ino was excited to hear the details and so was everyone else.

"Well the client came to us with a C Rank mission…" Daichi began the story of how he and his sensei were hired to track down the heirloom and the subsequent events.

They soon made their way to the Ramen stand.

"So wait, you're telling us that you guys found the identity of the Phantom Thief?" Kiba was shocked. He had heard stories of the great thief.

"Yeah… It was tough but the clues were there…"

"Naruto, good to see you. And I see you brought your friends along too…" Teuchi greeted everyone with a smile.

"Yeah. It's Daichi's treat. Hit us up with your best old man." Naruto said as he excitedly got on his seat.

"That sounds like a challenge…" The Ramen chef took everyone's order and quickly got to work.

All of them got settled and focused their attention back on Daichi and listened to his adventure.

Daichi explained how he and his sensei first found the secret room. The students were amazed when Daichi told them how he found the clues hidden in the teapot and finally how the team managed to find the great treasure.

"And when we looked around, everything that was stolen was kept perfectly preserved. We found the Phantom's hidden treasure." Daichi concluded his story with a grin

"Oh man… That's awesome." Naruto and Kiba had stars in their eyes at the end.

"Oh wow. I want to become a Genin and go on exciting missions too. It sounds totally awesome. Believe it!" Naruto said, pumping his fists in the air.

"I assume the reward you mentioned is for finding the treasure…" Sakura asked Daichi.

The boy nodded his head. "Yup. The Hokage figured we deserve it for solving that case."

"Just you wait, Daichi. When I become a Genin I'm gonna go on even more awesome adventures than you."

The Genin chuckled hearing that. "It's not a competition, Naruto. And you have to be a Genin first. Which will only happen if you study and train some more…"

"Do you know the chemical composition of the special invisible ink used? That's a great way to send secret messages." Sakura asked.

"I do. But Lord Hokage told me not to disclose that information."

"I see."

At that moment Teuchi came with everyone's order. "Here you go. Enjoy."

"Thank you for the meal."

Everyone began digging into their food and they were all surprised.

"You know Naruto, I may have misjudged your taste… This ramen is really good…" Ino said as she slowly ate her food.

"See I told you. This is the best food in the world."

"I wouldn't go that far." Ino mumbled with a sweatdrop as she looked at her friend's antics.

"Even though this Ramen is good I say Yakiniku BBQ is still the best." Choji said as he dug into his bowl.

"No way. Ramen is the best!" Naruto wolfed down the remaining food and glared at the Akimichi.

"BBQ!" Choji finished his meal and looked at his friend defending his favorite meal.

"Ramen!"

"BBQ!"

Then as one they both turned towards Daichi who was peacefully eating his ramen and enjoying the taste trying to ignore everything else around him. He suddenly stopped eating and looked up to see two eyes boring holes into his head.

"Ehh…"

"Daichi, which is better? Ramen or BBQ?" Naruto asked.

"Please don't bring me into this…" The young gamer said with a sigh.

"But we have to decide…" Choji spoke up.

"Well, I'll treat you to a BBQ next time and then we'll come to an agreement. Right now, just enjoy the food."

Naruto and Choji looked at each other and then ordered more. Choji ordered more in the name of tasting different flavors while Naruto just loved Teuchi's food.

About an hour later the group finished and left the ramen stand with happy smiles on their faces. They said their goodbyes to Daichi and soon left. Except for two.

Shikamaru and Hinata stayed behind with Daichi.

"Should I be worried about Mizuki sensei?" Shikamaru asked his friend.

Daichi looked at the Nara and sighed. "You saw that huh."

"Um… I saw it too… Mizuki sensei was really angry… But… He pretended not to be when you looked at him." Hinata spoke in a low tone.

"You too?"

"You didn't answer the question. Should we be worried about him? I noticed that he really hates Naruto. Do you know something?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"When I first saw him, it was just a gut feeling. But after today's interaction… I have a feeling he's going to be trouble." The Genin replied.

"Should… Should we tell the adults or… or maybe the other teachers?"

Daichi shook his head at Hinata's suggestion. "And tell them what exactly. We don't have any proof that he's doing something wrong. We don't even know if he's doing anything wrong. And as for hating Naruto, half the village does that. No one's going to take us seriously if we tell someone without any proof. And if he finds out that we made baseless accusations about him, then who knows what he'll try…"

"So what are you suggesting we do?" Shikamaru asked, crossing his arms.

