The wallet's tragedy
{Another bonus chapter, cause why not?}
<HELLO AOKI! I HOPE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU WELL!< p>
THE ADVENT OF YOUR RISE AS A NINJA BEGINS NOW! ATTACHED TO THIS LETTER ARE AN ASSORTMENT OF TOOLS THAT YOU WILL FIND USEFUL DURING YOUR MISSIONS, TAKE CARE OF THEM! AMONG THEM IS A TRULY *YOUTHFUL* GIFT THAT WILL MAKE EVERY OTHER NINJA WEEP IN ENVY!
BE PREPARED, YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS NOW!
P.S. TEAM GUY'S FIRST OFFICIAL MISSION STARTS IN 3 DAYS! MEETUP AT THE HOKAGE'S MANSION, EIGHT'O CLOCK!
SINCERELY, WITH YOUTHFUL ENERGY
-MIGHT GUY>
'The words are so large... he even used a giant sheet of paper to fit it all on one page! I'm impressed with his dedication to intensity.'
With a newfound appreciation for the strangeness of my teacher, I picked up the package and unlocked the door to my apartment, entering it for the first time since being hospitalised. I was too enticed by the giant sheet of paper lying rolled up outside my door to not read it right away.
The room looked a lot cleaner than when I first got it, although there were still some improvements to be made.
I set the box on my dining table and unwrapped it impatiently, I'm sure Guy wouldn't skimp out on his first batch of students right?
'Some shuriken, kunai, smoke bombs... and are these explosion tags? Did he send bombs to my house? Well, at least this means I won't have to buy them myself...' I thought, scouring through the box's contents. There were lots of things I had set aside to buy for myself within this care package; ever since I saw Ichiban throw barrage after barrage of smoke bombs and explosion tags at Guy, I wanted to own as many of them as I could.
'Huh?'
My eyes caught on a glimmer of something shiny, it was hidden beneath some shuriken wrapped in twine and scattered kunai, I removed everything sharp from the box onto my dining table to get a better look.
The small package was wrapped in golden foil, on it was a note attached written in Guy's trademark large handwriting.
<My secret to UNENDING YOUTH> it read, the latter two words much larger than the rest.
I ripped off the note and studied it, growing interested in what he could hype up so much.
'If I didn't know the man from the show, I'd guess his secret was probably drugs.'
Too curious to wait any longer, I began unwrapping the package.
I took a peek inside through the ripped foil.
'No fucking way...'
I caught a twinge of a dark green colour, giving me a hint as to what Guy's secret was. Excited to make sure, I ripped off the wrapping paper entirely, my eyes landing on an iconic piece of clothing I never dreamt of owning.
'Holy shit.'
I pulled out the green garment and laid it out in front of me, it was a onesie-like piece of costume which, from the looks of it, was much too small for me.
If I were to wear it, I can imagine that it'd reach places in me that I'd rather never be reached.
The real kicker, however, was that there were three of them in total. Guess I have backups.
The spandex outfit was the classic uniform that Lee had worn all throughout his career as a ninja, even the orange leg warmers he wore were included within the package. I pulled it out and inspected the outfit thoroughly, it was made of a light breathable material that offered little protection from any external factors, however, the quality of the material was nothing to scoff at.
'It feels expensive...' I thought as I rubbed my fingers between the fabric, in any case, it definitely cost more than anything I'd worn recently.
As ridiculous as it looked, I couldn't help but appreciate Guy for sending me this. Even though he probably had heaps of money to spare, this gift wasn't something I could just ignore. For someone like me who has no capital, savings or wealth of any kind to stand on, this felt all the more special.
'That doesn't mean I'll wear it though...'
Of course not, poor I may be, but pride is something I still have.
If I go around looking like a walking green bean, any chance I have of being taken seriously will go down the drain the moment someone spots the spandex hitch up around my nether regions.
Lee is a braver man than me.
I had planned to spend some money on clothing before my first mission, and although I had no intention of wearing the jumpsuit as it was, a few ideas sprouted as I noticed the quality of the material and grew hesitant to waste it.
Three days left to prepare for my first mission, I better get to it.
-----
"Who did this to you..." A woman's voice quivered as she held up the jumpsuit I gave her. She looked at the fabric with an almost tearful eye, speaking to it tenderly.
"You... did you do this?" She cast an accusatory glare at me.
I shook my head with my hands up and re-iterated that it was a gift, I already told her this when I walked into her store, but it seemed she had forgotten what I said in her grief. The way she was looking at me made me feel genuine fear for my safety, the kunai stabbed into her desk made her feel a lot more intimidating.
Guess the signboard outside for a "Ninja tailor" wasn't for nothing.
The woman didn't look away from me for a second, still suspicious. After a moment, she just sighed and placed the fabric back onto the table, feeling it once again with her hand before turning to me.
"This looks to be expertly stitched, so it probably wasn't a kid like you... still, it's a real tragedy." She lamented once more.
I walked in here to hire her for some work, but since I've put the cloth on the table she's been completely focused on it, ignoring my presence almost entirely.
I know it's ugly, but can we move on?
"I could've made such wonderful pieces with this..." she started going off-topic again.
*Ahem* I lightly coughed into my fist to get her attention, luckily she seemed to get my hint.
"... Hm? Oh right... what'd you want?" She asked me, her eyes looking at me before slowly getting drawn to the onesie again.
