SHINOBI: The RPG - New Game

[GamertagzFTW]

*Sudden mob of Shinobi the RPG addicts appear*
Chapters!!! Or we'll shitpost this thread!
Yeah we'll do it! I need my Fix!
*Mod appears*
Agh it's a mod! Run! This isn't right guys this is mod abuse! We just wanted chapters...

Lol

Click to shrink...

Yeah, one of the reasons I never really got into writing much, in addition to my ADD.

 

[Galacticplumber]

Yeah, one of the reasons I never really got into writing much, in addition to my ADD.

Click to shrink...

If I ever got into it, I'd be sure to do it on a forum with an ignore function, and be free with it. Then if the audience that isn't blocked starts complaining about a spammer or something equally annoying on the blocked list report. Why? Writing would be a leisure activity, and as such has a right to be done without putting up with spam, hate, or whatever other annoyances you go to leisure to escape.

 

[Anthony1967]

If I ever got into it, I'd be sure to do it on a forum with an ignore function, and be free with it. Then if the audience that isn't blocked starts complaining about a spammer or something equally annoying on the blocked list report. Why? Writing would be a leisure activity, and as such has a right to be done without putting up with spam, hate, or whatever other annoyances you go to leisure to escape.

Click to shrink...

This is sadly too true, I have seen many a great story die by the hands of one unhappy troll creating a huge fuss.

Here's how it usually goes:
Person finds something they dislike about the story and keep harping on about it for many chapters
Author tries to defend themselves
Person keeps arguing and everyone else tells them to shut up
Author is fed up with this argument and now ignores them but finds that they are too troubled and angry over the argument to write right now
Author remembers the argument every time they try to write the story and drop it

 

[Galacticplumber]

So... I've been racking my brain to come up with what hobbies a less mission/training obsessed Daisuke would fill his free time with, and I think I've got something. Foodie. Consider that his initial sealing experiment was making chocolate milk, that in the old draft one of his just for fun actions was bringing pineapple into existence, and that Konoha has access to some of the most diverse and plentiful food resources of the elemental nations.

Most importantly though, it creates a jumping off point for the audience to create food omakes that can easily be made canon at any time, boosting the mood of the thread, and introducing people to stuff they may not have tried. Observe.
-

Croque Madame

The hardest ingredient to find was the Gruyere cheese, but Konoha's market was thankfully up to the task.

Preparations began with a simple bechamel, white gravy, with just a little salt, and a LOT of pepper. This was followed by grating a truly hilarious amount of gruyere cheese. From there it was on to construction in a nice hot skillet.

Simply butter and toast up a couple slices of a nice thick, crusty loaf of bread. First layer of the sandwhich was a generous coating of bechamel. Second was a the first pile of gruyere set to melt. Third was a healthy serving of sliced ham. Fourth was the second pile of gruyere. Fifth was the other buttery toasted bread with a slathering of the bechamel on both sides, but it still wasn't done.

Sixth was the last pile of Gruyere to melt over it all, and finally seventh was a simple fried egg with a runny yolk to amp the rich savory flavor to the max. A truly powerful breakfast option.
-

Okay that was the first attempt at a food omake. I went for an impersonal writing style, because convincingly conveying the mannerisms of a character you didn't create, and haven't written for is hard. Hopefully it's the start of something beautiful.

 

[Fulcon]

Okay that was the first attempt at a food omake. I went for an impersonal writing style, because convincingly conveying the mannerisms of a character you didn't create, and haven't written for is hard. Hopefully it's the start of something beautiful.

Click to shrink...

Threadmarked.

Also, Foodie!Daisuke confirmed.

I've made dinner for my family twice now and enjoyed it immensely.

 

[Galacticplumber]

Excellent, That means random good food recipes can be posted with a simple in story framing between chapters. Give everyone something to chew on that isn't getting antsy for chapters.

As a nice aside how do you rate the appeal of the recipe? I consider it to be basically the best breakfast sandwich template there is. I say template because there are many variants on the theme. Maybe next time I'll bring in the Americanization of the sandwich.

 

[Azazyel0714]

So what's your people's favorite sandwich mine would have to be a meat ball sub with Monterey Jack cheese spinach leaves cucumber and just a bit of mayo

 

[Galacticplumber]

So what's your people's favorite sandwich mine would have to be a meat ball sub with Monterey Jack cheese spinach leaves cucumber and just a bit of mayo

Click to shrink...

Savory lunch/dinner sandwich? I'm gonna have to go French dip. Lots of thinly sliced slow cooked beef, lots of Swiss cheese, heavy on the garlic and onion, and finally fully submerge the sandwich in the that wonderful meat juice known as au jus before eating with spoon and fork. If you did it right, you won't need or even want a knife. Give in to your animal instincts, and lose yourself in the power of unchecked savory.

 

[Katorishi]

the raikage ham cooked on skillet then put in oven with cheese a torta with mayo make 4 bacon and 2 -3 eggs sunny side up

 

[anirocks]

Fulcon good thing that the story is rewritted. lot of improvements that i can see.just have a question
a)is victor the evil gamer from part one of the original story a thing here or not.cause even though he is rectonned from the original from the rewrite i believe he exists.(p.s.:-i believe the man in green who gives daisuke the special book is victor.)