"For now, nothing. As far as he knows, you guys didn't see his anger and hate and think nothing more of him than your average teacher. But be careful. If he does something that you think is strange, tell me or Iruka sensei. You can trust him."

The Nara sighed and nodded his head. 'Normally I wouldn't bother with something like this but… Since he has a problem with Naruto, I guess I have no choice.'

Seeing Shikamaru agree, Daichi then turned to Hinata. "You can't tell anyone what you saw. Please keep this a secret."

Hinata reluctantly nodded her head and soon was on her way home. Shikamaru asked one more question before he left.

"Do you know why they hate him so much?"

The Nara didn't specify who, they or why but Daichi knew what he was talking about. "I do. But I can't say." Daichi had a somber expression and when Shikamaru saw that he didn't press any further for information and left.

Daichi sighed and slowly made his way home. 'I wonder how things will turn out? Will things happen like it did in canon or has everything gone to hell already… I suppose only time will tell…'

—-

"Yosh! I'm so pumped. Are you ready Daichi?" Lee was excited at the prospect of sparring with his friend again.

Daichi nodded his head and tossed a stone up in the air. Both of them were in the training field where they first met. Lee had found Daichi meditating and insisted on a spar which Daichi agreed to.

The stone reached its apex height and began to fall down to the earth. The second it touched the ground Lee and Daichi vanished from their spots.

Both Genin met in mid air with Daichi blocking Lee's fist and sending a fast punch aimed at the boy's chest.

Lee was unable to dodge the punch and so decided to attack at the last moment. He sent a swift kick aimed at Daichi's abdomen just as he was hit and both of them fell back on to the ground and skidded several feet.

Daichi didn't take any damage from the attack and was completely fine. He looked at his friend as Lee stood up. 'His battle instincts are getting better and better. I was right. Even with just training you can't improve that fast if you don't have some hidden talent… It's only been a few months. Time to see how far you have come.'

With that thought Daichi made the next move. He rushed at Lee and they began their Taijutsu spar.

Lee was surprised at the initiative Daichi took. 'He usually waits for me to attack but now… He must have been looking forward to this just as much as I have…'

Lee desperately blocked every attack Daichi sent his way but that was the best he could do. 'He's not giving me a chance to counter. His speed is incredible and it's taking everything I have just to parry his strikes. His Taijutsu form is flawless. I can't take any advantage.'

Daichi wasn't going all out but he was fighting with much more intensity than he ever did during their previous spars. 'I need to push him. I need to know where he's at and see if I can get him even stronger than in canon.'

Sweat started to slowly form on Lee's face as he pushed himself to stay in the battle. 'His punches feel a lot more powerful. So he was holding back so much during our previous spars…'

Lee blocked another punch and gripped Daichi's fist that was aimed to take his breath away and sent a high kick towards his opponent's face. The gamer tilted his body to the side to avoid the incoming leg strike. At that moment Daichi felt the grip on his wrist tighten and sensed the weight shift. He saw Lee letting go to attack him with a spin kick.

Lee slightly jumped and sent a spinning kick at his opponent only for Daichi to get under him and sent an attack at his leg intent on taking his mobility away temporarily.

Rock Lee sensed the attack coming and just before Daichi's strike landed he used a leg technique his sensei Guy taught him to avoid the blow and launch a counter strike.

Daichi quickly raised his hands to defend himself. He felt the kick land on his forearm and before he could throw a counter Lee back flipped away and gained some distance.

Daichi looked at his sparring partner who was taking several deep breaths of air. 'There is no way this kind of battle instinct can be obtained with just training. Either he's fighting Guy everyday of the week or he was born with a warrior's battle sense…'

Daichi smiled as he looked at his friend. "You can see that I'm not holding back much. In all our other spars you would have gotten knocked out by now. But look at you now. Even with me upping the intensity you're still standing. You've come a long way since we first met my friend."

Rock Lee smiled hearing the sincere compliment coming from his best friend. It only motivated him to keep going. "But I still have a long way to go before I catch up to you."

Daichi smirked after hearing that response. "If you wanna catch up to me…" the smile on the Gamer ninja's face fell and he became serious again. "You're gonna have to train a lot harder."

Both of them took their respective Taijutsu stances and their next round of battle began…