Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.

Note: For regular readers, please read the author's notes at the bottom.

Update: AI Edited.

---

The hum of a cicada often signals a bright and humid day, bringing with it a sense of anticipation. That buzz, once it reaches one's ears, is like a subliminal message that causes one to wonder what others might be doing.

Work? Play? Or perhaps just staying inside, relaxing in front of a fan and a cold drink?

For a young man on a mission, he had a ready answer each and every time upon hearing that soothing buzz, his unkempt blonde hair already soaked to the roots with perspiration, the oils of his skin mixing with the salty excretions causing him no shortage of discomfort underneath his stuffy jacket, but all the same, his deep blue eyes never lost the focused intensity they held as he observed with deathly silence, a shopkeeper minding their business, sweeping the entrance of their store in preparation.

"Come on…" A twitch of his lips threatened to crack his stone-faced expression, the muscles in his legs tensing only slightly, his fingers slowly curling.

Unaware, the shopkeeper busied himself with preparations for the morning by cleaning his shop's threshold with the practiced sweep of his broom, oblivious to the predator who watched him as if he were prey.

The boy bit his lip and ran a moistened tongue over it as sweat trickled down his brow in rivulets. From his hiding place, he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps from his right, and a grin slowly carved itself onto his face, "Perfect."

The carefree pattering of two men, dressed in uniforms that denoted them as being under the village's service, made it known that they were either winding down from their shift, or finally trekking home after a night of revelry.

From their slurred gait and the bit of effort in keeping themselves from stumbling, it was plainly the latter, in what should have been a simple greeting of the still busy shopkeeper, became a pitiful display of waving at the bare wall from across the more sober man's shop, drawing an emphatic shake of his head and a snicker from the boy.

"Wait for it…" he said, breaking into an eager grin as he tightened his grip on the wire. When they reached the right distance, he gave a sharp tug and the wooden platform from the roof of the store flipped forward, delivering with it a shower of white powder that fell on top of their intended targets.

In any other time, the two men would have been sharper in seeing this coming, the only variable not in their favor at present being their intoxicated states, rendering them unable to react in time as the powder enveloped them like a miniature avalanche.

The shopkeeper, miraculously, was left untouched, only able to gawk incredulously at this sudden turn of what he had expected would be a peaceful, albeit busy, morning.

The men paused in place as they coughed out the stuff that had gotten into their noses and mouths, sobering just enough to take stock of themselves caked in a layer of white.

"Wha…" one of the men, his now runny eyes barely able to peer through the irritation, spat out from his gradually swelling lips spittle, the coughing replaced with sneezing as his nostrils were attacked with a burning sensation. "What the hell is this?!"

His partner, suffering from the same symptoms, used an arm to rub at his nose to help clear his sinuses, or at least scratch away this blistering itch building up.

"Itching powder!" he exclaimed in realization, the boy emerging from his hiding place and smiling ear to ear at the thought of it.

Collecting themselves, the duo scanned their surroundings from top to bottom, discerning the direction from which the powder fell. The wooden platform hanging precariously from atop the store's roof taunted them as they caught sight of it.

Their collective gazes then landed on the shocked shopkeeper, who blinked at their accusing stares in alarm, the broom still in his hands shifting in front of him defensively.

"Uh... y-yes?" he mumbled out shakily, getting a good idea of what was about to go down.

The two men glared hatefully at the third man, the itch only doing its best to further enrage them and their muddled minds, unable to deduce if a certain someone else had been responsible for this prank, which only worked to the boy's advantage.

Of course, where would be the fun in that?

The next thing anyone knew, the wall shifted, and out emerged the young man in a proud display of joy, grasping in his hands a veil that granted him camouflage.

"Yo! Morons," he greeted them in jeer, enjoying their looks of surprise, followed by disbelief, and finally rage directed at him. "Toodles!"

With a two-fingered salute, he zipped off the wall and out of sight, leaving his two victims wanting to follow but finding themselves too angry, itchy, and smashed to properly do so.

"Dat damb dembon…" one of the men seethed through gritted teeth and swollen lips, the others silently sharing the sentiment.

---

Shortly…

The boy laughed uproariously at the success of his plan as he zoomed over the rooftops, building to building. Days of meticulously jotting down the right routine for his timing to land on the unsuspecting suckers were worth it. The two Chūnin, during one of their drunken excursions home, accosted him for jogging one fine morning, that a little boy like him shouldn't be up so early at his age.

Right before one of them threw an empty bottle at him, narrowly missing his ear as he dodged.

The shopkeeper was just a dick. It was one of the few businesses in the entire village that would grudgingly sell him anything short of his favorite cupcakes. Those took a long time to go bad. For anything else, he was only allowed to buy food close to its expiration date, at full price, when it was usually half off.

His sweat from earlier cooled as it dried at the speed he was traveling, the elation of his accomplishment giving him the rush of adrenaline to speed up further, his eyes darting for a spot to land and lay low until he was sure that they weren't tailing him. He had a feeling that they didn't give chase, but experience taught him to never let his guard down. Pranking some of the more veteran Jōnin never ended well for him.

He found a good spot atop a random building and caught his breath, sighing in satisfaction.

"I am good," he thought proudly to himself as he leaned against the corner wall until his rear landed on the floor, resting his head on his arms locked behind it.

He took a sharp intake of air, the smell of the summer - or close to the actual start of summer - was always refreshing. His penchant for pranking dipshit villagers at their most frequent was, to say the least, part of what made him rise from bed, and what made up for his improvised training in trapping, stealth, trickery and espionage.

What he lacked in the academic side of his education at the Academy, he made up for by playing to his strengths after receiving some advice from his teacher, Umino Iruka.

From there, he started a makeshift regiment of training in, at the most basic, what shinobi naturally excelled at. Information gathering, sneaking around undetected, and laying out traps that couldn't be disarmed unless done by a professional.

The first year of this was met with relative success; if anyone could even call it that, clumsily trying to navigate his way through being foiled by those who had gotten wise to his antics, and improving at what he failed.

"Playing to his strengths," while he was lackluster at what he, and objectively, still thought mattered most to a shinobi.

His Ninjutsu and Taijutsu were both below average, while Genjutsu was completely dead to him due to his abysmal chakra control. As far as the Academy Basics went, they were all simple enough for his current skill level, with the only exception being the Clone Technique (Bunshin Jutsu), which he also failed due to the same reason.

He became a bit resigned when Iruka made him stay after class a year ago and told him about his failing grades.

At sparring, he wasn't even able to beat civilian students. He scored poorly on his written tests, which wasn't much of an issue for him until he was told how much a big part of it constituted his final grade.

That same year, he had to repeat it all over again, but this time in a program that included all the heirs of Konoha's Great Clans, as decided by the Hokage to give him a better chance.

The only real chance of barely passing was to perform the Academy Three perfectly, presenting himself to the Hokage as someone who at least met the lowest standard for being drafted into the service. From there, he would have the springboard needed to work his way up.

It was the most serious he had ever seen his normally mild-mannered teacher, and something had to give before his situation became irreparable.

"Be held back another year or drop out."

His eyes wandered to the blue, cloudless sky, the sun overhead at its highest point for noon. He idly reached a hand up, then let his arm fall like a stone onto the hard floor.

"Must be nice to fly some time…"

Light as a feather, free as a bird, he felt like the giant, green abomination heading his way, looking like it wanted to crush him between its talons.

Wait!

What?

The bird cawed loudly in a shriek that was unlike anything he had ever heard before, so loud that he was sure that others nearby had heard it. It sounded like a cross between a canary, parrot, and interlaced with that of an eagle. The sound it made was deafening, but what made him stare in awe and just a little bit of fear at it was the sheer size of the green avian. Roughly as big as the building he was slumming on.

Yet, something else seemed…off about it.

He quickly stood up in a panic, preparing for an escape.

"Crap!" he cursed loudly, the bird just about to nick him, and with how much bigger it was getting, that translated to a gash clear through his torso. To his stunned astonishment, the bird had accelerated at the last second right as he was about to dodge. At this, he desperately motioned to duck from a talon threatening to decapitate him.

He could only let out a gasping scream as he expected the tip of the bottom talon to scalp his crown, eyes shutting tight to brace for the pain.

"..."

When nothing came, he slowly opened his eyes, one by one. He blinked a few times to clear the fog, his heart pounding madly, then patted at himself to see if he was still among the living.

Gone.

Suddenly, it appeared out of nowhere, vanishing just as quickly. He took stock of his surroundings - left, right and above. He felt around for anything amiss, wary that the bird might be lurking nearby, ready to ambush him.

"What... what was that?" He swallowed the lump stuck in his throat, the bird nowhere to be seen. Cautiously, he crawled up and peered over the edge of the roof, looking down to see if the people below had seen the giant bird. His eyes widened when the bustle of activity that morning remained uninterrupted, as if he hadn't just witnessed a bizarre-looking creature that had almost plucked him up like a worm for its breakfast.

He blinked several times more to make sure that he was seeing correctly.

"Not this again…"

Could it have been the chūnin he pranked? Could they have found him? Hidden nearby to laugh at his expense?

If it was, then it worked. He shrugged the anxiety away, taking a calming breath. Cursing internally, he leapt off from the roof to see if he could find a better hiding spot, or something else to do to distract himself. The rest of the day was uneventful, save for a few more odd pranks here and there that were just as successful as the last.

---

The next day…

Mondays were the bane of his existence, especially today, when it marked the beginning of his final year at the Academy. The entire summer was spent working with what he had, taking his teachers' advice to heart. As much good as that did, it was better than nothing. Fat lot of good it made him feel, either, but he had done his best to work on his self-taught taijutsu, which was a derivative of the standard Academy Style, personalized with his own flair to make it his own.

