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Chapter 24,
🕑 Added 2024-04-19 18:48:25 +0000 UTCMeeting Business Clone, and getting errands done. I wouldn't call this the most action packed chapter but it feels nice to put out calmer bits sometimes. I think it still has plenty of enjoyable content, and marks the first real return to form for this story. A little serious, a whacky hijink, an enjoyable dramatic moment where Sakura isn't sure if she's flubbing or if they're just a bitch.
See you all Sunday.
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“What the…” Naruto saw her off and ran in a random direction, screaming about getting some damn ramen. She’s always wanted to join him for that, but not today. Today she needs to get home before Haku gets there, so she can get some family love in before getting yelled at. Sakura skips to her front door, only to see the door to open, and for Naruto to walk out. It’s not her Naruto, she’s gotten pretty good at noticing the subtle differences in demeanor, but the biggest hint is the suit, tie, and combed hair the blond boy sports.
“I have to meet with investors.” The boy explains, leaving quickly with a briefcase as if he didn’t just shatter her world and shake her to her foundation.
“I don’t…” Sakura gawks, unsure, but knowing she has more to do than bother with that for now. “Where are our parents?”
“At the investors meeting.” He explains with a bit of a sideways glance, like that should have been obvious for her. “You’ll have the place to yourself for a bit, enjoy.” He tips a bowler hat at her, and walks away, disappearing into the sea of people that is the Konoha market district.
It’s a few moments later that the real Naruto slides right up to her with a big grin on his face. “Did you see him? He looked all official.” The boy rubs his hands together, “I bet he got a ton done while I was gone. I’m going to have to wait until bed to pop him, because I bet he’s going to knock me out with all he has to share.”
“Naruto.” She stares for a short moment, unable to take her eyes away but also unable to keep looking at him for long, eye contact is hard for her, okay? “Did you leave a clone here for the entire mission? And what about your ramen?”
“Yeah?” He says with a question to his tone, as if she’s the crazy one. She’s inwardly happy to have heard the question, she’s come so far in such a short time. “Ichiraku told me to come back in the morning, I guess they have some celebration planned for my return and need time.”
“R-right.” She slaps her cheeks, shakes her head, and enters the house to go upstairs to get out of this stupid outfit and into something comfortable enough to be worth wearing. She’ll save the outfit so she can give it back to the woman the next time she visits Wave, it’s not like she won’t be going there semi-frequently due to her third job. Her world has gotten crazier for introducing Naruto to it, she doesn’t regret it, but damn does he manage to throw her for more loops than Zabuza did.
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In fresh clothes and happy about it, she has a few things she absolutely has to do today. She wanted to see her parents and get those hugs and that reunion done first, but her new brother went ahead and monopolized their time so it’s onto the checklist. First, she needs to go to a PC shop and get Haku a kick-ass setup. Luckily for her, the stipend from being a genin continued to hit her account while she was gone - she set up direct deposit - so she should have enough for Haku’s first month rent and the basic setup. She’ll have to upgrade later when she has the money, but it’s either spend the money on that or let Haku sit around doing nothing all day and be a burden. She’s pretty sure Haku would revolt if she let that happen, the boy is nothing if not active, and the little while in Wave where he was supposed to sit around and twiddle his thumbs was obviously torture. He begged Kakashi to let him go to the bridge no less than ten times. Even after Kakashi threatened to hurt him if he asked again, he kept asking and merely learned to dodge.
The poor boy was stir-crazy, she can’t imagine what’d happen if she let him be like that here.
That purchase is easy, quick, and surprisingly efficient. She’s in and out of the shop within half an hour and she’s pretty sure she was only moderately swindled. That’s good business if she has anything to say about it.