 

[Fulcon]

a)is victor the evil gamer from part one of the original story a thing here or not.cause even though he is rectonned from the original from the rewrite i believe he exists.(p.s.:-i believe the man in green who gives daisuke the special book is victor.)

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Answers

A: He never stopped being the reason Daisuke is a gamer. B: No, that's Jashin. Jashin wears green. Victor wears a lab coat.

 

[Selias]

Really liking the reboot. It flows a lot better than the original did.

 

[Galacticplumber]

I suppose I did promise that American variant on Croque Madame. Let's do this.

Monte Cristo.

Swiss cheese was easier to find than the last specimen, even if it lacked the name due to that country not existing here.

The setup process was fairly simple, just powderize some sugar, prepare a batter, and heat your frying oil of choice.

The construction of the ham and Swiss that would serve as the core was familiar, if a bit less greedy about adding piles of cheese than last time. Just a slice or two of cheese please. Considering where we're going with this using the last method would lead to INSTANT regret.

Safety measures in place for the good of the people we batter the entire sandwich, deep fry it until just the loveliest shade of golden brown, and sprinkle generously with the powdered sugar while it's still hot.

Serve with a side of favored preserves, jelly, or jam. Raspberry is traditional, but success can be found with most berries, and even a jelly made with oranges that one time. Just so long as it has good notes of tangy sweet and sour.

And if the dear viewer truly must go even further beyond, adding an egg on top just the same as last time is still appreciated for all the same reasons.

Deep frying can be used to improve the flavor of just about anything with proper application. Simple physics. The gravy was sadly a bit unwieldy with the deep frying process, and thus the sweet and sour flavors come to the fore.

 

[Fulcon]

Really liking the reboot. It flows a lot better than the original did.

Click to shrink...

Thanks! Welcome aboard, have a cookie.

I suppose I did promise that American variant on Croque Madame. Let's do this.

Click to shrink...

You're giving me a Binging with Babish type of feel with these. It's kind of cool, but I feel the need to make you work harder for threadmark status.

STATUS REPORT:

I've hit a snag, but I think that's been obvious.

I was planning a scene between Naruto and Daisuke, but there's a problem; they've grown apart. In the previous draft, I was able to patch over them growing apart due to Daisuke's troubles giving him reason to seek Naruto out for advice. Naruto likes being needed and was able to oblige and thus keep their friendship strong. The problem now is that Daisuke doesn't have the problems that kept him down which means he doesn't need Naruto to comfort him. So here, they're growing distant and it's for real.

The problem is that Daisuke is becoming increasingly aware of Naruto's faults; and I don't mean in general, he's become aware of the resentment that's been piling up over the years and Daisuke's trending toward keeping himself away from that since it could only cause problems for his own mental and emotional health.

A big problem is that Naruto doesn't have the motivation to train super hard. In my opinion, he didn't really get that in canon until his stole the scroll and was desperate enough to try anything. Here, he's going to get that around the Fish men arc when he nearly gets eaten by King Angler or something but until then, Naruto's resentment and pride is kind of putting a wall up between them.

Thoughts? Am I missing something obvious?

 

[Azazyel0714]

Could always have daisuke go the blunt route and beat the arrogance out of him that seems to work in shounen worlds

 

[Vrenze]

Beat his ass, claim he is not a ninja of Konoha since his arrogance and self-seclusion on top what the town does to him is totally against the Will of Fire. How can he be a good Hokage if he does not embody the ideals of teamwork, hard work, and frindship. Is the Hokage solely the most powerful ninja? Evil men can be powerful and become leaders of villages, look at all the other villages boiling over with hate and solitude, worthless next to the shining jewel of Konoha. Why? Because konoha ninja embody the Will of Fire and hold each other up. The strong lead and lift the weakER.

Be the monster the village whispers about, prove them right, or be a real konoha ninja and make yourself the ideal.

 

[Fulcon]

The Following is a fan based work of fiction: Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are owned by Shueisha, Viz Entertainment and Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.

* * *
​

Now that my plans were all settled, for the most part, I had some time to kill before I went up to Naruto for With Friends Like These. I had some cash left over so I was hoping I could find some kind of nick-knack like an amulet or something that could boost my stats more. Charisma was always welcome, but something that boosted my Perception wouldn't go amiss.

Getting killed by a sneak attack is probably one of the worst ways to die in all of gaming. Frustrating as dying can possibly get.

So I made my way down to the clothing store. We passed by the armory and that incredibly shiny armor available in the window pulled my attention the entire time I was passing by the window.

Anko was, of course, trailing behind me. It still unnerved me, but I was going to have to get used to it. She had some very good reasons to be back there, after all.

Inside the store, I quickly got over to the clothing section, started digging through the bargain bin.

Sure, none of what was held inside had anything resembling Damage Reduction, but I was looking for miscellaneous stuff anyway.

At the bottom, I found a pair of goggles.

No Damage Reduction, but it had a +2 to perception.

"Nice," I muttered to myself, slipping them onto my forehead.