At first, he thought his idea had worked when the first few sparring partners he tried it on were taken aback by the; in hindsight, poorly improvised variation. He was elated, but that was dashed away not long after when his classmates grew more and more accustomed to it, doing short work of him because, as Iruka explained after that disastrous session, many of his moves were telegraphed. They could see him coming a mile away just as well as the chūnin did when they did some light sparring as a test.

So far, he's been trying to make the transition back to basics, but easier said than done.

The Bunshin was the most he had ever come to practicing his Ninjutsu, and every time, the illusory clone was always sickly and subpar. Never alive looking like what was expected. It frustrated him to no end how such a simple thing was so hard for him to get the hang of, and that it was partially the key to him finally graduating.

"Whoever came up with this damn curriculum was an idiot!"

It wasn't fair of him to think that, a part of him told himself. Many others struggled with the other Basic Three, and sometimes all of them together, but with practice, managed to pass all the same. Which only meant that it was a personal problem. That there had to be something wrong with what he was doing.

Then, there was his go-to personal theory. His suspicion that he had been taught wrong by teachers who were not Iruka.

"Could Iruka-sensei be in on it?"

He shook his head at the thought. No, he trusted…or at least wanted to trust that the one person in the Academy who treated him with something akin to respect wasn't complicit, or enabling.

Of course, it was just a theory, born out of the frustration of his many failures.

It couldn't have been him. It had to be someone else.

He was just being misinformed, likely on purpose.

He wanted someone to blame.

He wanted there to be a conspiracy that was hard at work in keeping him down.

He didn't want to accept that there was something wrong with him; that he was just an untalented hack doomed to always be at the lowest of the low.

He highly doubted that there could be anything else in the village to try his hand at. Any owner or employer who would be merciful enough to give him so much as a part-time job, if they didn't already despise him, would be nothing short of a miracle.

Being a shinobi was his only hope for obtaining any source of income at all.

He was completely alone; there was no one else.

The gap between him and his peers was clear, and he had tried with everything he had to close that gap for these past few years, with none of it seemingly enough.

As he sat at his desk contemplating that this was going to likely be his last ever chance, he heard a few voices to his front. Two girls were chatting loud enough for him to make out the words "cool", "the best", and "prodigy".

With those very words, came a name.

"Sasuke".

It made him groan internally in irritation, causing him to steal his gaze from the chalkboard that was scribbled with today's lesson, his stomach sinking in disgust.

His (admittedly) self-proclaimed rival. Who he was sure didn't even care if he had so much as stepped on dog shit. Yet, he clung to that designation like a lifeline. A goal that he wanted; needed, to reach and maybe even surpass.

Not long after, speak of the devil, the prodigy entered the classroom, and all hell broke loose as the girls cheered while the boys rolled their eyes. He stopped caring about being more popular, and by the irritated and apathetic looks he often pointed towards his groupies hounding him like a piece of meat fresh from the butcher, the Boy Wonder didn't either.

That was one thing he came to respect about Sasuke. As much as he presented such an air, an image, it was genuine rather than his way of attracting said attention in the first place.

The reason why, he could never pin down, but he wasn't one to pry into someone else's private life, nor did he care all that much. Unless he needed it for a really sick prank or some cheap blackmail material, all bets were off.

When he tried to do that whole "bad boy" schtick once to himself in a mirror, all he felt was embarrassment. He didn't need another reason to hang over his head about how pathetic his life was.

He slumped down on his desk, silently waiting for the class to end before it had even begun. When Iruka arrived, the words coming out of his mouth were muffled by the cotton in his ears, thoughts of his problems swirling around the room blurring the image that he was seeing. Like static, the silhouette of a creature on all fours stalked about at the front, looking ready to pounce on his unsuspecting teacher.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

The entire class was snapped out of the lecture in alert at his outburst, eyes roaming to his spot on the rows of seats, the pindrop silence, followed by a cacophony of chortles and snickers.

"What is it now, Naruto? Bored out of your mind already? It's only been 12 minutes," an unruly boy resting his feet on his desk sneered, looking down from his seat in a row behind the blonde. A dog was tucked snugly underneath his jacket, head poking out and snickering along.

Some, like a boy with a ponytail, a lazy look in his eye, sighed at how much of a drag it was that his nap was spoiled. Others simply ignored him, knowing better.

Iruka, the teacher, sighed, his shoulders slacked at the familiar disturbance.

"Yes, Naruto?" he asked with practiced patience, accustomed to his student's spontaneity.

Naruto, his name said with a tone he had grown accustomed to, gulped, his eyes roving over the array of his classmates who were still shooting him looks and glances. It was always a strange feeling of being the center of attention. Negative it may be, it was still attention. In this instance, he didn't get the usual high, wanting nothing more than to shrink down, or even better, disappear in a puff of smoke.

"U-Um…" Both of his hands shifted forward placatingly, followed by his right hand scratching the back of his head. "I-I thought I saw something."

Half of the class groaned and rolled their eyes in exasperation.

"Not this again."

"What is it now? A genjutsu?"

"If he is, what kind of schmuck would waste time on this knucklehead? He's too easy."

"Maybe because he's too easy."

A snap was heard, and Iruka quickly regained his composure.

"Naruto," he said, "We've been over this. Haven't I already explained how to break a genjutsu?"

Many students expressed their agreement.

"Didn't I teach you that lesson before your classmates learned it?"

Naruto timidly bowed his head and replied, "Yes, you did."

"And what?" Iruka prodded gently.

"Well, it's-"

"Maybe he just can't do it," the unruly boy joined in again, "like everything else he's failed at."

Iruka's voice pushed through the chuckles the boy drew, "When I want your opinion, Kiba, I'll ask for it. Now," he stared expectantly at Naruto, "do you, or do you not know how to dispel a genjutsu?"

Naruto breathed in through his nostrils, his blue eyes wanting to look into his teacher's for a silent apology, but finding himself unable to. For the last two years, he had been plagued with sightings of what he could only generously consider genjutsu. Strange creatures, weird landscapes, bizarre weather and architectural oddities.

Many did not hesitate to criticize his mental faculties.

The surrealism of his situation necessitated that he learn the basic Kai (Illusion Technique Dissipation) much earlier than his peers, but so far, whenever he tried to, the genjutsu would still be there until it dissipated on its own. No matter how many times he repeated the technique, the illusion; at times multiple, would persist. It finally got to the point that he no longer bothered to use the dispel at all, hence why the large bird was allowed to run its course yesterday.

However, a small part of him felt that they were not illusions at all.

He buried that thought immediately, and resigned himself to falling back into his seat without a word, eliciting a sigh from Iruka.

He said with finality, "After school," and then continued with the lecture.

---

Later…

The students filed through the door, relieved that their first day of their new, and final, year hadn't started off too hectically. There were no erasers hanging precariously over the door, no surprise graffiti, and no exploding packs of glitter to decorate the room - or the students.

No. Instead, what they got was their potentially crazy classmate interrupting them with his raving lunacy. The said classmate was still seated on his desk, waiting for the earful he was going to get.

"Naruto," Iruka called from his desk, gesturing the blonde closer.

Naruto didn't move at first, but soon pushed himself to stand and gather his things. He walked in a slow, languid pace towards the teacher's desk, expecting the usual.

"So," Iruka twined his fingers together and sucked in his lips, "what happened?"

The young lad remained silent, until an encouraging nudge from Iruka prompted him. "I…can do Kai just fine. At least…I think I can," he said hesitantly.

Iruka observed the boy's body language, looking for any dishonesty. It wasn't that he didn't trust Naruto to be truthful to him when it mattered. It was just that he couldn't trust him to be completely truthful. Many of his attempts to reach the boy worked just fine a few years ago. Back then, he was more jovial, brazen. Not the reserved child that was in front of him now.

Not after he started claiming to be a victim of genjutsu. While he had directly reported the issue to the Hokage, who made no reservations to investigate the matter, Iruka feared that what Naruto was suffering from wasn't external. The stress of his low grades, combined with how much he was ostracised and shunned, must have already taken its toll on him.

He personally forwarded Naruto to the school guidance counselor, but to no avail did they find anything wrong with him aside from having a complex for the attention of others, but that was more from his status as an orphan and the trappings that came along with his…situation, and Iruka wasn't worried about any bias against his student, for the counselor was a member of the Yamanaka Clan. Part of the Hokage's law ensured that.

"Naruto, you can be honest with me," Iruka smiled reassuringly. A smile that made Naruto wince inside. "What's bothering you?"

He wished he knew the answer; Naruto really, desperately did.

"I've…" His mouth felt heavy as lead.

Iruka silently prodded him on. "I've been doing what you told me. Working on my strengths and starting from there. I've been relearning my basics, even practicing with Bunshin to complete the Academy Three."

"That's good," Iruka complimented, but the matter at hand still stood. "Yet, you haven't answered my question. Are you by any chance being bullied?"

Now, that made the lad scoff. Bullies, he could handle. There wasn't anything better than getting back at that dipshit Kanda every time he ran his mouth off about how he was the toughest in class.

No. Naruto knew who that title rightfully belonged to, and he'd be damned if someone else thought they could claim it without earning it squarely. That was part of why he wanted to catch up to Sasuke. Simply saying it didn't make something true.

Sure, Kanda would beat the stuffing out of him during their spars, which evened things out a bit.

"Nah, anyone who bullies me only qualifies for a prime time ticket to getting pranked," a small grin pulled at his lips, but it shortly fell, "it's just...I can't make heads or tails of what's been happening to me. I've done everything you told me," or the best that he could, "and I still keep having these...visions."

He flailed his arms in a shrug, "I don't even know what they are, but I do see them. I don't think I'm going crazy, but if I am...I just...don't know anymore."

