4 A Cat and A Lily

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At the end of the trial, after Kakashi explained the true purpose of the trial, he gave us three days of free time before our first meeting. I spent two days renovating my house. I knew a way to get a lot of money, but it would take time. I couldn't bear living in that awful apartment, so I had to make it look more presentable until I could move.

Of course, all of the work was done by me. I was not stupid and naïve enough to hire other people to work on my apartment. They would only make it worse and make my wallet bleed. I couldn't do much with the exterior, but I had patched the leaking roof. The interior, while still did not satisfy me, was pleasant to look at.

Since today was the last free day, I wanted to spend it exploring the village. It was more akin to a scouting mission, though, as I marked each location that didn't take my presence too well.

Most of the merchant-owned shops were nice to me. They were from outside of Konoha, so they didn't and wouldn't know my history. The civilian-owned stores and shops were the exact opposite. They didn't harass me, but they also didn't serve me like a proper customer. They were rude and charged me extra for everything.

"I think scamming a Ninja is punishable by Konoha's law. I wonder how the T&I Department will react when I bring someone there."

My words caused the rude shop owner to stiffen. He looked at me in horror, face as pale as a sheet. A serene smile crept up my face, but I was sure it looked sinister to him. It was fun. I might intentionally come to red-marked stores just to torture these guys mentally. With a chuckle, I left the store. I bought nothing. I was petty enough not to contribute to the shop's earnings.

Another round of visits left me hungry. I still had enough money to buy food for the entire month, but I was quite unwilling to spend any more of my money. After all, it was the remaining of my entire life's savings. Because of that, I went to the Akasen (Red Light District). It was a unique part of Konoha. It was still under Konoha's law, but no one cared about what happened there.

I looked around the district before my eyes fell on one of the alleys. Three intimidating guys were talking to each other, likely in the middle of a transaction. Dashing into the dark alley, I kicked the biggest man unconscious. White powder flew into the air as he fell. I ignored it and struck the second man who hadn't recovered from his shock.

As the second man fell and dropped to the ground, I turned to the third guy who had a knife ready. He was shaking, so I assumed he was the buyer of the drug. Drug dealers couldn't be cowards. They had to meet a lot of people with unsightly backgrounds. The poor guy charged at me. A kick to his solar plexus was enough to render him unconscious.

"Civilians will never be able to match a Shinobi. Chakra does a lot of amazing things to your body," I remarked to myself as I rummaged through their pocket. "Let's see… oh, I got 50,000 ryo. It should be around 200,000 yen, which means I got roughly 2,000 dollars. Not too shabby, all right."

Standing up after making sure that their pockets were empty, I stored the money I found in my pocket. I was about to leave the alley when an Anbu with a cat mask stood in my way. I couldn't read her emotion, but I could sense her disapproval. Thankfully, she wasn't hostile.

"Hey there, kitty. I didn't know you hanged around here."

"…"

Akasen was the 'don't bother' area of Konoha. Anbu rarely patrolled there unless a big criminal was suspected of hiding there. The fact that Cat was here means that I was being constantly watched by the Anbu. In other words, they had always watched whenever a group of snotty kids ganged up on me or when drunk guys tried to hit me.

None of those instances were fatal, but that was not how a child should be treated. I was the goddamn savior of this shitty village, so I shouldn't have been treated that way. In short, I didn't like the Anbu. I didn't like Konoha and its entirety.

"Uzumaki Naruto-san," the Anbu spoke neutrally.

"What's up, sweetheart? Here I thought you were giving me the cold shoulders," I responded with a light smirk. I didn't feel like joking around, though, so it sounded like a taunt.

"Stealing is bad."

"Indeed."

Nodding in agreement, I walked past her. Cat seemed to be shocked by my immediate response, but she quickly recovered, holding me in place.

"Why did you do it?"

"I need money. I am a helpless orphan—what else can I do?"

"You can lend money from your friends. You will be able to pay them back once you get the first pay of your mission."

"I have none." Cat wanted to speak more, but I stopped her by raising my hand. "I live in the Akasen, kitty. I know how we work here. We rob, thieve, batter, and rape people. It's the place for the pariahs. You shouldn't lecture me about what I did unless you are planning to stop all of the illegal activities happening here."

The Anbu got silent, prompting me to shrug her hand off. "I am just trying to survive. Fuck moral codes. We lose our right to preach about moral compass the moment we become a Shinobi—a glorified killer."

I had never liked preaching my belief as I didn't want to be lumped together with those hypocritical fellows. However, after doing it once, I could tell why those assholes liked it. It felt liberating. Though, I wouldn't do that again. It was a vain activity.

As soon as I got out of the Akasen, I headed to a nearby restaurant. All restaurants in Konoha were civilian-owned, so I had to disguise myself. I wouldn't mind if they only charged me extra, but they might also do something to my food. I loved my food like I loved myself—extreme. If they spat or even added something to it, I would slaughter the owner and his entire lineage.

Half an hour later, I emerged from the restaurant. It was quite an amazing meal. I intentionally undid my Henge right after I stepped out of the restaurant, so everyone could see. This would make them either treat everyone badly or treat everyone well. It was a good mindfuck.

Walking around aimlessly, I found myself standing in front of a flower shop. Deciding that it might be a good idea to decorate my room with flowers, I pushed the door open.

Cling-clang!

A brown-haired middle-aged woman turned to me curiously while she watered one of the flowers. I nodded my head in greetings, causing her to smile.

"Welcome, young customer."

"Hello, Miss Yamanaka."

"Are you looking for Ino-chan?"

Blinking my eyes, I waved my hand dismissively. "No. I am here to buy a few stalks of Purple Hyacinth."

"Did you say something you didn't mean?" the Yamanaka housewife asked.

"Someone died… a long time ago."

The horrified look that she sent me almost made me cackle. I hoped she would learn to keep her curiosity to herself next time.

"Oh my… how insensitive of me."

"Mom, do you know where my…"

Another person joined us. She was a classmate whom I knew from my memory, but a stranger to me, regardless. Standing right beside her mother, the girl in a purple dress, Yamanaka Ino stared at me like she had just seen a ghost. The accursed kid must have thought I had died.

"Naruto?"

"I am his twin brother, Menma," I replied in disinterest.

"Really?" her eyes lit up before a scowl appeared on her face. "Don't lie to me! That idiot doesn't have a twin brother."

Ignoring her, I turned to her mother, "By the way, Miss Yamanaka, can I get my flower?"

"Ah, of course. Do you have another flower in mind?"

"Anything that would look good for a small apartment."

"I would suggest a Lily."

"I will leave it to you, Miss Yamanaka."

Ino tapped her foot impatiently, meeting me with a glare as I turned to her.

"Don't ignore me, you jerk!"

"Why don't we pretend we are strangers?"

"What happened to you?" she asked in confusion before a look of realization decorated her face. "Are you trying to act cool? Let me tell you; others will be fooled, but I won't!"

"Whatever warms your panties at night."

"W- What!?"

Turning my attention back to the Yamanaka housewife, I was greeted by her awkward smile. I silently apologized for what I said to her daughter and she accepted it with an understanding smile. Taking my ordered flowers from her, I followed her to the counter and paid for them. I thanked her and then walked to the door to get out of the flower shop.

"Hey, stop! I will help you with that."

At least, until a nosy blonde kid stopped me and snatched my Lily out of my hand.

"Let's go!"

I decided then that I would make her feel uncomfortable.