Chakra the RPG: Leaf-nin Edition Ver: 2.0

[Xanah]

Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you." Kakashi said, fully turning to face the three depressed Genin-hopefuls. "You'll have 3 hours to get the bell, eat lunch now to build up strength, but! Naruto doesn't get any. It's your punishment for trying to eat by yourself." He explained over the bound Prankster's groans of protest. "And if anyone tries to feed him, that person immediately fails." Came the cautionary tone.

"Ah." Naruto muttered in resignation. 'I know he's just punishing me for breaking the rules, but damnit! I haven't been able to afford any groceries besides Instant Ramen for a week now & as much as I love the stuff, even I know it's not good to survive on. Oh well! I've gone longer...'

Sasuke looked at his would-be-Sensei in contemplation. "Hmph…" 'Something feels off here. Kakashi JUST said teamwork was the key to this test. So why is he going back on that and excluding Naruto? Unless…'

"I make the rules, you follow, got it?" Was Kakashi's final warning as he vanished behind the typical smoke-cloud of the Shunshin. Leaving Sasuke & Sakura to pick up their bento boxes.

Just as they started eating, Naruto's stomach started rumbling. "This is no big problem, I can go without eating for days, for weeks! Believe it! This is no big deal!" He proclaimed to reassure both the others and himself.

Sasuke glanced at his teammate's resigned form and sighed, holding out his bento reluctantly. "Here." He begrudgingly offered in reply to the orange-clad pre-teen's shocked face.

"Wha?! No, Sasuke, you can't do that, you heard what the Sensei said!..." Sakura frantically reminds her crush.

"Kakashi's gone, we need to get those bells as a team." Sasuke countered, going on to explain. "If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective, that hurts the team and jeopardises the mission."

Looking down at her own bento in thought, Sakura wondered. 'That makes sense, but wouldn't the same go for Sasuke as well? I'm the only one here who can run properly on so little food. Should I offer mine instead?' Giving a nod of resolution, she presents her box over Sasuke's.

Now thoroughly shocked at both of them offering to feed him, Naruto could only stutter out in shame. "E-Even if I wanna eat, I can't, I'm tied up remember?"

At this, Sakura growls. "Grr! Okey, I'll feed you, but remember Naruto, this is a one time thing, understand?!" while saying this, she gathered a clump of rice to offer.

"Yeah, totally Sakura, don't worry!" Naruto assured her gratefully. Opening his mouth to take the proffered bite.

No sooner did he swallow, that a massive gale exploded in front of them, heralding the reappearance of Kakashi who seemed quite angry. "YOU!" he roared, causing all three students to recoil. "You broke the rules, I hope you're ready for the punishment." after running through 3 hand-seals a heavy storm materialised above them all. "Any last words?"

Even though he was shaking in fear, Naruto managed to force a reply. "You said there was three of us! That's why Sakura & Sasuke helped me out! Despite your dumb plots!"

Here, Sasuke took over. "We're all on this team, and we're all in it together."

Finally, Sakura added her two cents. "Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the three of us are one!"

"The three of you are one? That's your excuse?" Kakashi asked, stalking forward to cast an ominous shadow over the three. When no one rejected the claim, his uncovered eye crinkled in happiness as the summoned storm faded. "Good you three are the first to really get my message about teamwork; 'those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash.' So, congratulations I guess, you all pass."

*DING!*​

The moment the words passed his lips, a chime rang out from nowhere & strange screens made purely of light appear, one for each of the four.

[Congratulations!
You have completed the Route Ignition Quest:
{Squad Up!}
As such, The {Ninja} Route has been locked in.]

[Team 7 has been formed.]

[Team 7 has gained the Faction Trait: {Once More!}]

[Team 7 has gained the Faction Trait: {Three As One.}]


[Team 7 has gained the Faction Trait: {Screw The Rules!}]​

Here, each individual screen diverged, showing a different message.

[Kakashi has gained the Trait: {Sensei.}]​

Seeing the strange phenomenon calling him a sensei caused Kakashi to chuckle.