Iruka looked on sympathetically at the young man he had come to consider as a surrogate little brother, ever since he got to know him for who he was rather than what he was supposed to be, any ill thoughts he may have once harbored having long faded away.

"Have you spoken to the Hokage?"

"Jiji? Yes, but…" he trailed off, biting into his lip. He was goaded again. "I don't…want to make it seem like I'm taking advantage of him. The other kids have been…talking," he said, his voice trailing off.

Frowning, Iruka asked, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto couldn't hide his embarrassed frown, "That I'm getting special treatment from the old man."

"Naruto, that's nothing to be concerned about," Iruka stated firmly. If anything, he wished the Hokage actually did more. "Hokage-sama doesn't play favorites, and he always extends a helping hand to any student and shinobi who comes to him willingly to the best of his abilities. As a villager and soon-to-be-christened bona fide shinobi of Konohagakure, you're no exception. Since when have you started to care about what others think of you?"

"Since you told me how much I'm behind everyone else."

Iruka blinked, jerking his head back slightly.

"I get it," Naruto licked his lips. "I'm not the best or the brightest in class. That doesn't mean I'm-" he paused to scratch at his temple, adjusting the goggles nestled on his forehead, "I work hard, okay? I really do. Not a lot of people may see it, but I'm always at the training grounds busting my ass off to work on my basics. I've even started to read my textbooks," now this really threw Iruka off, "but…it's like…there's this wall. A wall that I can't get past no matter how hard I try to."

Iruka folded his arms over his chest, examining the blonde. "A wall, you say?" he asked, running his fingers across his chin. "Just do your best to overcome it. It's the start of the year, and you've yet to see what's in store. Who knows? If you're really starting to take your studies seriously, you might be able to see the improvement you're aiming for."

Naruto replied, "I want to. I just can't tell anymore if what I'm doing is right. You remember our spar? Before the end of last year? I thought I was on my way to inventing my own taijutsu style, but all I really did was make my set worse."

"Where did you even get that idea from?" Iruka asked curiously. "I never did ask you that day since after we were done, you ran off."

Naruto winced the second time, "I was bummed and wanted to be alone." He looked up with a pensive expression on his face, and answered, "...Mizuki-sensei suggested it to me."

Iruka stiffened, his eyes widening. "Pardon me?"

"Mizuki-sensei," Naruto repeated. "He told me that the basics were supposed to be a springboard for us to work on our own styles."

Iruka stared intently at the blonde for any sign of dishonesty. He went silent for a moment, the gears of his mind turning.

"I thought so…"

Iruka leaned closer, "Naruto, from now on, you're going to listen to me and only me, and follow my lessons to the letter," the chūnin's gaze became piercing, "if anyone else tells you something that contradicts what I teach you, report them to me. Understand?"

Naruto's expression was vacant, but his eyes held a clarity to them, as if he had just realized too late what he should have suspected from the beginning after being told to deviate from the standard curriculum. It was stupid of him to have trusted such advice at face value. It was stupid.

He was stupid.

He bit his lip and felt like crying, but he had been desperate. Anything to get stronger faster. Faster than his peers, faster than his naysayers.

Faster than him.

He shook that thought away. No, he alone was the sole person to blame for this. He had been made a fool of, and if he had a chance to go back to that time when Mizuki gave him such bogus advice, he would have punched the guy, not caring that the man was above him in both rank and skill.

"I…I understand, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka was beside himself, but he managed a warm smile that told Naruto that everything was going to be alright, but the lad knew now; and always did, that he had to put in the work for that assurance to become tangible.

If it still mattered.

"Naruto, you have to remember that this is for your future. I can't do anything more than to teach you what you need to know, but this goes both ways. Ever since you came here, you've always been a handful to deal with," for the third time, which steadily became a new record, Naruto winced again, "but that comes with the baggage of being a teacher in the first place. Kids aren't always well-behaved little angels. Back then, I thought you'd calm down from being the rowdy prankster and class clown; wishful thinking, but that was wrong of me to expect. Instead, I told you to take advantage of your strengths for trickery and subterfuge. We are shinobi. We're supposed to be that way. You have been working on that, I take it?" his student nodded, and Iruka was thankful that it had been a private conversation to keep the complaints from raining down on him, "Good. Naruto, let's make a promise."

"Huh? What kind of promise?" Naruto blinked.

"More of a deal," Iruka smiled wider. "After class, I'll tutor you."

"That's-" the chūnin held up a hand.

"I know what you're going to say, and it's not a problem for me. Think of this as an apology on my part for neglecting a faux pas that I should have rectified earlier. I am going to tutor you, but the bulk of your training has to be on you. I can only show you the things that went wrong and have you correct them on your own. This is where the "both ways" part comes in, and you have to promise me that you'll work hard. I'll be holding you to that."

Naruto looked at Iruka in astonishment, certainly not having expected this. He…he actually cared? All this time, he thought the man was just fine with him pushing pencils and papers, throwing a kunai, and landing on his ass during sparring sessions. It was…it felt good. Not the kind of high he had from pulling off a winning prank, but a warm kind of emotion that he rarely ever felt.

And, from experience, followed by another disappointment.

His deep blue eyes shifted, "I…I appreciate the offer, Sensei, but…I think I'll be just fine on my own."

Iruka frowned, "Naruto-"

"Just thank you for being concerned," the boy said, cutting in. "I really appreciate it, but I don't think this is going to work out the way either of us would want. And, it's not because of the work you want me to do. Hell, if it means getting anywhere, I'll bust my chops, no problem."

"Which is precisely why I am offering you the help you need," Iruka persisted. "You won't go wrong with this, Naruto. I swear as your teacher."

Naruto wished it were that simple. It would hurt less if Iruka had just deemed him a lost cause from the beginning. "Can I think about it?"

The words hit home, and Iruka had to concede. "My offer is still open, Naruto, but by the time the second semester rolls in, I won't be able to do much. I'll still help you during lectures, but you have to make sure you do your end of the work, too. If not, your classmates will really think I'm giving you an exception."

Which is exactly what Naruto was trying to avoid. He didn't want to feel like a beggar, nor a teacher's pet. Before Iruka came along, those who often bullied him were regarded by his past instructors a bit more favorably no matter if they were problem children themselves. He couldn't prove it, though. Never could, either, since anything he told the other adults in the Academy was dismissed, or he was reprimanded for being a tattletale.

The shinobi-in-training wanted to agree. To say yes and have someone actually help him for once. For the life of him, however, he couldn't escape this twist in his stomach.

He began to leave, but not before he felt Iruka's hand on his shoulder. He turned to look up at the teacher, and the eyes that met his own were kind, in stark contrast to the judgmental scorn of other adults.

Don't forget. If anyone gives you dicey information about the curriculum, or you simply need someone to talk to, I'm right here. Don't be put off from ever approaching me, Naruto."

"By the way, do not tell anyone else what you have discussed with me regarding Mizuki. I am going to go to the Hokage and report this. I would prefer if this was kept under wraps until a full investigation can be conducted."

Again, Naruto felt like crying, but he blinked the tears away and nodded in gratitude before continuing on his way out of the building.

Outside, some kids from various grades still remained behind to play with friends or relax. The sun was overhead, indicating that it was noon. Since it was the first day, classes had been cut in half, allowing students ample time to prepare for the full rigors of academics that would begin tomorrow.

Naruto didn't want to waste any more of his time there, not that he could help it. None of them would want to spend even a second with him. Passing through the gate, he couldn't help but notice a trail of blonde hair flying past him that was a shade lighter than his own.

"~Somebody got in trouble~!"

He rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"I would, too, if I suddenly shouted out during class like that."

Walking.

"Or, did he get mad and yell at you back?"

Still walking.

"Did he yell at you? He must have been upset because it was the first day, and all. You just had to ruin it for everyone."

He walked at a faster pace.

"Did Iruka-sensei have you expelled?" the voice, which he begrudgingly recognized as female, mock gasped. "He did, didn't he? I can't believe it. Uzumaki Naruto is now expelled!"

"Who was expelled?" a second, more masculine voice interjected.

Naruto spun around to snap at the girl through gritted teeth. "Damn it, I'm not! Leave me alone, Ino!"

"Hmph!" the girl called Ino huffed, her arms crossed indignantly. "If only you were half as polite to ladies such as myself, I might just be gracious enough to offer you my help."

The other blonde gave him a moment to quickly process what he had just heard. "Wait… were you… were you eavesdropping on me and Iruka-sensei?!"

The other boy who had joined them was holding an open, half-finished bag of potato chips, shoving the contents into his mouth with rapid gusto.

"Eavesdropping on what?"

"Oh nothing, Chōji," Ino cooed, "just a stubborn boy who thinks he can keep doing stubborn boy things that a stubborn boy like him can only do as a stubborn boy."

"You just described Naruto to a T," Chōji chuckled, his smile reaching the swirls on each of his cheeks as he continued to eat until he finished the bag, pulling out another from his shirt pocket and throwing the empty one into a nearby trash can.

Ino grinned slyly at the stink eye Naruto was directing at her, enjoying his flushed cheeks at having taken her bait.

"So, what are you going to do now? Take up Iruka-sensei's offer like anyone with half a brain would?"

Naruto stomped his right foot in irritation, "Mind your own business, gossip queen!" He pointed a searing finger at her, "And, so what if I did?"

Ino rolled her eyes, "No, noodles for brains. I just want to know if you're even serious about graduating this year."

"Of course, I am," Naruto replied curtly, glaring at her.

"Then, what's the problem if you don't want any help?"

Naruto clenched his right hand into a fist. "I can work it out on my own just fine now that Iruka-sensei warned me about what I was doing wrong," he said. "I don't want to waste his time. That's all."

What you mean is that you want to tough it out like the man's man you think you are and get by with the Academy Three," Ino declared smugly, earning a flinch from Naruto.

