2 Chapter 2: If You Had One Shot

Kuzo was in his room, gazing at the mirror while extending his tongue. A Japanese character was drawn on it. It was the curse seal he had received.

As much as Kuzo trusted Konoha, he didn't like the feeling of being restricted. No matter where he went, he would still be under control. His life would be in the hands of others.

Feeling sorry for his fate, he placed his palm on the seal.

A warm sensation coursed through his palm. As he lowered his hand, Kuzo noticed that the curse mark had vanished from his tongue. Hold on. Did it just vanish into thin air? No, it couldn't be. That seal had been placed on his tongue by a special Jonin. It couldn't just disappear like that.

He remembered that he had run his hand over it.

He looked at his palm.

The Gluttony curse seal was warmer than his other hand. A feeling of satisfaction overcame him. It was as if his brain was tingling.

It felt like eating a good meal, except that it didn't come from his stomach or taste buds.

He got it. So it must be the seal on his palm devouring the seal on his tongue.

He had gained the power to devour seals. Well, it wasn't that bad, was it?

"So, the curse vanished," he thought, smiling and feeling quite free. If he left Konoha, he could simply run away and start a new life where no one would bother him.

There was a scroll next to him. He picked it up. He had read it before, and now he read it again.

The scroll had details about his mission. He would meet some merchants from the Land of Fire, and he would go with them, disguised as an apprentice merchant. Then, he would start trading chakra ores with some people from the Land of Iron. He would learn the craft and slowly get closer to the Land of Iron and then the Land of Earth. He would have to report the incidents and rumors in that land back to the village through a summoned monster. The summoned monster was in another scroll. All he had to do was open it and hand the information over.

He was quite curious about the monster he would deal with. But he knew that he shouldn't let his curiosity get the best of him. After all, it was a crime to use ninja tools without a good reason.

"Anyway, I will leave tomorrow," he thought.

He went to his bed, lay down, and stretched his arms.

He felt quite strange, as if he wasn't hungry at all. Maybe getting rid of that curse mark from his tongue made him feel that way. Anyway, he would enjoy the temporary peaceful feeling. After that, he would prepare himself for the life of a civilian spy in a shinobi world, which wouldn't be easy.

After taking a long nap, he woke up upon hearing his biological mom saying, "Dinner is ready."

He would never get tired of that sound, he had to admit. Although this family wasn't the best, they had very good food.

"I'm coming," he replied as he jumped off the bed. It was as if he had never slept.

He walked to the hall. His biological family was there.

His sister and brother, both in Chunin vests, were present.

Like him, they both had smooth black hair, sharp brown eyes, and fair skin.

The girl, about seventeen, was Akane.

The guy, about eighteen, was Doju.

They were like typical older siblings, sometimes teasing and protective against other bullies. He guessed they might have had some influence on why his life at the Ninja Academy was easier.

"Heard you got a spy job," said Dujo with a chuckle. "Hope you won't cry after 5 days out of the house."

"I bet he'll cry in three days," replied Akane.

They were ganging up on him, it seemed.

Kuzo sighed as he sat at the table. "Hope you keep hoping." He then looked at the plates, picking up his chopsticks. 'These noodles. First time eating them,' he thought.

"The only hopeless thing here is taunts against this kid when he eats," said the mother.

"Bet he'll forget everyone for a plate of rice," replied Akane.

"Why are you not talking?" said the dad to Kuzo. "It's your last day before you move into your long-term mission. You'd at least want to make a good memory."

Kuzo raised his head when he finished his food. "You were saying? Sorry, I didn't hear you well."

A laugh echoed from everyone except his father, who had a few veins appearing on his forehead.

"Nothing, son. Just asked if you got full or you want more."

It seemed that he was holding his Asian Parent instincts from coming out.

"Yep," Kuzo replied.

"Don't hesitate."

-x-X-x-

'Man, that was one good dinner.'

It was dawn. Kuzo was standing at the gates of Konoha, dressed as a normal citizen with a bamboo hat.

He was waiting for the other merchants to depart with. After that happened, his mission would officially begin.

A person tapped on his shoulder from behind. For a ninja, it was a shame to get tapped without expecting it in advance, but he had failed the graduation test, so he couldn't be bothered.

"Are you Kuzo, the apprentice I was waiting for?"

Kuzo turned, his eyes meeting a short middle-aged man in brown clothes.

Behind him, there were six men and women, all dressed as merchants with bags on their backs.

Kuzo replied, "Yes, I am. Are you?"

"Isn't that obvious," the old man said. "I'm Shin, your master. I got a good word about you from my friend who works at the Academy, so you should work hard to meet his expectations."

Kuzo bowed his head and said with a tone full of appreciation, "Thank you for accepting me as your apprentice."

Shin smiled. "Good manners for your age."

"So, are we going now?" Kuzo asked as he lifted his head.

"Hope you have enough stamina, for we have a long walk."

"I see."

"Now, pick up a bag and let's go."

Shin pointed to some large bags that were placed on the ground. Despite being around his size, he could pick them up. Although he had failed the academy, his body was a success in terms of physical training. Picking up a large rock or a bag was nothing for him.