[Sasuke Uchiha has Ranked Up!
Please choose an available {Legal} Class Advancement:
[] Soldier: Those who stand on the front lines in any conflict, weapon in hand & steal as their hearts. Soldiers will not shy away from laying down the law even on their closest friends, if the opposition has a few broken bones by the end of it...well...they shouldn't have resisted should they? {Gains One (1) Kenjutsu Specialization, +5 Strength (STR) & Gains Trait: {Call Of Duty}}
[] Judge: Separating the guilty from the innocent is not an easy job, nor is it always a clean one, as some criminals get away free, requiring Judges to take to the field and deliver the correct verdict using their advanced Ninjutsu skills. Now, how do you plead? Innocent...or Guilty? {Gains One (1) Ninjutsu Specialization, +5 Intelligence (INT) & Gains Trait: {The Verdict Is…}}
[] Detective: Whether it's a 'Kage's Assassination or just some chick's husband having an affair, someone always needs to know the gory details, so they call a detective in to find those details. Only problem is; finding them tends to lead to some sticky situations, but, with a sharp mind & enough supplies, they can get through anything. {Gains One (1) Bukijutsu Specialization, +5 Perception (PER) & Gains Trait: {Looking Underneath The Underneath.}}]​

Seeing his own message, Sasuke linked his hands under his nose, appearing for all the world to merely be examining his options, however, on the inside he was panicking. 'What… ? How is this possible? Game-nin is just a manga and nobody knows about my hobbies enough to cast a Genjutsu, so how… ?''

[Sakura Haruno has Ranked Up!
Please choose an available {Student} Class Advancement:
[] Medic: When a person gets injured on the field, a Medic sees to them, making sure they can finish whatever job they were doing. But just because they're healers doesn't mean they are easy targets, as their famous Chakra Scalpels can just as easily kill as they can heal. {Gains One (1) Iryojutsu Specialization, +5 Wisdom (WIZ) & Gain Trait: {Don't Mess With The Medic!}}
[] Analyst: Strength, trajectories, speed, an Analyst can tell all this & more from a single glance, helping to organise their cells to produce flawless victories again & again against even the harshest enemies. {Gains One (1) Tactics Specialization, +10 Intelligence (INT) & Gains Trait: {An Eye For Detail.}}
[] Charmer: With a word, a snap of their fingers and/or even a simple look, a Charmer can put even the most resolute under their spell, twisting their thrall's thoughts this way and that at their will. The most insidious thing about them? Once you're under their spell, you'll never want to leave. {Gains One (1) Genjutsu Specialization. +5 Charisma (CHAR) & Gain Trait: (Look Into My Eyes...)}​

Screaming, Sakura stared at her screen in fear as she started to panic. 'Huh? What's this? Some kind of illusion? But wait, the Academy didn't even hint about multi-target Genjutsu!'

[Naruto Uzumaki has Ranked Up!
Please choose an available {Performer} Class Advancement:
[] Magician: How did you do that? Where did it go? What's the trick? Are all questions Magicians hear daily. The answer is, to kids, a highly sought after secret, but any half-competent adult could probably tell you it's 50% Chakra application & 50% Sleight-of-hand. {Gains One (1) Fuinjutsu Specialization, +5 Wisdom (WIS) & Gains Trait: {Now You See Me...}}
[] Gladiator: In the Ancient days of Rome, the accursed were not simply belittled in the streets like today, no, they were forced to fight in giant arenas as Gladiators, bereft of armaments & armor, all for the amusement of the upper class, hoping to one day gain enough fame so the crowds may release them from their shackles. {Gains One (1) Taijutsu Specialization, +5 Endurance (END) & Gains Trait: {Sine Missione.}}
[] Jester: If ever a King was feeling down or off, the Court Jester would have just the right joke or prank to get him back on his feet. But abandon hope all ye armies who enter their domain, for not a single soldier shall leave there sane. {Gains One (1) Trap-Making Specialization, +5 Agility (AGI) & Gains Trait: {Why So Serious?}}]​

Seeing his options, Naruto yelled. "Oi! Kakashi-Sensei! Let me down so I can pick something cool!"

Turning to inspect his bound Genin, Kakashi replied. "Hm...no, I still need to punish you for sneaking off to eat lunch earlier, direct one of the others to select it for you."

Hearing this Naruto pouted. "Fine! Yeash! I pick…
[] ...Sasuke, he looks like he knows what he's doing."
[] ...Sakura, she won't lead me wrong."

---

QM Notes: Ok, let's try this again. I promised myself on my birthday to start something and stick with it 'till the end and for some reason, my mind stuck itself on rebooting this. So I will set a recurring reminder everyday to progress this quest.