Immediately, my vision felt like it was wiping away a slight fog over my eyes that I never noticed was there. My ears were filled with pines and needles for a brief moment and my tongue was coated in electricity. Last but most impact, my skin started to crawl. All of this happened at once and was over really quickly, but not before a shiver went through my spine that shook my whole body.

Immediately, Anko's hand on was on my shoulder and she turned me around to look into my eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, actually!" I replied with a grin. "Something just went really right."

"And what was that?" Anko asked, blinking in confusion.

"Eh, maybe I'll tell you later," I answered, shrugging and turning to head to the cashier.

Bought the goggles, took off the price tag and stuffed the receipt in my pocket. If I remember correctly, there was a jewelry store off in the Konoha's town square and if I wanted to find an amulet or something that would be the best place to find one.

I found it, moved inside and immediately got the impression that I was too poor to even know that the store existed. Diamonds and gold everywhere. Still, I got to browsing.

Behind me, I got a glimpse of Anko looking around, her eyes lingering on the display counter filled with diamond rings to the right of the entrance. Engagement and wedding rings. After just a moment she turned back to me and, upon seeing that I was watching, glared. "What, kid?"

Perception Check Success: 5/5.

Charisma Check Success: 6/6.

She was embarrassed at having been caught looking. But... "Don't call me kid."

She took a breath and let out an irritated sigh. "I'm sorry. Is there something wrong, Shimoda-kun?"

"No, I just thought those rings were pretty." And they were! But she's not allowed to call me kid.

"Okay," She replied, looking past me to return to her vigil.

Now, to get back to shopping.

The cool part about all this jewelry is that almost all of it had Charisma Boosts. Sizable charisma boots. That ring over there would be enough to drop my henge with it's +7 bonus. But they were also ludicrously expensive. As in, several S-class missions worth of pay expensive. But there had to be something I could actually afford here.

"Can I help you, sir?" The woman behind the counter was dressed in a beautiful dress kimono.

"No," I replied flatly, watching as my HUD showed me the items on the rack, their stats and their price. Really handy.

"Very good," She replied with a bow. "And you, Madame?"

"No, I'm just with him," Anko replied, sounding annoyed.

"Are you two together?" She asked hesitantly.

"She's my bodyguard," I immediately said to head off any misunderstandings.

I didn't need charisma to remember how annoyed I got at plots that required them.

"Ah, I see," She replied, nodding. "Please don't hesitate to inform me if I could help you with anything."

"I'll be sure to-found it," I said, plucking the amulet off of the display rack.

Unlike most of the product here on sale, it was made entirely out of bronze, from the chain to the amulet itself. As for the centerpiece, it was a small circle barely bigger than my thumb with a blank space for a character. It was easily the cheapest thing in the store, and it was the cheapest by far.

It also offered +1 Charisma.

"That thing?" She asked skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"It's the only thing I can afford right now," I replied wryly.

"Ah, well then, let me ring you up," She said.

"Can I get it engraved?" I asked, wondering if I could increase it's stat value.

"Certainly, I can put a design on the amulet, but I will need to charge a fee. What would you like?"

I cupped my chin in thought. "The Kanji for 'Heaven'."

Because if there's anything that could increase stats, it has to be something cool and dramatic like that, right?

"Of course," The lady behind the counter slowly went through a series of hand signs and placed her hand on the amulet. After several seconds of of chakra throwing sparks into the air as it cut through the metal, it was done.

Sadly, it gained no statistical advantage. But I liked it, so I went through with the purchase anyway.

I left the jewelry store with my amulet in hand and...wait, is this a good idea with Anko standing right there? I mean, she's bound to see something just because she's always around me and, to be frank, it's dumb to think I can pull one over a Jounin with a Sneak of 17. But then, I wasn't arrested or anything on account of my 'Premonitions' so...I think maybe I can get away with a little bit more. I slid the amulet on. Immediately, I could feel the usual shifting of skin tone and vocal cords, as well as my bone structure shifting slightly.

Anko walked out in front of me, her head tilting. "Shimoda-kun, excuse me if I'm overstepping my bounds, but what just happened?"

"Well, I put on an amulet and it made me look better," I replied with a grin, trying to not let it show how my heart stopped.

"I saw that," Anko began, scratching her temple, her eyebrow raising higher with every syllable. "That wasn't your henge getting stronger, either."

"I'm going to be perfectly honest with you," I said leaning forward. "I've got no idea."

Wasn't a lie, either. Just because I know I'm a video game character doesn't mean I understand the scientific quirks of how I operate.

She let go. "Huh. Well, I can see why the Hokage is interested in keeping you safe."

"Yeah," I said, keeping the relief out of my voice.

You know, it just occurred to me that regular S-rank pay is a lot of money to be paying someone for a long term mission, which means that the Hokage's is expecting something bad to happen sooner rather than later.
​

* * *
​

The academy was about to let out for the day, which meant that it was time to go see Naruto.

At the end of every day, I could find him sitting on the swing, sideways, being depressed about his lot in life. Honestly, it was sad...and annoying. The kid had the tools to turn his life around. He had the ability to pass the tests, but he passed with a C. A C! And for some reason he thinks that's good enough. Many people said that he didn't get the right instruction from teachers that ignored him, but he's got Iruka now and he's always had me.