Feeling how light his steps were, Kuzo smiled. He then stood up with the crowd.

"For now, we'll be heading to the north to the trading center. And we'll exchange from there. We are going to stop by some places here and there. If anyone has a personal job there, they should tell me now. If you don't, I won't stop for anyone. We're already tight on schedule. Understood?"

They nodded. They then departed from the village.

"You're strangely happy for your first day," said a woman walking beside him. She was tall, blonde, and quite chubby.

"Shouldn't I?"

"I mean, you don't look like you know what you've signed yourself up for. It's very dangerous."

"But aren't we in the range of Konoha? I don't think anyone would dare to cause trouble here."

"Not exactly true. I've heard from survivors that they occasionally meet spies and rogue ninjas around the village. It's rare, but it's a possibility. And as I said, there are survivors here and there."

"Guess it can't be helped, then."

"Don't worry. Once we are out of Konoha's surroundings, it's less dangerous. The muggers outside are only normal people at most. If you have fighting skills, you can easily beat them."

"I've failed the academy, but I guess my martial arts are good enough."

"I'll depend on you, then," she replied.

He sighed. "Sure, why not."

"By the way, I'm Sakura."

For some reason, he felt triggered by hearing that name. It reminded him of someone. You know, the Sakura from team 7 was so useless that the Six Paths sage thanked everyone in team 7 but her. But one had to give her credit. She could summon Naruto without weaving a hand sign or blood.

"Kuzo," he replied. "I'll be in your care."

"Depend on me, then."

He nodded with a smile before looking at the road in front of him.

The trip was quite long. Kuzo occasionally chatted with the men and women and learned about their origins. Some had failed the academy exam, some had gone to the civilian academy, and what they all had in common was their shared speech about the Nine-Tails fox incident and how it had affected their lives.

Currently, it was their fourth day of travel, and they were resting by a bonfire. While Kuzo's mind drifted back to old Dark Souls days, his ears caught something.

"I remember times when the village was peaceful when the Fourth Hokage was alive…"

"Those were the days. Despite the war, we felt better."

"I get you. But thanks to that damn fox and the Uchiha clan, we lost everything."

Kuzo, who was pretending to be asleep, couldn't help but sit up and ask, "The Uchiha clan?"

"Yes. Only they can control the Nine-Tails fox. They were suspected of using their visual prowess to control the Nine-Tails fox and destroy the village. God. I'm glad Itachi did them in. That evil clan, their malevolence was their downfall."

'Okay Sasuke, I'll excuse you for trying to destroy the village,' thought Kuzo. "Oh. So one of the Uchiha was suspected of doing that. But why hate the clan? Weren't they the police?"

"Because they were never trustworthy. You're young, so you don't know anything. But just don't go around blabbering."

"Blabber about what?"

"The Nine-Tails fox kid and the Uchiha incident. Talking about it is prohibited in the village."

"And why are you talking about that now?"

"Because we are no longer in the village, silly."

"I see." He lay down and crossed his legs.

"It's just life. Compared to the old times, this life is very peaceful. At least, we can sleep at night," said Shin.

"I get you, old man." Kuzo closed his eyes.

-x-X-x-

The next day, everyone woke up and grabbed their stuff. Kuzo walked with everyone along a cliff while thinking if these were truly peaceful times.

If there's peace, it's temporary. There are still Orochimaru, Pain, and other variables that could disrupt this peaceful life.

He didn't know what kind of monstrous ninjas he would meet where he was going, or what kind of gigantic summoned beasts were out there.

Shp

An arrow passed by them. Kuzo, who saw it heading toward him, leaned his head backward. It hit the cliff.

He turned his head.

Shin yelled, "Everyone, be careful! There are muggers here!"

The Konoha merchants, though weak, grabbed weapons from their bags, holding swords and clubs.

In front of them, a crowd of muscular people approached with all kinds of weapons in their hands, from clubs to hammers and swords. They outnumbered them.

One short man walked toward the merchants with a smirk on his face.

"We have a rogue genin with us. So hand over everything you've got."

Kuzo frowned deeply. A genin, and a rogue one.

Still, there was a chance that these guys were bluffing them into giving up earlier so they could avoid resistance.

Kuzo reached for his back. There was something his father had gifted him. It was a kunai. He put his index finger around the slit and rolled it.

"Everyone, run back!" Shin said.

Sakura and the others did as they were told while Shin grabbed his sword.

Kuzo stood next to the old man, who turned his head and yelled.

"Why are you here!? Run!"

The truth was that there was no real escape.

He would die anyway if he ran away or not.

Running away would give the muggers a chance to kill him with an arrow he wouldn't see.

Besides, there was another reason he wanted to stay here.

"Sorry, old man. I just want to see how far my taijutsu skills can take me," he replied as he dropped his bag. "This body has trained for too long. It should get a chance." 

"Are you crazy!" 

"Look," Kuzo stared forward. "If you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it or let slip."

Shin left with nothing to say. 

Kuzo's heart pounded louder and louder as the muggers walked slowly toward them.

He could die, or he could fight to make a way for himself. But if this was the end for him, he would find relief from this world.