 

[Xanah]

Squad 7 Profiles reserved

 

[Xanah]

Quest Log reserved

 

[Xanah]

Codex reserved.

Post away.

 

[Xanah]

Looking between both his newly-minted Teammates, Naruto grumbled. "Fine! Yeash! I pick...Sasuke! He seems to know what he's doing." Turning as much as he could to face Sasuke again, who seemed to be muttering to himself about "Conspiracies in Iwa" and "That magnificent bastard Wakada!" making everyone stare at the usually broody Avenger, he added. "Plus, he actually looks... happy? for once & if he's having fun, I kinda want to encourage that...I miss the Sasuke from four years ago."

Seeing this, Kakashi questioned the radical personality shift. "Ok, you two heard the same introduction as me yesterday, right? Because this seems very different from what he told us."

Shaking his head, Naruto defended Sasuke. "Nah, this is how he was before Wea-- I mean Itachi butchered his clan. He was cool back then, he used to share his Natto with me at the academy."

Filing away Naruto's near slip with Itachi's name for later, Kakashi nodded, signifying that he was satisfied.

"Well Sasuke, will you gimme a hand since baka-sensei won't let me down?" Naruto asked.

Not expecting the interruption, Sasuke jumped. "Huh! wha? Oh! Sure Naruto, just let me pick mine first, 2 seconds." Scrolling to his prefered Class, he tapped it & when prompted, confirmed his choice.

[Are you sure you want {Detective} to be your Rookie Class?
Yes No]

[Sasuke Uchiha has Ranked Up from {Legal} to {Detective}!
Please select One (1) {Bukijutsu} Specialization:
[] Kunai Proficiency:The Kunai or Throwing Knives were some of the first tools created by the farmers who became the first proto-ninja. Meaning today's usage of them has been refined to an exact science. Unlike Shuriken, Kunai have more utility. {Gains Twenty (20) D-rank Kunai}
[]Shuriken Proficiency:The Shuriken or Ninja Stars were some of the first tools created by the farmers who became the first proto-ninja. Meaning today's usage of them has been refined to an exact science. Unlike Kunai, Shuriken do more damage. {Gains Twenty (20) D-rank Shuriken}
[] Wire Proficiency: Although Wires were originally utilized by civilians in both show-making and mechanics, Ninjas have integrated them into their ever growing arsenal of hidden weapons to great effect, just like most of their other tools. {Gains Five (5) Spools of D-rank Ninja Wire.}]​

Finally done messing with his screen, Sasuke stood up dusting off his white shorts & walked over to the training post Naruto was tied to, leaning against its side so that he can see Naruto's screen, he asked. "Alright Naruto, which one do you want? Jester right?"

Thinking on it briefly, Naruto shook his head. "Nope! I want Magician. I always loved them when I snuck into the Kyuubi Festival. The Yondaime used Fuinjutsu too and he was cool!"

Chuckling, Kakashi stepped forward. "Is he your favourite Hokage then Naruto?"

{The Paths of The Shadow: Konoha.

Although all Konoha Ninja are duty-bound to follow the current Hokage, certain individuals feel their ideals fall more in-line with one of the past 'kage. By declaring and cultivating this resonances, a Ninja can gain traits and aspects attributed to their chosen patron.

[] Path of The Sage: Hashirama Senju was one of two Ninja who pioneered the idea of Hidden Villages. Elected as the Shodai Hokage Hashirama revolutionized the Ninja World with his pacifist's ideals until he was forced to slay his rival and brother-in-arms; Madara Uchiha. [Gain +5 Chakra {CHKR} Per Level up. Gain Skill: {Meditation} BONUS: Gain Trait: {Body of The Sage}]
[] Path of The General: Although it was Hashirama and Madara who founded the new world, it was Tobirama Senju who defined it as the Nidaime Hokage. Using his ingenuity, he lead Konoha through the First Shinobi World war [Gain +5 Intelligence {INT} Per Level up. Gain Skill: {Hyper-Focus}]
[] Path of The Professor: Inheriting the title of Hokage from his Sensei during the First Shinobi World War, Hiruzen Sarutobi sought to master the Ninja Arts in their entirety in order to grant Konoha victory in not one, not two, but three Shinobi World Wars with his vast wisdom. [Gain +5 Wisdom {WIZ} Per Level up. Gain Skill: {Bo Staff Proficiency} BONUS: Gain Trait: {Disciple of The Monkey King}]
[] Path of The Hero: Clawing his way up from nothing, Minato Namikaze surpassed even Hiruzen's own students in the eyes of the village when he denied enemy forces reinforcements at a pivotal moment in the Third Shinobi World War. He cemented himself as the Leaf's Hero when he sacrificed himself to seal the Kyuubi No Kitsune. [Gain +5 Charisma {CHA} Per Level Up. Gain Skill: {Honourable Soul} BONUS: Gain Trait: {His Father's Son}]
​