"If I pass, I pass. That's what matters," Naruto insisted. "And, what's with you dissing my masculinity? That's not the insult you think it is. I am a manly man! The manliest!"

He curled up both biceps in a show of masculine prowess, only for his supposed muscles to sag like wet ramen noodles as soon as Ino prodded them, eliciting a laugh from Chōji.

"What the hell are you guys going on about now?" a fourth voice spoke up, a boy their age coming out of a shop that sold fish. The most distinctive feature about him was his spiky ponytail that stood up. His eyes lazily scanned the group like the dead frog he had found on the road when he was younger.

"Is this another troublesome drama with you, Naruto?"

"No, it's not," Naruto denied. "Ino here just thinks my life is interesting enough for her to pry into for her gossip circle."

"Naruto was just expelled, Shikamaru," Ino said slyly to the ponytailed boy, who could only blink at the announcement.

"Really?"

"No! I wasn't expelled! Take that back now, you gossip monger," Naruto raged, readying himself to pounce on her.

"The way your grades are going, you're likely to drop out anyway," Ino told him flatly.

The Uzumaki paused, his nostrils flaring, "This is what I told Iruka-sensei. I'm going to work hard at school now. I don't care if I have to grind through textbook after textbook, crawl on my knees through the obstacle course, or practice with a thousand kunai. No more playing around anymore. I want to graduate!"

He formed a fist and stared hard at it. "I am going to graduate, work my way up and get stronger. All for my goal," he unfurls his fist to point at the direction of a cliffside above the Academy, where four distinct faces were carved on it as a monument. "To become Hokage!"

"Then, just do it," Ino scoffed. "Yeesh, you'd think you could have just told Iruka-sensei yourself."

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead, "You dirty-!"

Shikamaru interrupted, having had enough of the banter. "Are you even serious? You're going to actually study and train? I don't see it."

"Skeptical, are you, Mr. Lazy?" Naruto shot him a daring look. "Yes, Shikamaru, I'm going to turn my school life around. This is my last chance, or I get held back another year."

"Or, drop out. Whichever comes first," Ino added, smiling mischievously at Naruto's glare.

"I think he can do it," Chōji finally said, now on his third bag of chips.

Naruto shot the big-boned boy a grateful smile.

"Then again, he's made promises like that before."

"No way! This is gonna be the real deal," Naruto shook his head. "Just saying something doesn't automatically make it true."

Shikamaru cocked a brow at him, "Do you need any help? Maybe I can tutor you."

Hearing this made Naruto pause in surprise. He stared at Shikamaru as an idea came to mind. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Why waste Iruka's time when he could just waste his classmates'? It was brilliant.

If it had been anyone other than Shikamaru, the laziest student in class, but no less academically qualified.

"Why?"

"Got nothing better to do."

"Wow, it's great to know that I am such a high priority!"

Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome. It's not just that. I've been watching you for some time now, Naruto, and aside from the claims of you suffering from genjutsu attacks, you actually are putting in the effort now to get results."

"Hah! As if," Ino flicked at a lock of her hair. "I'll believe it when he passes the first written exam of the semester with no less than an 80 to 90 mark."

Naruto jerked back. 80 to 90? He could barely scrounge up a 40.

"That's doable," Shikamaru yawned. "You can make up for lost time while we're at it."

Naruto asked suspiciously, "Why do you even want to help me?"

"Because, you're a work in progress. Like I said, I got nothing else to do since my performance is just about adequate, and I'd like for it to stay that way," this drew a curious look from the Uzumaki. "Your lagging behind is pathetic compared to me, and I'm supposed to be the laziest in class."

"Ouch," Chōji winced. Naruto deflated at the cutting remark.

"This is gonna be reductive of me to ask, but why didn't you reach out to help me before?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "You never asked anyone for help before, as far as I know."

Naruto looked away from the other boy, "In case you hadn't noticed before, whenever I did ask for some help, they'd blow me off or…" he trailed off. "You guys are clan heirs. You, Chōji, Ino. I'm just a nobody."

"A nobody that still needs help," Shikamaru went on. "Look, neither of us has got anything to lose. Okay, you more than me, which only means you should take my offer if you really are hellbent on graduating. At best, you'll only be the Dead Last."

Naruto played with the hem of his orange jacket. "I can't."

"This isn't charity," Shikamaru clarified with a stern tone. "That's what you're worried about, right?"

Naruto sighed, "Can my budget afford you?"

Shikamaru thought for a moment before clicking his tongue. "How about a sparring partner? At the training grounds after class. That has to count for something, right? We both get to work on our taijutsu. You and I could use the practice. More so you, of course."

Naruto couldn't quite believe it. Part of him didn't want to. He had too many disappointments in his life to count to simply accept this. What was it the fruit vendor told him once? Right after he was handed that day's latest batch of rotten fruit.

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth. It means not to take someone's good will for granted, brat."

After that, he began to despise that proverb.

He held up a hand when Shikamaru was about to speak. "This isn't a 'no'. I just don't have a good track record when it comes to people giving me their own brand of 'help'." He left the part about Mizuki unsaid, and it looked like Ino was going to as well.

"I'd like to think I'm not like most people," Shikamaru shrugged. "So, I'll give you till tomorrow to decide. If you refuse, still no skin off my back, but don't say I didn't try."

"Yeah," Naruto murmured. "Thanks, I guess. See you later."

Soon after…

The trio of heirs took the path to their respective homes together since each of the clan compounds were neighbors, having had close ties to one another for as long as Konoha had been founded.

Chōji was still busy eating, with Ino not caring how many bags he had ravaged through since they left school.

Ino asked suddenly, "What made you want to help Naruto, Shikamaru? And don't tell me you simply did it out of the goodness of your heart."

Shikamaru let out one of his trademark sighs, "It's a troublesome story. I'm sure you wouldn't be interested." Ino caught up to flank him, ever the gossip, eliciting another sigh from Shikamaru as he looked on ahead to deprive the girl further satisfaction. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"'Fraid not," she grinned. "Now tell me, or I'll tell your mom that you forgot to lock the fence gate keeping the deer in yesterday to watch clouds again."

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru groaned. "Fine, alright. It was a week ago when I spotted Naruto buying some fruit."

"No way! I always thought he only ate ramen," Chōji remarked in amazement.

"Chōji, do you have any idea how unhealthy a diet consisting of nothing but ramen is?" Ino lectured him. "At least you have balanced meals. If you just cut back on the junk food..."

"I'm a junk food lover for life, Ino. Never gonna quit," he said, as if to prove a point, and then proceeded to scarf down the remaining crumbs of his potato chips, making sure to polish what stuck to the corners of his lips with his tongue. "Besides, the extra calories are supposed to help with our family's jutsu, so, who am I to complain?" he added pointedly.

"Eurgh," Ino cringed in disgust, swiftly refocusing back to the more dignified member of their group. "So, what happened next?"

"The man handed him spoiled fruit."

"And?"

"That's it."

"Seriously?"

A deadpan expression drew itself on the blonde's face, "It isn't exactly a secret that vendors and sellers here don't like Naruto because he's such a troublemaker. How do you think they would treat him if he kept pranking them?"

"Seeing it for myself, made me feel like I wanted to help him out."

Upon hearing this, Ino blinked and stopped walking, followed by the other two.

"What about you?" he inquired of her.

Ino stared at him blankly. "I don't understand," she said.

"Why did you try to convince him to accept Iruka-sensei's offer?"

"Don't tell me you were listening in on them, too."

"It was fascinating how far sound could carry when it was so loud, like the both of you were in the middle of the street," Shikamaru countered.

Ino stuck her tongue out at him, "I just couldn't take how much of a hopeless failure he is anymore. I don't think I can name anyone I've ever known to be that pathetic, that…pitiful."

"Yeah, that's the reason," Shikamaru jeered in his own lazy way, becoming amused by her fumbling.

"Like I said, I couldn't stand anymore how much of a pity party he is! What happened in class this morning just clinched it," Ino crossed her arms, flustered, "and also because…don't tell anyone else but our fathers this, but, there's suspicion that there might be shenanigans going on over at the Academy."

Shikamaru and Chōji exchanged glances. "Care to explain?"

Ino's expression hardened as she leaned in to recollect what she had heard.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru said as he scratched his head.

Chōji pouted in worry, "What does this mean, Shikamaru?"

"It means, Chōji, that someone is going to find themselves in hot water after all is said and done," Shikamaru answered his best friend. "We need to go home. Now."

---

The next day…

The actions taken were swift, and as if he had been expecting it, Mizuki was nowhere to be found when his apartment was raided. The slippery bastard was generous enough to leave behind ample evidence hidden beneath various portions of his living room, bedroom and compartments. Enough to bust him for not only the sabotage of certain targeted students, but to make matters worse, selling information on clan heirs through the black market.

Many parents were left dumbfounded and upset, worried that their own child might have been compromised, with the Hokage having to declare classes suspended until further notice while the investigation ran its course.

Inside the building of the village's leader, he and numerous others; namely the clan heads minus one, were having a meeting to salvage this catastrophic oversight.

Underneath his white and red robes, a conical hat obscuring his eyes, the elderly Sarutobi Hiruzen was chewing on the filter of his pipe in deep contemplation of the repercussions this breach would have long-term.

"Where's the bastard who did all this?" an unruly woman with face markings beneath her eyes and shaggy hair spoke up. "My dogs will want to sink their teeth into him."

"Gone," an older man who resembled Shikamaru answered. "By the time me and my men raided his place, all that was left were the ledgers and records of his dealings in the black market. Not all of them, but enough to incriminate him."

The woman grumbled, "That's not good enough."

"Tsume, a search party consisting of ANBU; a number of whom comprise your fellow clansmen with their own ninken, are already on the hunt. Mizuki is to be captured, dead or alive. We cannot allow him to escape the village borders, let alone those of Fire Country."