Besides, the main reason the other kids didn't like him was because he talked.

A lot.

All the time.

I mean, the whole reason he pulled pranks on people was so they'd stop ignoring him, but the kids at school ignored him because he'd go on and on about becoming Hokage without backing it up with test scores. I remember the fandom being really, really nice to Naruto, saying that his incredible chakra levels were just too much to handle at such a young age.

I mean, the guy had the chops to master the Rasengan, a jutsu that requires such ridiculous chakra control that I don't believe for a second that he can't do a regular clone.

Even if he had to use an extra set of hands at first.

Naruto's my friend, but he's a blowhard. Sure, he's trying to cover up for feelings of low self worth, but that's what he is. And I'm afraid he'll keep being a blowhard until he gets drenched in the cold water of desperation and the near death experience that is Mizuki and then the follow up with the Land of Waves.

...listen to me complaining. Come on, I told Naruto I don't want the Hokage title, he should've started the exercises or maybe I just need to try a different tact.

Charisma Check Success: 7/6.

Or maybe his pride will only let him accept help from someone that isn't me. If that's the case, then there simply isn't anything I can do. The only person who can convince Naruto he needs to change is Naruto.
...come to think of it, why are Naruto and I still friends?

We don't have any similar interests, pretty sure he still thinks I'm an obstacle to his life's mission and we don't even talk anymore. Screw it, let's see if Naruto and I can rekindle our friendship. If not, well, that's okay. I guess.

Kind of hurts, but it's what happens when people grow apart.

...seriously, he was my only friend for years, this feels kind of like a betrayal. But people grow apart, don't they? It happens. Naruto and I...grew apart. I'm very sad now.

No, no. One more chance.

Quest Updated: With Friends Like These…

Talk with Naruto.

Complete: Meet Naruto At the Swing for Training.

I got to the Academy and saw Naruto on that one swing.

"Hey, Naruto!" I called with a wave.

He perked up and waved back. "Hey, Daisuke!"

As we closed the distance, his eyes narrowed. "Daisuke, you have a stalker."

I chuckled. "Nah. Uzumaki Naruto, this is Mitarashi Anko, my bodyguard."

"Wait, what?" Naruto croaked, looking between us two in shock. "You got assigned a bodyguard?"

"Yeah, apparently, the Hokage doesn't want people just running up to me and trying to kill me in the middle of the day," I said with a shrug. "I have no idea why, it sounds like fun."

"Sounds like that's why," Anko wryly cut in with a smirk. "Nice to meet you, Uzumaki-kun."

"Oh, nice to meet you too," Naruto replied, sounding surprised.

"How was the Academy today?" I asked.

"It was okay," Naruto shrugged. "I'm getting better at the Bunshin, though!"

Charisma Check Success: 7/7.

I blinked.

No, he most certainly was not.

"So you can make a working one?" I asked with what I hoped was a friendly smile.

Naruto got this sheepish look on his face. "N-no, not exactly. But I am getting better at it!"

No, no. I am not getting into this argument again. "Well, I can't wait to see it when you finally pull it off."

"Yeah, it's going to be awesome!" Naruto agreed. "And I don't need any stupid chakra control exercises to do it!"

I frowned. "You do you."

Things fell kind of quiet, until Anko stepped in.

"Naruto, do you think I could get your help, really quick?" Anko asked innocently.

"Uh…" Naruto started, looking surprised. "Sure? What do you need?"

"It's been a while since I've used a Bunshin," Anko replied, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed smile. "So long that I forgot. Do you think you could teach me? I'd like a reminder."

Charisma Check Success: 7/7.

Intelligence Check Success: 10/6.

She's lying through her teeth, but she's doing it to see if Naruto's missed something when he was learning how to do the Jutsu.

...Anko is smart.

"Wait, seriously?" Naruto asked, his jaw agape. "How could you forget one of the academy three? It's like one of the most important jutsu we'll ever know!"

"Yeah, it's pretty embarrassing," Anko agreed sheepishly.

"Okay, so in order to do the Jutsu, you have to..." Naruto went through the motions. Except half way through he got confused, and he got confused because he forgot a couple steps.

...he was probably paying attention in the same way a kid fantasizing about all the stuff he could do with the jutsu would be; half and half.

After a few minutes, Naruto slumped forward in shame and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Anko said with a smile. She took a second to look around. "Now, if I remember right…"

She went and added the few steps that he missed to cast the jutsu as a question, like she was asking a smart and experienced Ninja if that's how it was done, which he agreed. Then he tried again and…standing right next to him was a perfect Bunshin.

Naruto's jaw was agape. "I did it...I did it! I DID IT!"

He shouted and cheered, jumping up and down while pumping his arm around this inanimate holographic copy of himself.

"Thanks for the reminder," Anko told him with a congratulatory smile. "It helped me a lot."

"Oh, you're welcome, Mitarashi-sense- I mean Mitarashi-san," Naruto replied, bowing rapidly.

For my part, my jaw was on the proverbial floor.