After quickly reading the tutorial & examining the options, Sasuke Selected the one Naruto told him to. "Huh, seems almost like a religion system. Which is odd since the Hokage are never treated like proper gods… and what was with the Yondaime's bonus…?"

impatiently,Naruto,yelled. "C'mon Sasuke! What's taking so long?!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke snapped back. "Ah, no! You never rush character setup. That is exactly what screwed over Miyazawa… I said that out loud didn't I?"

Hearing Sasuke's mini-rant caused Sakura to snap out of her panic "Who's Miyazawa? I don't remember anyone in the academy with that name."

Still staring blankly ahead as if hoping the ground would open up and swallow him, Sasuke replied in a Dead tone of voice, as though he'd lost all hope. "No… he's the main character in one of my favourite books, Game-nin."

Hearing this, Kakashi snorted. "Book? It's a Manga, I've seen Kurenai reading it. I'd thought you'd have better taste Sasuke."

Seeming to spring back to life, Sasuke retorted. "Yeah, well at least I read, rather than replace my non-existent love-life with an old man's daydreams." With that, he reached out & tapped the chosen Class.

[Due to performing a special action, a skill has been created: {Taunt}]

[Taunt:: Active: lvl: 1: XP: 0.00%
The ability to taunt an opponent, driving them into a rage.​

• 5% chance to inflict status {Berzerk} on Target]

[Are you sure you want {Magician} to be your Rookie Class?
Yes No]

[Naruto Uzumaki has Ranked Up from {Performer} to {Magician}!
Please select One (1) {Fuinjutsu} Specialization:
[] Space-time: Two of the 4 Hokage were hailed as the fastest Shinobi alive, not only due to their own natural speed, but due to a Fuinjutsu that created a corridor that completely circumvented reality, allowing them to cross the field in the blink of an eye. {Gains Scroll: "The Theory of Reality."}
[] Energy conversion: One of the basic rules of physics is "You cannot generate energy, only convert it." Well, Chakra is a prime energy source that with only a few brush-strokes can be converted to devastating effect. {Gains Scroll: "The Transformative Flow."}
[] Hyperplane: One the most well known applications of Fuinjutsu is the Sealing Scroll; press a Kunai to an open slot, it's stored in the Scroll, most people think the Kunai dissipates into the seal as Chakra, what actually happens is the writing acts as a gateway to pockets of Chakra created to perfectly fit the presented item inside the Scroll. {Gains Scroll: Building A Hyperplane."}]​

After conferring with Naruto over his Specialization, Sasuke curiously asked. "Why isn't Fuinjutsu taught at the academy sensai?"

Recovering from his student's verbal assault, Kakashi explained. "Fuinjutsu is a very intense, complex and dry art that only pays off once people are good at it, therefore kids and even some adults don't have the attention span to learn it."

[Due to delivering a lesson to your students, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno gain 1 Intelligence {INT}]​

Nodding, Sakura turned towards her screen to finally select her class.

[Are you sure you want {Analyst} to be your Rookie Class?

Yes No]

[Sakura Haruno has Ranked Up from {Student} to {Analyst}!
Please select One (1) {Tactics} Specialization:
[] Guerilla Warfare:The strength.of a small unit is its mobility and unpredictability, allowing them to hit larger forces when and where it hurts the most, never giving them a chance to recover {Gains Scroll: "The Little Man's War."}
[] Reconnaissance:.Sometimes, Missions are easy, get in, do the deed and get out, but more often than not either the client doesn't know the full picture or the enemy has a few hidden aces and any unknowns could jeopardize the Mission. {Gains Scroll: "Knowing Is Half The Battle."}
[] Blitzkrieg: Whilst fighting smart is all well and good, it even works most of the time, there are enemies too wise or powerful to fall to clever ploys, then your only choice is to strike hard and fast, crushing them with your preternatural fury. {Gains Scroll:"Wrath of The Gods."}]​

---

QM Notes: May the rivalry between Sasuke and Kakashi BEGIN!