"Then, why were we summoned here?" Tsume questioned back. "Shikaku, you did confiscate all the information he had on our kids, right?"

"Only that of the Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi and Aburame," Shikaku paused. "Those of the Hyūga and Uchiha were missing."

The elicited worrying noises from all those gathered. "Everyone, calm down," the Hokage finally spoke. "Where is Hiashi?"

"His Highness couldn't come," Tsume rolled her eyes. "It's likely he and his clan are handling this in their own way."

The Hokage took a few puffs from his pipe, betraying the annoyance he felt at that declaration.

"Mizuki might not be the only one," he turned to Shikaku, who nodded in agreement.

"Even as we speak, everyone at the Academy; from faculty to staff, is being taken into custody and will be transferred to T for further questioning. Umino Iruka has been exempted, being your designated operative Lord Hokage."

The village leader nodded back, his wizened eyes scouring over the clan heads present. "Regular classes are to be suspended. Until then, a proctor personally vetted by me and Shikaku will hold remedial exams to evaluate each and every student individually, one by one. No one but the proctor, myself and Shikaku is to be present for this to take place. Under no circumstances is anyone else, other than the examinee, allowed. Is that understood?"

The tone he used brokered for absolutely zero argument, save for one Akimichi Choza; who his son shared a passing resemblance to save for the red hairpiece that he adorned, stepped forward with a bow to speak up.

"Will this process not take too long given the number of students involved?"

"Only third and fourth years, Choza," Shikaku clarified for his friend. "By then, we'll have corrected this matter in time so that the first and second years will be just fine. At the most, we'll be done within two and a half months. Those who manage to pass the evaluation will be allowed to resume their schooling under an instructor that's also been vetted. Those who don't will be put under probationary classes, and if they fail that, will have to repeat another year."

The proposal was a sound one, and the Akimichi head could agree with it.

"What about Mizuki?" asked another man with spiky blonde hair done in a long ponytail, wearing a red haori over his Jōnin flak jacket, arms folded over his chest. "I'm practically dying to know what prompted him to be so bold as to pull this off."

"He likely has a benefactor or benefactors, probably several if the evidence is anything to go by," Shikaku informed the assembly. "He's been in contact with shinobi from Iwa, Kumo, and Suna."

The last one caught all of their attention. "Sunagakure is an ally of ours, is it not?" Choza wondered aloud.

Hiruzen closed his eyes, "Alliances can be fickle. Although, I'm counting on the hope these are merely rogue factions. We cannot afford to start anything with Suna. Nothing good will come of it since within this year's time, the Chūnin Exams will be held here in our village, with their crop of shinobi participating."

"We cannot be certain of that, Hokage-sama," Shikaku objected. "We have been receiving reports from our spies stationed there of suspicious activities lately."

It went unspoken that tensions between the two villages had been rising for years now. The Wind Daimyō outsourcing missions to Konoha that took a toll on Suna's income had not boded well for relations between the two villages, either.

"What? Are they mobilizing? Planning to turn on us?" Tsume hypothesized.

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Hiruzen lightly admonished. "Yet" being the operative word, meaning they couldn't outright dismiss it.

"After the last stunt Kumo pulled with the Hyūga, do they expect us to offer another sacrifice?" the head of the Aburame clan mumbled, though everyone in the room heard him clearly, his sunglasses reflecting the outwardly calm Hokage.

That particular incident still left a sore spot within their ranks, having occurred not long after the Uchiha Massacre. As shameless as it was, they didn't exactly have room to point fingers if they were given the chance to do the same.

It was how Kumo chose to save face that irked them.

"Until they make a move, Kumo is to be left alone, Shibi," Sarutobi motioned. "They've had their fill with war, just like Iwa. We cannot engage them under suspicion alone. They'll be looking for any excuse, any provocation."

Shibi nodded, inwardly agitated by this turn of events concerning his son's progress. Though he was confident that Shino was hardly affected, the thought that someone under their noses had done this for what could be speculated to have been a few years without getting caught vexed him. He was going to call in his younger clansmen who had ever been in contact with Mizuki for a meeting first thing after this one.

The other clan heads were set on doing the same. This could not be ignored for the sake of Konoha's military strength. It was an unprecedented scandal.

"Shinobi are already stationed at every section of the border that Mizuki could escape through," Shikaku returned to the matter at hand. "We cannot; must not, let him run loose with the information he has at his disposal."

"There's a possibility that he'll lay low for a while," the blonde theorized. "My men and I found two instructors earlier who were in cahoots with Mizuki and covering for him. According to what we could fish out of them, he has several safe houses scattered across Fire Country. The man was ready for anything amiss to happen."

"Is there anything else, Inoichi?" Shikaku prodded, earning a shake of the head from his friend.

"Unfortunately, Mizuki was only paying them to help gather information on our children, and anyone else of interest, to help avoid suspicion," Inoichi answered. "Nothing of actual value was ever made privy to them except for the safe houses in case they ever needed to rendezvous. They're just fall guys."

"Do you think he'll meet up with whoever is backing him?" Shibi wondered aloud.

Hiruzen bit down on the filter of his pipe, a sinking feeling suddenly overcoming his stomach.

Could it be…? "No. With our shinobi scouring all over Fire Country, that possibility at present is minute. A window of time will be required for him to come into contact with them without any risk to either their safety or whereabouts. Mobilize every man to not leave a single stone unturned."

A cold silence descended upon the room over the Hokage's phrasing of the order, gaining an idea as to who Mizuki might be working for.

"You are all dismissed."

The heads all vanished using Shunshin (Body Flicker Technique), leaving their leader alone in his office with ANBU stationed nearby.

"Dog."

One of them immediately appeared behind his seat in a puff of smoke, on one knee. He wore the distinct white and red mask patterned after the animal of his codename.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Have you checked on Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes," Dog replied. "Uzumaki Naruto is safe within his own domicile. I have assigned two ANBU to guard him."

"Good," Hiruzen acknowledged. "Have it be that Uzumaki Naruto is watched at all times until this matter is resolved, which might take several months given the scale of Mizuki's crimes."

"Understood," Dog agreed, vanishing in the same manner as he had appeared.

Hiruzen leaned back in his seat to relax the tension in his muscles.

"You continue to be a nuisance, my old pupil."

---

Elsewhere…

Mizuki grinned as he watched ANBU members ghost past a few miles away from his hiding spot in a canyon, the plan having gone flawlessly.

He was tempted to chuckle at his great escape, but thought better of it with all the heat that was tailing him, his binoculars giving him good recon from his vantage point.

"Orochimaru-sama called it right. If I'd waited longer, I would have been a goner."

It was fairly simple to use clones as decoys to wander around strategic sections of the village, acting natural, and packing what he needed beforehand to prepare. Months of timing the guards, the routes he had to take, and where he could hole out until he was in the clear had served him well. If he wasn't a Chūnin, he'd make a damn fine Jōnin for his ingenuity alone.

Too bad he couldn't bring all of his hard-earned contraband. No, he couldn't have the records he held containing the information on the Hyūga and Uchiha heirs on his person at present. He didn't want to risk it in case he was captured. The information within those scrolls was worth their weight in gold. Therefore, he hid them where no one would ever think to search back in Konoha. A place that he was going to return to, with one final stop to procure something else of value. After that, any and all ties he had with the village will be all but severed.

Did he care? Pff! Konoha had made far too many enemies, and it was only a matter of time before they got what was coming to them. A little surprise the traitorous snake had for his old mentor. He'd rather stand with the strongest and join their ranks as their equal than stew for the rest of his life in a dead end job holding the hands of wet-behind-the-ears brats that wouldn't amount to anything unless they belonged to a prominent clan.

Honor? Village pride? Loyalty? Laughable concepts to him now. Money and power were all that was ever true, ever genuine in this world. Orochimaru had inspired him to finally take his chance and tread down this path.

"Mizuki," he heard his name called in an authoritative tone. "Come out and surrender now. We won't ask again."

Damn. Oh, well. Better see what he was dealing with.

He shifted from his crouched position to exit the deep crevice of the canyon, being greeted by the bright moonlight, and three ANBU looming over him.

He held his arms up once he got to his feet, taking two cautious steps back, his right hand still holding the binoculars. "Guess you guys get a gold star. The Hokage will reward you handsomely for apprehending me, the Great Mizuki."

The ANBU stood unnervingly still on a small boulder formation a good seven feet apart from their target, refusing to entertain him. "Hand over everything you have. Weapons, scrolls. All of it. Now," they said in unison.

Mizuki couldn't help but quirk a brow - this was unusual. Standard procedure was to bring him in dead or alive. Preferably dead, but being alive still had its perks in the Department.

Each of the masked operatives drew out their kunai, ready to attack him if he delayed any longer. Then it dawned on him who these three might be.

"You're all Hyūgas," he deduced, a grin painting itself on his lips. One of them twitched ever so slightly to confirm said deduction, with Mizuki having become intuitive enough to notice it. Like a hunter would prey. Of course they found him faster than the others.

"I take it you lot aren't under direct orders from the Hokage, then?" the former teacher guessed snidely.

"If you do not comply immediately, then we will resort to drastic action," the lead ANBU reiterated, the threat behind his voice rising, which only gave the chūnin the confirmation he needed.

Mizuki rolled his eyes, "Oh, spare me the threats. You're ANBU, aren't you? Stop wasting mine and everyone else's time and just 'kriiik' - get it over with." He made a motion with his thumb across his neck.

The trio of ANBU exchanged looks, confused as to how Mizuki, a mere chūnin, could be staring them down with such bravado. Something wasn't right.