Next she has to go to the library and get books on city planning. That goes even quicker, get in, grab the books, check them out, leave. It turns out there’s an entire shelf about the topic and she starts from the beginning, so picking her homework is a joke and as a ninja she doesn’t even need to go through the old process of running all the books by the librarian and personally having an awkward conversation. She writes what she’s taking down on a slip of paper, signs her ninja ID number on that piece of paper, and puts it in a box of other slips before leaving. It turns out a ninja’s time is valued significantly more, and as government workers they’re also trusted significantly more. It’s not just a matter of efficiency, it’s an entirely different system because the old system isn’t felt like it’s needed. The fact that a better system existed and she didn’t have to waste so much time up to this point irritates her almost as much as the new system relieves her.
Not having to talk to the judgy lady asking why she’s studying flowers or perfumes or fan clubs is a gift heaven sent, and she’s not about to second guess it when she can quickly skedaddle the hell out of there. To say the fanclub was more embarrassing than helpful would be accurate, so much effort went into being convincing to hide a hobby that it seems everyone always knew about.
Last on her list is her sword and the bolts for her crossbow, which means stopping by a smith. Since Kakashi was so adamant about the garbage of her previous weapon that he gave her some kind of twisted evil in blade form, she decides to go to a different smith than the previous one. Specifically, she asks around and finds herself directed to Higurashi’s, a mid-level smith that mostly specializes in ninja tools and weaponry. He’s not for those on a budget, but he’s also not for those seeking extreme extravagance or paying for the appearance more than the utility, so he fits perfectly into exactly where she wants to be.
Which is why it’s odd she sees another girl only a little older than herself when she enters the shop. She has a leaf headband on, and is dressed in a simple top unlike any she’s ever seen before. It lacks sleeves, and fits snuggly on the girl accenting her figure without drawing away from her maneuverability. Sakura can’t help but smile at it, given how pink it is. She’s stocking the shelves with kunai.
She also can’t help but notice that there’s no one manning the front, and she stands around awkwardly, waiting for someone to approach her. It’s, “awkward…” She mumbles to herself.
“Hmm?” The girl looks back at her with big brown eyes. “Oh, if it isn’t the head of the Uchiha Sasuke fanclub. We don’t take fliers for meetings…”
“Uhhhhhhh…” The flush that spreads across Sakura’s face cannot be understated. “That’s been disbanded.” Sakura gulps to herself, “it turns out it’s illegal to stalk a genin, since they might be doing something top secret.”
“Uh-huh. So why are you here?” The girl asks, stylized brown hair buns atop her head seem to twitch at her words, leading Sakura to idly wonder if she’s secretly a catgirl or something. That thought quickly passes as absolutely insane, she’s seen too much crazy nonsense recently, it’s screwing with her head.
She will have to check. Just not now. She reaches up and flicks the metal plate on her own headband pointedly. “I need some things looked at, and the professional opinion of the smith here. My sensei got mad at me the last time I went to a budget smith so I figured it’d make sense to ask around and that brought me here. Do you work here?”
She regrets her question instantly, as it’s so obvious the girl works here it hurts. Some people say there’s no such thing as stupid questions, but no one told the girl with the pink top in front of her, as she lifts the kunai in a box set up to her chest and deadpans, “no, I’m just impersonating a worker for kicks.”
“Oh, that’s um, an interesting hobby.” Sakura reaches up to rub her cheek, the heat coming from them is almost enough to burn her fingers. “Do you know when the smith’ll be back?”
“...” The girl sighs, and does what must be done, facepalming somewhat hard before turning away and stocking the box. “Just put whatever you need looked at on the counter with your ninja-ID number on one of the slips to the side, add any details to the notes section. He'll look you up and be ready for you in a few days.”
“Okay.” Anything to get out of this conversation, Sakura quickly scrawls the details on the paper.
She needs her sword looked at, expressing caution and asking for a full identification if at all possible. She also needs her bolt looked at, and to know if she can have any duplicates made. She has a super limited amount of them and she kind of needs more made after she’s done with them, if not extras made in advance. “Is there a standard fee I should leave for an identification or?”
“No, just leave it and go.” The girl’s eye roll can be heard. “Jeez…”
She could not leave fast enough if she tried. The missing weight of her sword - left on the counter - makes her steps a little awkward as she goes.
Comments
Dopplerdee
TenTen is going to be so confused.