Also, poor Tobirama, he's the only Hokage Naruto doesn't have a link with.

 

[DarkKing98]

Omake: Why The System Shouldn't Troll Shounen MCs

---
After another day of training Naruto went to the Library at Kakashi-Sensei's orders. He had seen Naruto's Intelligence stat and decided that it needed to be raised by a fair bit. So, the only logical place to go to was the library.

When Naruto arrived there, he saw that the library was full of people. A guy with palm tree hair and in an orange Gi reading a book called 'How to Be a Good Father For Dummies" and another guy with a straw hat and a scar under his eye reading a book called "Swimming For Dummies." In fact, there seemed to be a lot of oddly dressed people around the library.

He goes and looks for a recommended book from Kakashi Sensei. He said it was called "Chakra Control For Dummies" which, by the way, he found quite rude. He's not a dummy! He's just not as smart as Sakura.

Eventually, he finds the book and opens to the beginning of it. 'Chakra is a mixture of physical and spiritual energy which-' he managed to read before getting interrupted by the game system with a high pitched DING!

"For being capable of reading several big words you gain +1 Intelligence"

Naruto gapes at the screen, feeling slightly offended. He's not that dumb! Scowling, he dissmises the screen and goes back to reading. Though after finishing the sentence, he gets interrupted again by another DING!

"For being capable of reading a sentence you gain +1 Intelligence"

He scowls further before hearing another ding. Though this time, it's infront of the one with the swimming book. Actually, now that he looks around, Naruto sees many screens infront of the oddly dressed individuals. All of them looked annoyed as he felt. Taking some solace that he isn't alone in being mocked Naruto tries to go back to reading. Keyword being tries. Because now aware of other people dinging, and the game doing it to him as well so extremely insultingly, it gets more and more on his nerves. Once it dings again after finishing the first chapter, he slams the book onto the table.

"Alright, that's it! I've had enough of you!" Naruto shouts in rage.
---
The next morning, Kakashi awakes to the news that Leaf General Library is now nothing more than a smoking crater, supposedly having been destroyed from some strange brawl of dozens of strangely dressed individuals. His student being one of them.

Kakashi sighs and rubs his temples, feeling the incoming migraine from a mile away

 

[DarkKing98]

Omake: Naruto, The Greatest Biwa Player In Leaf

---
Ever since Naruto was young, he loved music. The way it sounded, the passion behind the players, and the kinds of emotions it can carry or invoke in others. He saw how happy it can make people. The love and attention that musicians received. He wanted that. That attention, and that ability to make others happy. But he never had enough money to buy an instrument. He needed all he could get to pay for clothing and food. One day though, luck had smiled upon him.

When Naruto was eight years old, he had found an instrument thrown out in an alley on his way back home from the Academy. Excited he quickly rushed home to start playing it. Needless to say, he sucked. It was out of tune. It took Naruto a lot of time to figure out how to tune it. Fortunately, his birthday was coming up and on that day The Old Man had given him a gift that Naruto will treasure forever. Hiruzen had seen Naruto's new instrument and his struggle with it that he decided for his birthday to give him a book that talks about how to use and maintain a Biwa. Upon seeing it, Naruto's eyes widen and he did something he hadn't done in a long time.

He cried.

Not from sorrow obviously, but from happiness. Naruto will never be able to explain why this gift is so valuable to him. Words never seem to be enough. After returning home that day Naruto read the book front to cover nonstop until he memorized every last detail. And once that was done, he fixed up his Biwa and started practicing. It still wasn't great, hell, it wasn't even ok, but never let it be said that Naruto Uzumaki is a quitter. He practiced day in and day out, even skipping classes of the Academy and neglecting homework to focus on bettering his ability to play. Two months later in December Naruto decided to go out and play a few songs for the villagers.

It went terribly. He was either ignored, sneared at in disgust, insulted, or chased away. And it quickly became known in the village that 'That Child' plays the Biwa. Suddenly, any store that sold anything involving Biwas removed them. Vetern players of it stopped. And any who had interest in playing one lost it. By the end of the month, the Biwa may as well not have existed as far as the people of Leaf were concerned. Except for the rare few who still play it. And even if there were, they play it in secret, no one ever knowing that they do.