I ignored her obsession with the garment and asked her to modify it, not only was it way too small for me, but it looked ugly as hell. I also wanted her to split the fabric into two, I preferred a shirt and pants I could wear separately instead of a onesie.
I had to pay extra for the amount of augmentations I requested, but I felt that it'd be worth it. The mission was in three days so I also had to pay more for express delivery, meaning I could only ask her to modify one of the three jumpsuits I had; there was still more shopping to do and I didn't want to waste it all on three copies of the same outfit.
She nodded at my requests, I could tell that the woman was happy to change the fabric's fate.
Considering the changes I made to the outfit, I decided to also buy a flak jacket that caught my eye to match them. It was a deep blue shade that had designs of small clouds stitched along the bottom with thick black lines at the cuffs and ends.
The clouds were sky-blue and wispy to the extent that you'd miss them if you didn't pay attention, but I liked that detail especially. I couldn't help it and paid her extra to add a hood to it; she gave me a small discount and promised me that it'd be ready alongside the jumpsuit.
Next, I walked into a shop that doubled as an armoury. Most ninjas didn't wear much armour due to it inhibiting their movements or getting in the way of their Jutsus, but for a ninja like me who's exclusively focused on Taijutsu, armour was a need, not a want.
There were armour sets from knee pads to full-on battle wear similar to what I remember Hashirama and Madara Uchiha wearing during their re-animation. I settled for somewhere in the middle and got bracers for my arms and legs.
There was also a fishnet-like vest that the shopkeep bragged couldn't even be cut by kunai; he seemed like a well-meaning old man so I humoured him and tested his brag with a kunai myself, after seeing that he was truthful, I decided to buy it.
The Hashirama-like armour was cool, but it was impractical in this day and age, not only that, my wallet almost shed tears when it noticed the price tag. It wasn't an "antique" for nothing.
As I was about to leave the store with my purchases, a pair of thick-looking gloves caught my eye, they were jet black with grey metallic studs where the fists should be. It looked similar to biker gloves from my old life, only sleeker and of higher quality.
When I stopped to inspect it, the shopkeeper came up behind me and gave me some surprising information, "That glove right there's second-hand, a ninja returned it recently, that's why it's on sale," he explained, jabbing a wrinkled finger at the gloves.
"What's wrong? Are they broken?" I asked, taking the gloves into my hands and inspecting them. I couldn't see any wear or tear so I was curious as to why they were so cheap.
The old man shook his head, "The kid who bought it told me it almost killed him on a mission, 'parently it stopped him from doing his hand signs 'cause of how thick it is... if you ask me, kid's probably just got baby hands." He said with a small chuckle.
'Oh? Well, that won't be a problem for me...'
I decided to buy it, much to the surprise of the old man, he tried to dissuade me from purchasing them and pointed to some fingerless gloves that wouldn't harm my ability to do Jutsus, it took some assurance before he agreed to let me buy it; only before discounting the price even further.
I internally made a promise to revisit the shop when I had more funds, an honest shopkeeper would make my life as a ninja much easier.
'Maybe I should set him up with Tomo? Nah, I'd get beat with that spoon of hers if I tried that...' I remembered the harrowing fate of Sasuke when he pissed her off and trashed the idea.
Exiting the shop with a satisfied smile on my face, I waved the old man goodbye and decided to go home, my wallet was practically begging to be free, it felt uncomfortably light after my shopping spree.
I was about to head home when I froze in my tracks, my instincts honing in on something caught in my vision. The evening glow of the setting illuminated a shop in the distance that seemed to glow, almost casting a holy light over it.
Entranced, I almost felt that I was in a Genjutsu as I walked towards it... it looked too familiar to be ignored. The once bustling village had quietened down as people turned in for the day, yet I was feeling more alive than ever. The meagre nightlife of the village only added to the strangeness of the scenery.
'Mmm... that smell...'
An enticing aroma of a rich broth entered my nose, I was moments away from hovering off the ground and floating towards the restaurant's direction before I managed to catch myself, pulling back for a moment.
Cautiously, I walked closer to the smell, feeling like I was a hound in search of prey. The warm glow of the shop blanketed my face as I read the paper signs hanging off the ceiling of the building.
'There it is...'
Arguably one of the most iconic buildings from the series, one that any Naruto fan would have intimate knowledge of.
I was reading the sign with my neck craned high, memories of the past flashing in my mind as I acknowledged the importance the the place I was in, when all of a sudden a loud voice broke me out of my stupor.
"Ichiraku's ramen, would you like to order?" Asked a young woman, smiling with a metal spoon in hand.
"N-no... just heading home," I said, stuttering for the first time in ages as I did my best to hide my surprise. I was too caught up in the reverie of the shop to pay attention to my surroundings.
"Ah, I see! Maybe some other day then! We've got the best Ramen in the Leaf, so if you're feeling peckish, come give us a try!" she said with a bright smile.
I politely nodded, intending to walk away and head home, when a sudden shout erupted from behind me.
"YEAH! IT'S THE BEST! BELIEVE IT!"
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[A/N: Believe it >>> Dattebayo. I will die on this hill.
P.S. I keep writing chapters too long, but don't have the heart to split it into two parts and slow the pace... I hate it when authors do that, and as someone who's a reader first and writer second, I can't bring myself to do it either.
P.P.S. How do you all like Aoki? When I read the earlier chapters it's clear to see how much he's grown. He's set to change a lot more in the future too... *ominous music plays*
Powerstone goal for extra chapter: 380
Scribblehub review goal for extra chapter: 10]