See, I had been assuming that Naruto's chakra control was poor and that's why he couldn't do it. I didn't realize it was straight up because he didn't actually know how to do it properly. I thought he was paying attention in class. He said he was!

...and my crappy charisma-deprived self believed him.

Holy cow I am dumb.

"I'm going to go show the old man!" Naruto shouted, dismissing the clone in a puff of smoke. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

His disappeared into the academy doors leaving a trail of dust that reminded me of the Road Runner.

Anko was chuckling under her breath and shaking her head.

"Mitarashi-san?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah, what is it, Shimoda-kun?" Anko asked with a smile.

"You're a genius."

She straight up laughed and gave me a thumbs up. "That's right! And don't you forget it!"

"I won't," I replied with a nod. "The way you got to the root of the problem without making assumptions and then completely disarmed his pride so he'd accept help from you was the most brilliant social maneuvering I think I've ever seen. You've got a real gift for teaching."

Speech Check Success:36/35.

Her bravado was gone and she started scratching the back of her neck with a pink face. "Well, I mean, yeah, but, I mean, I don't think it was that good and...yeah."

"Have you thought about teaching at the Academy?" I asked. "They'd be lucky to have you."

"You think I'd do good at the academy?" Anko laughed. Her face was starting to graduate from pink to red. "I've always wanted to teach at the Academy, but I don't think they'd let me."

"How come?" I asked curiously.

"Too much baggage," Anko answered with a sigh, wistfully looking at the Academy doors. "But maybe someday."

"Well, even if they're too dumb to accept you," I started. "You'd make a heck of a mom."

Then she just laughed, a harder, bitter sound than the one before hand. "Yeah right, Shimoda."

"I'm serious," I assured her.

"Please. No one wants to have kids with me," Anko growled with a shake of her head. "Anyway, I think we should get moving."

Charisma Check Failure: 7/9.

I'm not even going to try to dissect her reasoning because I know now that my best guesses are completely wrong.

My musings were interrupted by an explosion. I looked up to see that the Hokage's office at the top of the Academy had been blown to smithereens, pieces falling to the ground below. Kids in the playground scattered at the large stone pieces collided with the slides and climbing walls, throwing up dust everywhere.

Quest Updated: With Friends Like These…

Get to the safe house.

Completed: Talk with Naruto.

But Naruto!

Perception Check Success: 7/7.

Jumping down from the tower, I saw the Hokage, his robes flapping in the wind. Falling and landing opposite the old man, was a Ninja I had never seen before, a man in black robes, his entire right arm coated in bandages.

Great. Two S-class Ninja fighting in my village. Who cares about the collateral damage, am I right?

Anko grabbed my arm. "Daisuke, we need to get to the nearest safe house. Now!"

"But Naruto!" I shouted back, pointing up at the Academy.

"The Academy is filled with ANBU," Anko said quickly. "I swear to you that he's fine. But you need to follow me now, okay?"

...she had a point and there's no way he was able to get to the Hokage's office in time to be there for the explosion. He was probably getting shepherded to the safe tunnels inside Hokage mountain as we spoke.

"If he's not fine, I'm going to be upset," I growled.

She nodded. "Come on!"

Taijutsu Check Success: 80/65.

I twisted out of her grasp and hopped onto her back, my feet sticking to her spine. "Move, it's faster this way!"

There was this odd hesitation, but then she took off like a rocket.

It's a good thing that I had my hands free, because the second we started taking off, we started getting attacked. By Leaf Shinobi. Shinobi that I had never seen before, at least I don't think I did, were coming out of the woodwork, charging at us with Kunai. Shuriken whistled over and past my head and I could here the sound of jutsu being discharged in the distance.

Anko let loose an army of small snakes that slithered at her feet, biting the Ninja attacking us and sending them into convulsions.

I looked up and saw ANBU soldiers charge the aggressors with kunai, leaves orbiting them like shuriken and a pair of Wakizashi. On the opposite side of the street, up on the roofs, we were being pursued in parallel by these traitorous Nin.

They threw a series of shuriken at us.

Chakra: 60/85.

With invisible strings, I grabbed the shuriken and threw them off course and fired a Lightning Kunai up at them, hitting one in the shoulder, creating a charred crater through the uniform.

Note to self, put points into Ranged Weapons; that was supposed to be a head shot. But I can see why this Jutsu wasn't really seen in Canon; by the time you have the precision to use this Jutsu effectively, you had more effective options by the truckload.

Directly behind us, a Nin was chasing after us, dodging and stepping around the snakes. But the second he stepped on the sewer cover, said sewer cover flipped open like a coin that had been tossed and the Shinobi disappeared.

Perception Check Failure: 7/10.

I didn't even see what happened.

What was that?

Anko stopped suddenly, immediately turning down an alleyway and stopping at a plain wooden wall. She bit her thumb, ow, and drew a circle on the wall in her blood. This activated a seal network on the wall, causing the planks to separate and reveal a door, which Anko pulled open and ran inside.

Quest Updated: With Friends Like These…

Defend the safe house.

Completed: Get to the safe house.

The inside was two rooms, a front room on the left, a large couch and two recliners arranged around a table which had mats arranged around it. On the right was a kitchen and dining room combination, and I wondered how well stocked the kitchen was.