And that, is how Naruto became the only greatest biwa player in The Village Hidden in the Leaves.
---

Well, that was depressing! Hope you guys liked it!

 

[Shark8]

The Games People Play

Spoiler: The Games People Play

"Do you have it?" The Aburame boy asked, nestling his chin into the high collar of his jacket, and looking quite suspicious. The question itself was asked in what would be heard as an emotionless tone to all but his closest friends who instead heard the soft note of anticipation behind the question.

The girl standing next to him nodded in agreement, the pale eyes of the Hyuuga peering at him with the same inquisitive look.

Sasuke nodded, noting the slight relaxing in Shino's shoulders, and the slight smile Hinata gave when he pulled it out: Ogres and Oubliettes, Quickplay (No-GM) Scenario 4: Knights of The Crimson Caves.

After opening the book to its start, the three of them pulled out their character sheets and began to equip themselves for a foray into the mystical world of their favorite tabletop RPG… it helped, a little, to keep his mind off of what had happened, his two friends going out of their way to keep their weekly 'tradition' going even after Itachi.

It was all Shino's fault, really. Buying the first book for him as a 'get well' present while he was in the hospital following the massacre and so, having nothing to do but read, Sasuke became intimately familiar with the game and found that he rather enjoyed the setting and mechanics… and so when Shino had visited again Sasuke decided to force him to play with him.

After that, Hinata had walked in on a gaming session and they'd forced her to play too, though she seemed really relieved, and a little happy, to be invited into the game — and that's how their little gaming group got started.

And that was what led to them gathering regularly, secretly, to embark on such glorious adventures with their characters: Sir Alfred Smithsworth the Second (Human, Knight, Saskue); Maid Fes Farsight (Elf, Royal Archer, Shino), and Sara Seawater (Human, Thief, Hinata).

— — — — — — —​

"What do you think they're up to?" Kotetsu asked, nodding toward the three children in the secluded area of the training ground.

"Who knows…" Izumo replied, tossing another kunai to his friend and readying his own. "As long as it keeps us out of that hospital, I don't care!"

"Well, keeping an eye on Uchiha isn't so bad, as far as D-rank missions go." Kotetsu replied.

Izumo shorted, "It's just makework for us, and to appease the council that Uchiha has round-the-clock guards… if Itachi came back we'd be lucky to be able to raise an alarm."


"Yeah, politics…" Kotetsu made a disgusted sound, throwing his kunai way off target, "You know how much I hate 'display purpose' missions."

Izumo nodded, throwing his kunai to meet Kotetsu's and knock it into the target dummy at the far end of the field. "And yet you actually _want_ the gate-duty missions!"

"Hey! Gate guard is a great gig, not only do you get to see everyone off, you get to hear all the news first, AND you're the last line of defense for the village before the enemy gets inside!" Kotetsu protested.

"It's a display position: you hang out there, looking good, while the Jounin do all the real work of protecting the village. C'mon, admit it." Izumo prodded, falling right back into their 'great debate' regarding the posting.

"Hey, my dad's not a useless political display piece!" Kotetsu responded, taking the bait… and missing his chance to hit Izumo's kunai.

"You missed."

"Yeah, yeah."

"It means I'm winning!" Izumo couldn't help but smile as he said it, throwing another kunai — this one Kotetsu intercepted and redirected to the dummy.

"Yeah, I'll show you. Jerk!" Kotetsu replied to Izumo's laughter.

— — — — — — —​

More reports flooded the office in the tower, most of them containing rumors of "the escaped Itachi Uchiha" — an unfortunate necessity, compromising the image of the village's competence, but mitigated by the stories of Itachi's own genius.

The boy was sowing a lot of false trails, not one in the hundred in the last month gave even as much as a clue as to Itachi's true goals, his final mission, orders that had been given in a small park overlooked by this very office.

The young prodigy was willing to do it, but had extracted a promise from the Hokage — something astonishing, for one so young — one to protect his little brother Sasuke.

The whole thing, which showed how much Itachi loved his brother, was as tragic as it was necessary and as secret a thing as any that Hiruzen, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, kept. Information like this could easily tear the village apart as surly as the coup that was put down would have.

Hiruzen sighed, sometimes there were no good choices.

 

[Deathvon]

The Messenger Part 1
.....................................