Was this another decoy? Unlikely, since he shouldn't have sufficient chakra for another Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) based on how long it had passed since they found two that were misleading the party they broke away from, and they'd easily tell if he was a clone. Did he have accomplices nearby? If he did have others on standby, they would have already been spotted by their Byakugan (White Eye). Mizuki was alone, and they made sure of that before engaging.

The second from the left stepped forward, whispering something to their leader. Immediately, their demeanor shifted, the three ANBU staring at the rogue shinobi, as if more closely.

Mizuki's grin only seemed to widen as they visibly became more guarded.

Like that of a tiger's.

Sure, this was going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow from the severe chakra exhaustion, but no better moment to test it out than on a couple of pompous elites.

Incendiary markings began to crawl all over his skin, morphing into an ominous pitch-black, taking the shape of sharp stripes, which was the least of what the ANBU witnessed in their final moments before being found in varying states of mutilation.

---

Two days later…

To say that Naruto was flummoxed upon going to school and being informed of the most exciting news he had heard in a while during an emergency general assembly would be understating the sheer drop of his stomach as he listened in on the absolute death sentence of his plans and dreams.

The good news? Mizuki was now a fugitive. A Nuke-nin (Missing Nin). For months now, the authorities had been conducting a secret investigation into discrepancies within the curriculum ever since a few students came forward to both faculty and parents. Claims that what they were learning differed from others, being told to create their own variations of standard combat techniques both armed and unarmed, numerous forged textbooks and scrolls with omitted details about shinobi history, and written tests being graded incorrectly, etc. Minor issues that could be resolved or ignored until more and more had popped up that they could no longer be considered simple errors.

It was because of the assumption that the standards were high that misgivings were suppressed.

When all of the students had left, he remained standing like a statue in the middle of the field, his jaw hanging and his expression devoid of life.

"...re-re-re-rep-repe-repea-repeaaaaaaa…" the neurons in his head were sent into shock when he picked up the words "probationary", "evaluation", and "repeat another year".

He looked as though he were about to collapse at any moment; the blistering heat of the sun beating down on him barely registering in his mind as the thought of dropping out made him practically catatonic. He had thought this would be his year, his chance.

His normally tanned complexion turned pale as that chance was dashed, just as mercilessly as he would polish off a bowl of his favorite ramen.

"I'm done, finished," he said as his eyes rolled back in his head, his soul leaving his body.

"So, gonna take up my offer, or what?"

Naruto slowly turned his head to find Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji together, staring at him, his cotton-stuffed mouth struggling to form words.

"G-Give me a minute," the blonde wanted to faint. "Just contemplating my future, living out my life as a wandering vagabond."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "I can see it, but only if you let it get you down. This isn't a chance that you should squander, Naruto. You're not going to get it again."

Naruto blinked, turning fully towards the trio. "Why do you even want to help me?"

Shikamaru shrugged and replied, "I have nothing better to do. Do I really need a grand reason to help you?"

Naruto hesitated. "It's just… Helping people for no reason hasn't always worked out for me." The few times he willingly wanted to help for no other reason than simple altruism always ended up with him being treated as he expected most would treat him back.

"Cut the 'woe is me' attitude and get with the program," Shikamaru narrowed his gaze at the other boy. "Do you want me to pat you on the back and tell you it's going to be okay? I'm not a counselor, a social worker or Hokage. I'm your classmate who's willing to waste my valuable time so that the next time I see you, you're not picking off leftover ramen noodles from the trash."

That image honestly made Naruto's skin crawl. "Fine, I get it," he said as he scratched at his head with both hands, swallowing his pride. "Alright! I'll take you up on it, Shikamaru. I need your help."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Save it," the lazy boy waved off the gratitude. "First thing tomorrow morning, you and I are gonna hit the books, and then we're gonna hit each other in a spar. Don't be late."

Naruto agreed, and then a thought occurred to him, prompting him to ask sheepishly, "Wait, how exactly is the evaluation going to work again?" He had kind of blurred everything else out after first hearing about it.

Fully expecting this, Shikamaru didn't miss a beat in explaining it to him, and provided a slip of paper scheduling each of the students their respective dates. Luckily for him, he was the very last one on the list. Never had he been so glad at being last at anything. Two whole months of preparation.

"You got all that?"

"Yes," Naruto replied, nodding his head in agreement.

"Good. First thing tomorrow morning at 7, you come to my place. Bring everything you need - books, scrolls, weapons. Don't worry if you're missing anything because I'll have it. Ask me if you want to borrow something to review at home, but I'll expect it back, preferably not soaked in ramen broth."

To Naruto's rising bewilderment, this was too good to be true. Shikamaru; the laziest kid in their class, going out of his way to help him. Hell, it was too good to be true.

The question that plagued him at that moment was, why? He couldn't exactly call him a friend. Sure, back when they were younger, he, Chōji, and Kiba would play at the park, but it became clear after he got older that this was only because they needed an extra playmate. Other children were discouraged from ever interacting with him.

In the following years, they grew somewhat distant. Kiba would annoy him along with that dog of his who saw him as a living chew toy. Shikamaru and Chōji, while not as abrasive, couldn't exactly claim to be that close with him. Ino often regarded him as one would a bug, like what she was doing now.

He was entirely thrown out of his comfort zone.

"You know, if you had applied yourself a lot earlier, maybe you wouldn't even be in this situation now," the Yamanaka heiress boasted. "Be thankful that Shikamaru volunteered. He may not be impressive in taijutsu, but he isn't behind Sasuke-kun in class for nothing when it comes to academics."

The Nara heir glared at her, mirroring Naruto's, "You really know how to put people on the spot, don't you?"

Naruto clicked his tongue at the mention of his one-sided rival, "I'll take my chances with Shikamaru. At least he's tolerable to be around, and doesn't tell everyone who so much as looks in his direction to fuck off."

He didn't say out loud how that sentiment especially applied to Sasuke's fangirls, of which Ino proudly counted herself as one.

She nonetheless got the message, swinging her balled fists down. "Oh, you'd just love that kind of attention, wouldn't you?"

The three boys collectively answered with a resounding "no," not wanting anything to do with hysterical girls who would drop their interest if someone cooler, richer, and more handsome than Sasuke suddenly dropped in out of the blue.

Ino sweat-dropped at her two friends. "You guys, too?"

Chōji replied without hesitation, "Ino, if I had to choose between good food and the attention of girls, I'd choose the obvious. I can't get full from attention."

"Ha! You wouldn't be able to snag a girl who would tolerate your eating habits anyway," she spat back at him.

Chōji shrugged, "Works for me." Who knows, maybe he'll find a woman after his own heart one day, but until then, he'll keep pursuing the beauty of a delicious meal.

"Remember, be there at seven o'clock sharp," Naruto nodded at Shikamaru's reminder.

In the distance, Iruka smiled at the four students, passing them a glance while on his way to sort out the paperwork needed to prepare for the coming evaluation. He had thought to approach Naruto again with the offer of helping him, nearly thinking it asinine due to being chosen as the proctor by the Hokage himself. He was still reeling from Mizuki's betrayal, having known the man for years as both a friend and colleague. A point of view he'd stuck through thick and thin had he not started to notice strange occurrences in the Academy in the last few years since being newly minted as chūnin, as he was the one to first approach the Hokage to break his concerns over the possibility of there being a spy or saboteur, never for the life of him suspecting it to be his fellow teachers.

Months of investigation, however, uncovered several clues centered around three instructors whose names kept coming up whenever a student approached him. His naturally friendly demeanor encouraged students to tell him if they had any problems. Without even asking, he allowed them to elaborate on why they were experiencing difficulties, missing aspects of the lessons that should have been there, or flaws in their skills after three to four years of being drilled.

Mizuki was rarely mentioned in comparison to the other two, which hinted at his being at the very heart of this conspiracy.

His strongest evidence were the textbooks and scrolls he procured from these very students which were revealed to be well-made forgeries. All learning materials were approved by a Tokubetsu Jōnin, ensuring that counterfeits were discarded even if they were exact copies, word for word. Unless officially greenlit, fakes were to be submitted to the authorities for inspection and eventual disposal.

Had it not been for Naruto's near completion of his investigation, who knows what the extent of damage they could have wrought had Mizuki and his cronies continued their activities unimpeded.

"He can do it. They all can."

---

Later…

Naruto took the path to his apartment building after breaking away from school, needing some time to himself and preparing for the tutoring session. He wasn't going to mess this up. Far too many mistakes had dragged him down, and he was determined not to let this opportunity pass by without making the most of it.

Ahead, he could see the slum area, accustomed to the smells of garbage and sewage that surrounded him on the familiar street. For as long as he could remember, this had been his home, but not always alone. After all, how could an infant, let alone a toddler, orphaned at birth, be expected to care for themselves?

The last caretaker assigned by the Hokage no longer needed to visit once he turned seven years old. He was taught to be self-reliant, able to take care of himself with basic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. The work was arduous, with all of his caretakers treating him with the bare minimum of civility. They were detached, yet efficient. They wore civilian clothing, but a small voice in the back of his mind told him that they were shinobi.

He had been taught enough to get by, and that was all there was to it. No more, no less. Did he feel any attachment to them? Despite being at that age, his childlike instincts failed to recognize them as family. They were little more than strangers who checked up on him with basic care, a steady hand of discipline, and instructions left behind to stay in his apartment unless he was allowed to wander for some sun and fresh air.

On that note, while he could never see them, he somehow felt that there were people watching him. Was it like that for all orphans? Was he a special case? Were they still watching him? The hairs on the back of his neck told him that, yes, he was. By who, he had given up on speculating. Other shinobi for all he cared. Were they the ones subjecting him to these weird genjutsu attacks? Because, if so, then they were getting more creative as a large creature was heading his way at alarming speed.