Dividing the two sides of the safe house was a staircase that went up and ended at a fork with two rooms on either side.

"Okay, we should be safe here," Anko said and I noted that her face was just a little bit flushed, and not all of it was from her mad sprint to get us here.

Charisma Check Success: 7/7.

It's because I was standing on her back? Weird.

"So what was that?" I asked, rolling my shoulders.

"Well, the Hokage told me he put out an arrest for Shimura Danzo," Anko explained. "Apparently he's been running some super-secret-black ops group that the Hokage ordered disbanded years ago. Hokage-sama expected him to make some kind of move on you or Uzumaki for collateral. The Hokage's had Naruto watched over by ANBU for years, so I know for a fact that he's fine."

"Thanks," I said. "Now let's start barricading things up, we aren't out of the woods yet."

"This safe house is completely secret," Anko said with a raised eyebrow. "No one but the Hokage and I know about it."

"Then how did he get it built?" I asked with a frown.

"I helped build it," Anko replied with a raised eyebrow. "This morning."

Oh. Huh. "Well, I'm sure you read my file. Did you get to the part about Premonitions?"

"I know you sometimes get text-prompts on future events," Anko told me. "I also read that it's mostly a to-do list."

"Well, you know what the next item on my to-do list is?" I asked rhetorically. "Defend the safe house."

Anko sighed. "Alright, well, let's pile up in one of the rooms and wait it out. I guess."

"Cool," I said, jumping up the tall staircase in a single bound. Open the door on the left, then the one on the right.

They were both the same bedroom. No windows, a single bed and a nightstand. The one on the right was interesting, it had a book on the nightstand.

Shuriken Interception: A Practical Treaties.

Skill book for Ranged Weapons? Score.

I turned to Anko, who was standing in the doorway. "Is this one yours?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but you can borrow it. I asked the Hokage to help me get some books in here since you love to read."

I beamed. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Anko replied. She got a little pensive, looking to her right and then back to me. "So, what kind of books-"

She didn't get to finish her question, as the safe house rocked like an earth quake was going on.

"You're joking," Anko breathed, getting her balance. "Okay, stay here. I'm going to put those Root idiots in their place."

She threw open the bedroom door, snakes emerging from her sleeves like she was possessed by the Darkness and she charged down the stairs, to the sound of battle. I stuffed the book into a storage scroll and made a mental note to return it when I got back.

...you know, every person she kills is EXP that I could be getting to level 7. But I don't want it on my record that I'm uncooperative, that could make my life difficult later. Besides, I will get to level 7, I'm not going to stop getting missions and stuff, so.

At that second, the door to my room flew open, and two Leaf Shinobi charged forward.

Chakra: 75/85.

Chakra string myself to the ceiling and pull myself up. Dodge their grabbing hands. Use strings to pull myself back down to them and plunge my knife-hands onto their necks.

10,200 / 15,000 EXP.

Their necks exploded like shaped charges all over the floor, coating it in a thick spaghetti sauce like slurry of gore. Their bodies fell straight to the floor and the heads rolled over their backs and onto the floor. One of them wound up under the bed, the other facing toward the wall.

My hands started shaking again, by body coursing with adrenaline and I felt like I was going to be sick. It's okay, Dai. They were trying to capture you and do who knows what to you. It's okay Daisuke. You're fine.

You know, that was enough EXP to make me think that the only reason that worked was because I'm as specialized as I am and I caught them by surprise. If they were a bit better prepared for what I could do, this would've been a tough fight.

The sound of footsteps drew my attention, and I saw Anko, blood splatters dotting her cheeks and staining her hair. She saw the corpses at my feet and she immediately paled. "Shimoda-sama I…"

Downstairs, we could hear more people showing up. Anko got ready with her kunai, and then relaxed. "Hokage-sama! I'm glad to see you."

"Mitarashi-san," The Hokage arrived, in black jumpsuit and armored helmet, carrying a staff. Upon laying eyes on me, he smiled. "Shimoda-kun, I'm glad to see you're well!"

"Thanks, Hokage-sama," I said, bowing. Time for me to help Anko save face. "Mitarashi-san is so cool! She ripped these guys heads off and then charged down stairs to feed them to her snakes. It was so awesome, Hokage-sama! You had to see it!"

Charisma Check Failed: 7/10.

Speech Check Success: 36/30.

The Hokage didn't believe a word of it, I'm sure. But he simply smiled. "I'm glad that Mitarashi-san is doing so well in her duties."

He turned to her. "Move to safe house B with Shimoda-kun and await further orders and double time it. The streets still aren't safe."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Anko replied with a bow.

Quest Completed: With Friends Like These…

15,200 / 15,000 EXP.

Bum-bum-bum-Bum!

Level Up!

Well...that's interesting. I thought this would be a more involved quest. I wonder if there were different ways it could go, like if I followed Naruto to the Hokage's office or something. Or maybe the quest is in reference to how we had to hide in a bunker when the Hokage and Danzo had a falling out?

I think it's that last one. Huh.

I wonder what more I could've done in this quest? Maybe if I took the initiative, I would've gotten more quest objectives?