Tomorrow you will do something that most sane people will call stupid or insane, although if you do it correctly you, Daiki Karasu, won't die. And you are only eight years old! You see I have been tasked with the so important task of getting this mission scroll to the Konoha. However the problem is getting past Gato's goons, trust me it is way easier then it sounds. However, the real problem is getting past the missing ninja, now these guys are the problem. Especially those mask wearing freaks from Kirigakure.

Now you might be wondering how you got this oh so important job, well you are the only person in the Land Of Waves who has decent control of your chakra. So you and this old man, Tazuna you think his name was. Anyway, back to those missing ninjas. They are really good, you can tell from here. The older one is a tall and noticeably muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He seems to be wearing bandages where his mouth should be. He wears his forehead proctor sideways on his head. He is seen shirtless, with his chest only covered by a belt to which he attached his sword, wearing baggy pants with the striped pattern typical of Kirigakure and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows, with matching leg-warmers.

The other masked freak is most likely female, she has long black hair, pale skin and large, dark-brown eyes, and a slender frame. Her shinobi outfit consisted of the standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which stopped at her knees. Over this she wore a green haori with white trimmings, and around her waist a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around his waist twice. She also wore light-brown platoon sandals with straps in the same colour as his kimono and nail polish on her fingernails and toenails in matching blue green color. When wearing this outfit, her long hair was gathered in a white bun holder, while two locks of her hair fell loose framing his face, bound with metal hair cuffs at the ends. She also wore a black forehead protector with the Kirigakure's symbol upon it. When in battle or moving covertly, she wears a hunter-nin mask on top of her forehead protector, which was white with thin, curved eye-holes and a red wavy design in place of the mouth, as well as the Kirigakure symbol etched in the top.

After staring at the two from a safe distance, Tazuna walked right up next to you. "You better be ready by tomorrow brat!" The old man yelled causing you to jump up from the shock causing the old geezer to chuckle. "Why do I have to do this again?" You asked. "You are the only one who can control your chakra enough to use it. Hell, three months you walked on water!" He said like you were some mythical being. "Only because I followed grandpa's instructions." You said dismissing his praise. "Well that is good enough for the town." He said matter of factly. "A town full of stupid people." You said as you brood over your fate as you stared at the masked freaks as you asked yourself. "I am going to die, aren't I?"

 

[DarkKing98]

Omake: Unexpected Friends, Unexpected Discovery
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Naruto really didn't know how it came to this. If you asked him though, he'd blame it on either Chouji or Shikamaru. Four months before Graduation, Naruto noticed that Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji kept sneaking off to somewhere after the Academy every Wednesday. Honestly, he was content to leave it be. What they did after the Academy was their business, not his own. And it stayed that way.

For a month.

Then he overheard Chouji say something about being excited for some kind of game. When he asked what kind of game, Chouji kind of clammed up and refused to say anything. That caused him to get curious and interested. So, Naruto decided to stal-I mean, follow Chouji. There he saw the three meet up in an empty classroom and Shikamaru pulling out some books and a board. The he got out some small figurines and give them to Ino and Chouji. Naruto, in a rare display of patience, waited instead of jumping right out. He watched them play for twenty minutes before he came out of hiding and demanding to be allowed to play.

His sudden appearance startled all three of them, even causing Ino to let out a brief scream. After a brief argument, they decided to allow Naruto to join them, since they figured he'd get bored and leave in a few minutes. Though it quickly turns out they were wrong.

Very wrong.

You see, Shikamaru had a few character sheets around for some random NPCs and decided to randomly give one to Naruto. A Human Bard by the name Fen Viknusk. And within ten minutes Naruto already developed an entire backstory for his character. A backstory similar to his own, but treating as if the worst parts were commonplace instead of a one or two time occurrence. And he got very into roleplaying as the character.

By the end of the session Naruto had enjoyed the game, and more importantly the social aspect of the game with Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. And the next time the four met, it changed. Shikamaru dropped out of the party to become the GM of the group. Naruto also brought along his Biwa to play the songs he'd play in the game in real life to to better his role-playing. And so started the story of Iris Widow (Elf, Druid, Ino), Thich Nhat (Human, Monk, Chouji), and Fen Viknusk (Human, Bard, Naruto) in Ogres and Oubliettes. And an unexpected friendship between the four.
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Inspired by @Shark8 The Games People Play. Originally, I was going to have Naruto stumble across Sasuke's group. But then I thought, 'Hey! What about a GM Shikamaru?' and this idea was born! Hope you enjoyed this!