The thing was brown in color, nearly twice, no, three times his height, and with large sharp teeth that could tear a grown man in two. Its single, yellow and large eye was bearing down on him like a possessed entity as it barreled down the dirt street, nearly running him over had he not dodged to the side quickly by instinct. When he landed on his rear, he witnessed a harrowing sight. The creature's entire body was gigantic, like a giant snake with rows upon rows of bright scales that jetted past him in a blur.

He forced his breathing to slow as the illusion finally faded, just like all the others before it, and brought a hand up to rub at his head, silently thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't landed on a fresh pile of dog feces a foot away from him.

Why? For the past two years, he had kept asking no one in particular why he was being subjected to this. Was it because of his pranking? Misbehavior? Lacking performance? Was this punishment? To be slowly driven mad by these freakish illusions? Intellectually, he knew they were just that.

Intangible.

Unreal.

All in his head.

So…why?

Why did a part of him, deep down, feel like they were all real?

Getting to his feet, he decided that he just needed rest after the panic he felt this morning at the assembly. Stress. That's right. Maybe some cup ramen for a snack would help him feel better. He didn't even need to walk further, as he caught sight of the building he sought out on the street before the genjutsu struck. To his surprise, however, he noticed a figure that he could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago, but who looked like he had been standing there for a while now.

Moving closer allowed him to get a better profile of the man. Tall, lanky, with long blonde hair done in a ponytail with the rest left to hang loose down his shoulders. He wore a blue button-up shirt with yellow flowers all over, but upon closer look, the patterns bore more of a resemblance to a golden sun or four-pointed star. To complete his wardrobe were a pair of white shorts that didn't reach his knees, and simple flip-flops.

He was staring up at the apartment building intently, a large cardboard box in his arms, eyes obscured by a pair of circular sunglasses.

Assuming the man was a new tenant, Naruto decided to ignore him and head towards his apartment. He casually made his way towards the entrance when the man seemed to notice him.

"Hey, kid, you live around here?"

Naruto turned to glance at the man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. "Yeah? Why?"

For a moment, the man balanced the box on his torso and one arm, while the other slipped into his pocket to retrieve a small slip of paper.

"You know somebody named 'Ushizuki Haruto'?"

Naruto froze, then narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Don't you mean Uzumaki Naruto?"

He was fairly certain that no one with such a name lived here.

The man brought the paper closer to better read, his lips breaking into an embarrassed grin, "You're right. My mistake. My eyesight can get misty in this heat. Haha!"

"That's me," Naruto replied, stepping up to the odd man. "What do you want?"

Was this guy a solicitor? He recalled having driven away the last one with a sling loaded with rotten eggs, never to be seen again. The landlord thanked him by deducting half his rent for six whole months.

The man blinked at the blunt inquiry before smiling again. "Oh, I was just wondering if you could help me out, kid. My name's Tsubasa," he said, introducing himself. "I'm from a computer hardware company - well - defunct now. We, uh, went bankrupt. Funny story, but ultimately unimportant. I've been meaning to find someone who I can give this to." He motioned his head down at the box.

"What is it?"

Naruto had an idea what the man was talking about, since he came across one in Konoha years ago that developed those new fangled computers. Crazy expensive, but based on what he heard from some of his classmates bragging that they bought one, they were incredibly useful when it came to studying and storing data, but the feature that caught the most interest was being able to play games. The model he first saw was of an older version in a store window that was big and bulky, with a television-like screen and other accessories he couldn't be bothered to name.

Soon enough, newer, fancier models called "laptops" that were smaller, flatter, and could be folded shut for convenient storage were introduced into the market. One boy in school, Atsushi, brought one to class months prior and it blew most of them away. The novelty wore off not long after, but still.

Like any kid, he was fascinated with what such technology could do on a personal level, wanting to know what the big deal was. It looked and sounded cool, but it was well beyond his budget from the monthly stipend he received until he graduated. Plus, when he asked his landlord if he was allowed to have one, the man told him in no uncertain terms that it would be murder on his electric bill.

The odd man in front of him didn't say anything else as he gingerly placed the large box on the ground. He flipped the lid open and revealed a large wad of bubble wrap cocooning what could only be, to his guess, a computer.

"Today's your lucky day, kid," he announced, giving the young Uzumaki a hint that he was being pitched. "This just so happens to be the last model we worked on prior to our operations being halted. The latest in computer technology for this generation."

A flier and instruction manual were pulled out. Naruto ignored the manual and went straight to read the ad in large, stylized letters.

THE PEAR XD

Enjoy power and performance at the tip of your fingers!

Tsubasa started, chest puffed out and hands on his hips. "Well? What do you think?"

"I think you're just dumping your leftover junk to me."

Tsubasa tumbled forward comically from the comment.

"Kid, I assure you, you don't know what you're missing out on with this," Tsubasa clasped his palms together anxiously, his grin getting a little too worried and desperate.

The model is state-of-the-art. Its looks may be nothing to boast about, I'll admit, but that's a pale compensation for its performance. Specifications include, but are not limited to, 67 gigabytes of RAM, a 500 MHz processor, and last, but certainly not least, 2 gigabytes of storage. It is the ultimate PC experience at home! PC stands for "Personal Computer", by the way.

"I have absolutely no problem right now freely admitting that I completely have no idea what any of that means," Naruto deadpanned.

"Just, try it out-"

"Goodbye."

"WAIT!"

On the verge of climbing up the entrance stairs, Naruto was barred by Tsubasa frantically overtaking him and falling to his knees in prostration, "Oh please, please, please don't push me away! I have no one else to turn to, Gakuto!"

"It's Naruto," the boy gritted out. "And, what do you mean?"

The now sobbing man had snot rolling down his chin, bawling as he begged pathetically, "The company I founded, PEAR Inc., went bankrupt. I'm…I'm flat broke. All I have left to my name are the clothes on my back and this last model that I wasn't able to complete in time to return what it cost us. This is my pride and joy, and I-I can't just throw it away. Not after all the blood, sweat and tears I've poured into the project. I just can't! Everyone else has turned their backs on me. Friends, family, ex-girlfriend! I'm all alone!"

Naruto brought a hand up to shield himself from the snot that was flying his way, the man defying his personal boundaries as he started clawing at his jacket.

"GET OFF!" Naruto protested, trying to pry the distressed man's fingers off him, but the grip that held onto the fabric was firm, and only relinquished with a kick that launched the creep away to land in a heap.

The young Uzumaki growled, staring the creep down as he collected his bearings, "Look, I think you've come to the wrong guy. How am I even supposed to help you? I don't know a damn thing about computers."

"Oh, not a problem," the man intoned jovially as he recoiled, an angry red footprint visible on his face, traces of his sobbing gone. "I'll show you. I designed it to be so user-friendly that even a five-year-old can learn how to use it in no time."

Naruto sweat-dropped, but reluctantly agreed and led the man to his room with exasperation.

"Again, how exactly am I supposed to help you?" he asked once more as Tsubasa continued to sift through the equipment scattered across his apartment floor after helping him pull it out of the box. "And also, why me in the first place?"

"Oh," Tsubasa chuckled, "that's a funny story, too. I was going around Konoha crying - I mean pouring my heart out to the good citizens to see if any of them would be kind enough to help me. One name kept coming up who they said could do just that. So, I was given your address. How very generous."

Naruto just stared at him. "You're not originally from around here, are you?" he thought to himself. At that very moment, he wanted nothing more than to slam his head against the Hokage Monument. Hard. Over and over again.

"Nope," Tsubasa confirmed, connecting some wires to a black metal box. "I came here in hopes of making my fortune. Do you have any idea how rich a Hidden Village like Konoha is?"

"Not really, no."

"Wealthier than the other Great Four, let me tell ya," Tsubasa deftly picked up the keyboard in a smooth motion and plugged it into the back of the box, knowing exactly what he was doing as Naruto watched him work.

"So?"

"So, I thought I could make it big here." He fished the monitor out next, and much to Naruto's surprise, it wasn't bulky like the older models he was used to seeing. It seemed flatter, black in color, and had a wide brimmed stand at the bottom. "And, for a while, the business went smoothly after we released our own flagship, the PEAR 1."

Tsubasa paused, nursing a wistful smile, "But, ever since our rival company, Doors, put out their own flagship laptop, we fell behind. Big time. I guess people in a ninja village like space savers more, and the laptop provided just that."

Naruto watched as the man's shoulders briefly slumped. "Well, that's just business. Can't be helped. There are winners and losers in everything."

"Yeah," the boy agreed softly. "So, why me?"

Tsubasa trembled in eagerness to explain, "Now, this might come off as a long-shot, Kakuto-"

"Naruto!"

"-right, sorry, but the way I see it, I need a beta tester-"

"A what?"

"That's a term we use in the business to refer to someone who tests out our products in hardware, software, and any feedback we elicit from them is used to help make the necessary changes to improve on that product."

Naruto picked at his nose as he waited patiently for the assembly to end. "What's your point?" he asked impatiently.

"Hiruto-"

"Naruto!"

"Sorry. Would you mind trying my creation out for a while?"

"And?"

"And, when I come back, tell me how you liked it."

Naruto blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. "That's it?"

The older blonde confirmed with a friendly smile, "That's it." The lad wasn't used to such friendliness from someone of his stature. Didn't this guy know who he was?

Perhaps that was for the best. At least he was getting a free computer out of it. Provided the thing worked, and this wasn't just some trick to give him plain junk.

"Am I gonna get paid for this?"

Hey, if he was gonna be doing this guy a solid, he might as well take something worthwhile out of it.

Rather than how he expected the man to react, Tsubasa's friendly smile turned shady, reaching his eyes as he wrung his hands together. "Kid, if we play our cards right, we're gonna be swimming in ryō by the end of this year alone. Trust me."

No. No, Naruto couldn't rightly do that. Common sense told him that distrust was to be bestowed upon this man.