Maybe.

I put all 17 points into Fuinjutsu, bringing it to 44. No perks this level, sadly. I couldn't wait to get Fuinjutsu Enthusiast next level.

200 / 18,000 EXP until level 8.

"Hey, what happened to Naruto?" I asked immediately when the world unpaused. "He was on his way to see you before everything went crazy!"

"He's in a safe house guarded by ANBU," The Hokage answered. "He is perfectly safe and unharmed, Shimoda-kun, you may rest easy."

"Good," I said, nodding. "Good."
​

* * *
​

Safe House B was four blocks down and behind another blood lock, which made me wince in sympathy even though she didn't seem to mind it at all. As the entrance closed behind us in the very similar safe house, Anko spoke up.

"Shimoda-kun?" Anko asked.

"Yeah?" I asked.

Anko bowed. "Thank you so much for sticking up for me with the Hokage. I didn't deserve it for letting those two get past me. I apologize and I assure you, it will not happen again. I will do better."

I blinked. "Thank you. But seriously, I don't think they got past you, I think they blew a hole in the room across from us while you were distracted downstairs. You were totally fine."

"Be that as it may," Anko replied. "I still made a poor judgment call and it compromised your safety."

I shrugged. "Being honest, I'm glad it worked out this way. I was hoping to see some action."

"You did amazing," Anko pointed out, almost sounding reverent. "Root has some of the most intense training I've ever heard of and you took them out flawlessly. I can't even."

"There's a reason I'm being guarded," I said wryly.

"Do you even need a bodyguard?" Anko asked with a frown.

"I like having a bodyguard," I said with a grin. "You're fun to talk to."

Her frown turned upside down, her face going pink again. "Thanks. I, uh, well, um…"

You know, her attitude changed drastically from 'let's keep this professional'. This is like the third time she's blushed in the last hour.

"Anyway, I'm going to go upstairs and read," I said, pulling her book out. "Let me know if any more of Danzo's goons show up, I could use a proper workout."

"Ah ah." Anko shook her head, making to follow me. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

I just shrugged. "As you wish."

You know, this did prove the power of Tsunade's Megaton Punch. The sheer importance of having a Disc One Nuke in your possession in a world like this one really could not be overstated and is the only reason I am alive right now. It's like finding the Alien Blaster in the first ten minutes of Fallout 3 like my dad did somehow; makes even supposedly difficult encounters a breeze if you play it right.

Being a good little explorer, I checked both bedrooms again. In the first bedroom was a skill book. Sealing Ninjutsu: An examination of Fuinjutsu Theory.

Score.

I jumped on the bed, and cracked open the book on Shurikens. Anko took a post by the door and smiled when she caught me looking. I smiled back and started my book.

The most important difference between a shuriken and a kunai is that…
​

* * *​

Character Sheet: Shimoda Daisuke.

Health: 230.
Chakra: 85.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L Stats:

Strength: 4
Perception: 7 (+2)
Endurance: 5
Charisma: 7 (+6)
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 5
Luck: 10

Taijutsu (Endurance): 80
Melee Weapons (Strength): 15
Ranged Weapons (Agility): 29
Genjutsu (Perception): 33
Ninjutsu (Endurance): 29
Speech (Charisma): 36
Barter (Charisma): 27
Sneak (Agility): 17
Pick Lock (Perception): 21
Fuinjutsu (Intelligence): 44
Medicine (Intelligence): 27
Survival (Perception): 37
Chakra Control (Intelligence): 92

Perks:
Taijutsu Enthusiast
Comprehension
Educated​

* * *​

Author's Note: Giant announcement.

I deleted Patreon.

Before I go into why, I want to thank everyone for their support. Don. Darkama. Chris, Melodychii, Niluka Satharasinghe, Sackthananban Kounlavong, Tlavoc, Zeroharm, Megrisvernin, Miu, Chris, Raven Uzushi, A Person, Nex19, Paloswag, Cole Deucalion, Jacob A Bridgewater, ladiciusevol, Steelcondor, Anonymous, Perseus Red, Trashmage, Ryan, Axodique, Vladtheinhaler, PostLifeSyndrome, Juane Pendragon and Samuel Reed as well as the Super Patrons Melden V, Anders Kronquist, Ray Tony Song, Volkogluk, Aaron Bjornson, iolande, Martin Auguado, Julio, Hackerham, Tim Collins-Squire, Maben00, Ventari, PbookR, ChristobalAlvarez, Apperatus, EPiCJB19, Seeking Raven, Handwran, Russel Beatrous and Richard Whereat. Thank you all so much for your continued support, it helped me out a lot. Words cannot describe my gratitude toward you and my love to you.

The reason it's gone is because, well, I've fallen below the bar. My writing schedule has fallen to pieces. I haven't updated weekly in months and I felt like I was letting everyone down. To say nothing about how I never wanted to make money off of my Fanfiction in the first place. I firmly believe that trying to profit off of my fanfiction did more damage to my writing than I will ever be able to quantify. I will never make this mistake again. If I want to monetize, it will be original fiction and I will do it by designing and selling shirts or something. That way the people who love the fic will be getting more than just a spot in the credits and I won't feel like I'm begging anymore.

I love you guys; you deserve your fanfics for free. That's the whole point; fanfiction is free entertainment.

Words cannot describe how relieved I am right now. Thank goodness, thank gracious, thank everything and their mother that it's gone.

...yeah, that's it. I think my schedule is going to pick up now since that stressor is gone. Writing can go back to being entirely my passion project. For my patrons, thank you. You guys helped me learn a lesson that I should've just known a very long time ago.

Have a cookie, all of you. You guys are the best.

Until the next time.

~Fulcon


​

 

[l---erddad---l]

EEK! New chapter! YESSSS

 

[Fulcon]

EEK! New chapter! YESSSS

Click to shrink...

So glad I was able to get this out to you! Did you like it?

 

[MasterMarx]

If I want to monetize, it will be original fiction and I will do it by designing and selling shirts or something.

Click to shrink...

If you do original fiction, there's probably a few routes for monetary self-publishing you could do. Just a suggestion, at any rate. Probably not what you *want* to do, regardless.

 

[Fulcon]

If you do original fiction, there's probably a few routes for monetary self-publishing you could do. Just a suggestion, at any rate. Probably not what you *want* to do, regardless.

Click to shrink...

Actually, I've made a few plans already and I've researched self publishing a great deal. I think I might wind up using it.

Thank you for your suggestion, have a cookie.

 

[MasterMarx]

Fuinjutsu (Intelligence): 27

Click to shrink...

Oh, uh, you said this went up to 44, right?

(Quoted from the end-of-chapter character sheet)

 

[Fulcon]

Oh, uh, you said this went up to 44, right?

(Quoted from the end-of-chapter character sheet)

Click to shrink...

Yeah, let me fix that. I could've sworn I changed that...

EDIT: Fixed, thank you. Have a(nother) cookie.

 

[asdo]

Actually, I've made a few plans already and I've researched self publishing a great deal. I think I might wind up using it.

Thank you for your suggestion, have a cookie.

Click to shrink...

Do you have any plans for a western based version of xianxia? Have never seen something like that on the market yet and I think if anyone could do it properly it would be you. Just an idea, no need to take this comment seriously.

Also thanks for the new chapter and hope your motivation stays strong.

 

[Fulcon]

Do you have any plans for a western based version of xianxia? Have never seen something like that on the market yet and I think if anyone could do it properly it would be you. Just an idea, no need to take this comment seriously.

Click to shrink...

You know, I've heard of Xianxia, but I don't know what the term means. Would you enlighten me, please?

Also thanks for the new chapter and hope your motivation stays strong.

Click to shrink...

I've been on fire the past few days and I'm enjoying every second of it.

 

[LEGENDARYNOT]

You know, I've heard of Xianxia, but I don't know what the term means.

Click to shrink...

Eastern fantasy, it can be an acquired taste in reading and it basically includes stages of strength which you 'cultivate' or strengthen yourself to.., ascend? That's not really the main goal for the characters but supposedly that's usually the main point of it in-story

 

[asdo]

You know, I've heard of Xianxia, but I don't know what the term means. Would you enlighten me, please?

Click to shrink...

three types of currently popular chinese novels
wuxia-realistic fantasy with just martial arts with I think low fantasy on the high end
xianxia-fantasy, main goal of is to achieve immortality via cultivating/training/advancing down their chosen path, lots of spells and 'magic' weapons
xuanhuan-high fantasy with martial arts and magic, kind of like dragon ball on power scaling?

an example would be in terms of fights
wuxia-man can punch through walls
xianxia-man can cause sonic boom pressure attacks with punches
xuanhuan-man unleashes fireballs wind gusts etc at the enemy

 

[Fulcon]

Eastern fantasy, it can be an acquired taste in reading and it basically includes stages of strength which you 'cultivate' or strengthen yourself to.., ascend? That's not really the main goal for the characters but supposedly that's usually the main point of it in-story

Click to shrink...

So literally what a gamer fic done well is at it's heart?

I can see it.

three types of currently popular chinese novels
wuxia-realistic fantasy with just martial arts with I think low fantasy on the high end
xianxia-fantasy, main goal of is to achieve immortality via cultivating/training/advancing down their chosen path, lots of spells and 'magic' weapons
xuanhuan-high fantasy with martial arts and magic, kind of like dragon ball on power scaling?

an example would be in terms of fights
wuxia-man can punch through walls
xianxia-man can cause sonic boom pressure attacks with punches
xuanhuan-man unleashes fireballs wind gusts etc at the enemy

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I can see Xianxia being right up my alley.

It's a good idea, I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Have a cookie, both of you.

 

[asdo]

Yeah, I can see Xianxia being right up my alley.

It's a good idea, I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Have a cookie, both of you.

Click to shrink...

A good introductory novel to read for xianxia would be cultivation chat group, where a ordinary college student accidentally gets added to a chat group filled with real cultivators and begins his own path of cultivation. much comedy

 

[rainfallMyth]

WELCOME BACK!!! thanks for the chapter. It was great, as usual. I only hope you never feel rushed to release a chapter. Im definitely willing to wait for these.