Yet, looking at the pros, he was feeling the free computer. Screw what his landlord said about the electric bill. It's not like he was going to have to use it all the time. Maybe; no, he'll definitely invite Shikamaru and Chōji to check it out. Cool kid status, here he comes!

"Now, for a test run."

Turning the power on, Naruto was beside himself with anticipation. The screen lit up, remaining dim for a few seconds until the logo appeared; a small white pear with a chunk eaten out of it. About a minute of loading later, the desktop blinked into view. Naruto rubbed at his eyes, as right before that, however brief of a second it was, he caught the silhouette of something.

"Behold!" Tsubasa announced grandly before he could ask what it was. "The future!"

The so-called future was a screen with only one folder icon. The background left much to be desired – white, with a yellow circle at the very center that had eight pointed protrusions fanning out. Overall, the future looked pretty bleak, and Naruto mirrored that sentiment by the way he was glaring at the beaming man.

"This is…it?"

"Yep, this is it," Tsubasa boasted confidently.

The young shinobi-in-training carefully shuffled towards the computer, kneeling down to closely examine the screen, becoming entranced by the circle for an instant, before bringing his attention back down to the keyboard in no small amount of puzzlement.

"What am I supposed to do now?

"Move the cursor," Tsubasa instructed, pointing towards the mouse.

"The what?"

Tsubasa sheepishly rubbed his scalp, "Oh, right. You're not familiar with this. Well, I can fix that."

And, so, the disgraced developer spent the better part of two hours explaining, teaching and guiding the lad through the basics, and, impressively for the young Uzumaki, he nailed much of the essentials, subsequently lending credence to the claim that even a toddler could manage it. Much to the boy's chagrin.

Tsubasa also explained to him that he would need to replace some parts if they ever became old or worn out from overuse, but was assured by the man that, one way or another, he would be able to drum up the capital to build those parts since they were handmade and the only ones of their kind.

"Well, I guess that's a wrap," Tsubasa declared, about ready to leave. "Remember, Makoto-"

"For the last time," the young Uzumaki fumed, "my name is Naruto. Na-Ru-To!"

"Oh, right, sorry," Tsubasa said, holding his hands up in a calming manner. "Now, don't forget to clean it from time to time. You can use an unused paintbrush since dust tends to get stuck between the keys. Make sure to never get any of the components wet. Any and all moisture is a big no-no. Other than that, you're all set."

"Thanks, I guess," Naruto shrugged, satisfied that the machine was not a dud.

"Well, this is where I take my leave," Tsubasa turned towards the door, a lingering glance on the boy. "You can keep the box in case you need the extra storage. I'm sure you'll figure everything else out on your own. See 'ya around, Boruto."

"FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, IT'S NARUTO! QUIT FORGETTING MY NAME, YOU WEIRD OLD MAN!" The now enraged boy scrunched his face, "AND WHAT THE HELL KIND OF DINKY ASS NAME IS 'BORUTO'?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Tsubasa stopped to pat his pockets, fishing out a device before lodging it forward for the young man to swipe in contempt. "I can't believe I forgot to do this. Kid, when you use the computer, be sure to bring up the 'Drive' on the screen."

Naruto examined the rectangular hunk of plastic. It was about the size of his hand, white in color, and had a dot at the upper corner. It didn't seem to have any other distinct features.

"It's an experiment for wireless connection," the developer explained. "There's a component built into the CPU and that little baby you're holding right there. The dot will light up as a reaction once it manages to detect the other nearby. Once that happens, a window will pop up on the screen and ask you to connect both to one another. It's just to test whether bridging them will work. You won't even need a wire. Once that's done, you'll be able to store files into it for safekeeping in case something happens to the hard drive."

"Wireless?"

"Yep," Tsubasa affirmed. "It was supposed to be the main selling point of the PEAR XD, to push past the limits of wireless communication, not only being able to share calls, but also other pieces of information anytime, anywhere. Maybe even globally."

"Really?" Naruto asked, raising one eyebrow as he turned the device over in his hand.

"Yeah," Tsubasa nodded. "You have to think ahead, kid. Nothing stays the same forever. Sooner or later, technology will advance. It always does. That's why the business is so cutthroat. If you don't have skin in the game, you'll never get ahead."

Naruto asked curiously, "How advanced are we talking about here?"

Tsubasa shrugged his shoulders, "The sky's the limit. Who knows? Maybe we'll have self-driving vehicles and smaller computers you can fit in the palm of your hand. Until then, dream the dream. Never stop moving forward. Humanity didn't come this far as a species by sitting down. Then again, if you know your history, kid, maybe some things could have been different if they did it every once in a while. Cooler heads prevail, I always say."

"You do?"

"No, not really," Tsubasa smiled bashfully. "Well, thank you very much for your time, Waldo."

Naruto started again to correct him, but deflated in surrender, "Forget it. See you around."

He hoped that it wouldn't be too soon.

Tsubasa returned to the dirt streetway after exiting the apartment building, hands sunk into his pockets. Night had long since fallen as he spared one final glance at the apartment he had just left, a serene twinkle in his eye coupled with a grin that almost seemed nostalgic.

"Uzumaki… Naruto," he tried the name with the clicking of his tongue against his teeth. "Nice name. Miss your old one. You may look different, but I still recognize you. Just wish you could have been the same, but I suppose that's already asking for too much. Still, glad you made it. The others are here, too. Not all of them, but you'll all be together again in time."

"The hour approaches."

He snapped his fingers once he was out of view, returning the stationed ANBU to their proper senses, having only witnessed Naruto entering the building by himself as soon as he arrived as opposed to the interaction that had actually occurred.

---

Later…

Naruto yawned as he trailed the cursor dancing across the monitor, clicking through folders and programs for the past 40 minutes since Tsubasa left, the time on the clock reading a quarter to nine. He had changed into his pajamas shortly after. The excitement of having a new computer had become supplanted with curious wonder of what it had to offer. Other than some tools he could use to help him study, nothing of keen interest came up.

Like games.

He was imparted with the knowledge on how to install additional programs, but that did little to alleviate his obstacle of having to buy those programs with money. Apart from a simple puzzle game and something called "Solitaire", he couldn't find anything better.

He came across an icon under a few layers of folders. Curiously, it had the appearance of a blue letter 'F', shaped irregularly with sharp edges. He created a shortcut on the desktop and hovered the cursor over it to read what kind of program it was.

"Digimon…Frontier?"

Maybe a game? He double-clicked it to open and see what it was, but was met with a pop-up message.

D-SCANNER REQUIRED

"Hm? What on earth is a D-Scanner?"

He lazily rested his head on his arm and glanced at the clock in the bottom right corner of the computer screen once more; it was 9:12.

He remembered that he needed to be at Shikamaru's by 7 the following morning. He belted out another yawn as he did a stretch, ready for bed. Whatever this program was, he figured it could wait.

Unbeknownst to the drowsy boy, the dot on the device that Tsubasa had given him blinked a green light after he tried opening the program. He had plopped the hunk of plastic atop the CPU to follow up on what he was told at some other date.

He went through the motions of shutting it down and then headed for his room.

He flipped off the lights before falling into bed and slipping into a dreamless sleep, the crescent moon watching over him through his window.

In the living room at around midnight, the computer, unplugged and dead in the darkness, lit up. An unknown symbol blipped in and out of view, surrounded by static.

Accompanied by a sound.

L̵̢͍̩̬̣̤͓̪͈͉̾̓̅̀̅̿̃̅̄͛̕̕͝͝ͅe̷͎͐̊͊͆͆͑͑̎͑́̿̆̃̋̕g̵͎̰͉̮̖̮̟̜̜̟̞̺̜̳̀̄̈̀͌́̓̇͒͌̏͌͝è̴̡̨͖͓̬̫̮̮̥̣̈͜n̵̰̮͚̝̺͔̟̰̬͌̏̃̓̊̿̔͛̔͒ḑ̸̡̗̼̣͉̺͓̟͎̰͈͚͛̀̈͜͝â̶̢̛̤͔͓̙̜̬̺̩͎̰̌̾́̓̍͌́͆ͅr̸̛̬̖͍̹̦͔̤̩̖̰̥͎̞̘͆̿̃̇͂̒̿́̾͌͠͝͝y̴̩̤̹͕̺̎̇͊̍̉͐͌͊͗͘ ̷͓͕̈́̔͋̔́C̸͚͓̔͛̃͌͋̃͛̽̓̕͠ḩ̴͖͇̮͕͖͚̟̹͙̮͔͉͕̔͗̊͒͋͘ơ̶̢̭̞̩̻͎̫̫̻͍̜͓͛̐̇̔̾͊̉́̕ṣ̸͈̩̟̳̮̣̤̯͔̖̬̾̉̐͋̉̈́͜ę̵̲͎̤̮̦͒̀́̓ń̸̦̮̣̲̎͊̓̾̏̔ͅ…

---

To anyone wondering why this story was reposted under a new account, I wish it hadn't happened. A few days after I posted my latest chapter, I discovered that I was logged out of the FF app. Next thing I knew, I couldn't log on to either the app or the browser at all. Needless to say, I went on looking for my account and found it still had my username, but only for a day longer. My original story was then deleted, as well as all of my progress.

I had to start over from scratch. I looked for a new email (last time I'll ever use Google), and I ended up signing in a new account and worked to get everything back to the way it was after the waiting period was over. I don't want to bother with what hell broke loose during that entire time. Whatever happened, happened, and the responsibility for securing my account ultimately falls to me. Get a good password, update it regularly, and don't get too cordial with just anyone lest you know them very well. During that time, I went to work in rewriting and editing my work because, yeah…I was a lot clumsier back when I started months ago. Hopefully, I cut back on most of the bloat and corrected certain errors.