-Later in the evening-
Naruto was laying on the floor, throwing his Hiraishin kunai down the street, before teleporting to it. His legs were limp due to excessive training, all because Guy now know about the cigarette's effectiveness.
He not only increased Naruto's training load by multiple folds, he even had him spar with Lee and Neji afterwards!
His body was so overworked that using the cigarettes now will only harm his body, and his eyes emitted a faint trace of sorrow...
"Na-kun?"
"Naruto?"
He heard two voices just down the street, and looked up. When he saw the two, his eyes watered.
"I'm saved..."
"Ah, what happened to you?" Ino ran over and helped him up
Sakura was also quite surprised to see Naruto in this state, the only other time she has seen him this weak, was when Haku poisoned him.
Naruto rubbed his eyes with his arm and wept
"Guy sensei isn't a human, he had me train until now, and spar with Lee and Neji whilst wearing training weights, he made me run extra, and-and-*hic*"
"There, there, everything will be alright Na-kun" Ino patted his back and said
Though, she was actually smiling as she appreciated a side of Naruto she has never seen before.
"I'm so sad...o-only a ramen buffet can cure my broken spirit" Naruto wept
"...I'm not treating you, this month's allowance is already used up because I treated you to ramen" Ino replied
"...dang" Naruto pulled back and laid back on the floor
"I thought I'd get another free meal" Naruto sighed, showing no signs of crying despite his earlier actions...
Sakura was stunned, she believed all of it! However, Ino merely flicked his forehead in response as she grinned.
"Na-kun, you can't fool me with your acting" Ino grinned
"...Ino, by any chance, did you read my mind" Naruto asked
"Somewhat, for now, I can read the general mood of a person, when I get better at it, I can probably read your mind like a book" She grinned
Naruto paused for a bit...
"Ino...men will need their privacy..." He blushed a little and looked away
In pinched his cheeks and grinned
"You're only thirteen, what privacy could you have?" Ino rolled her eyes
Sakura, who was watching, wondered if she was just being a third wheel at this point. But she was also very happy to see Ino smile like that.
"Ino, I'm so sad that you forgot me now that you're with your Na-kun" Sakura sighed
"Aw, don't worry, I'll never forget my bestie!" Ino jumped over and gave Sakura a big hug
Naruto looked up
"Oh, when did you two get so close?"
"A few hours ago" The two replied
"Mind if I ask how?" Naruto asked, he could have sworn that the last time they met, they were grabbing each other's hair as they screamed insults at one another.
"Nope, it's a girl's secret" The two replied as they placed a finger over their lips
Naruto scratched the back of his head, and pulled himself up from the ground.
"Let me guess, because I kissed and held Sasuke's hand, you two are now banding together to eliminate the biggest threat who would someday probably end up in the same bed as him" He said it as a joke, but when the two heard this, their expressions sunk for two different reasons...
Sakura remembered Naruto's words, and immediately felt that he really swings that way and is into Sasuke.
Ino was depressed because now because she realised that the guy she is now gunning for has had his first kiss taken by her first love...
"You two are making a very scary expression, I think I should run" Naruto added
"Naruto...Sasuke is mine!" Sakura yelled at him
"Na-kun...why did you have to be sullied by another man" Ino covered her face and cried out
[Somehow, even without a mission, you made this situation so chaotic...I love it]
'Human, you're creepy, do you know that?' Kurama also joined in at this moment
Their words left Naruto at a loss, despite not being able to hear one another, they're pretty in sync, huh?
"...can someone just help me get home? Better yet, invite me to dinner, then help me get home" Naruto asked
"If you ask nicely" Ino grinned
"Lady Ino, would you please grace me with your oh so immaculate help by sending me home, I will be ever so pleased with your graciousness" Naruto spoke in an over the top, dramatic manner, which made Ino cover her mouth and giggle.
She then reached one hand towards him
"Well, since you requested my help in such a way, I shall oblige" She smiled as she pulled him closer to help him walk.
Sakura stared at them, with a trace of envy. She hoped that one day, she can do something similar with Sasuke. At the thought of this, her heart re-ignited with determination to win him over.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura" Ino waved
"Mn" Sakura nodded
As Ino helped Naruto back, she noticed that he had his eyes closed as he walked.
"Are you sleeping?" She asked
"Nah, but closing my eyes just feels really good right now...I'm tired" Naruto sighed
"Well, you did spend a day training with both Kakashi and Guy sensei" Ino chuckled
"Not physically, well, I am, but more so...mentally" Naruto replied
"Oh, why is that?"
Naruto didn't reply, as he hid a small bruise on his arm from her.
-30 minutes before Ino and Sakura's arrival-
Naruto was limping away from the training ground due to the intense training. As he was heading back home, he decided to rest on a tree branch where the wind blew gently.
He closed his eyes for a bit, enjoying the wind...
*Bang*
He heard something hit the branch he was on, quite close to his head in fact. Before he could look at what caused it, an object whistled through the air, closing in on his eyes.
He moved his body in a hurry, but a strong pain invaded his body due to muscle pain from all the training, causing him to stumble back and fall off the branch.
'F**k' He cursed as the landing was less than idea, where his arm landed on a rock. He quickly looked around, and saw two kids run off, laughing with a slingshot in their hands.
"I hit the monster, I win" One of the boys laughed
He watched them run into the distance, and a bitter look appeared on his face...the voices of scorn and gazes filled with animosity. It was all too familiar to him, be it now, or his past, and yet, why does it seem to hurt so much more now?
"Damned kids" He muttered
As he got up, he realised he got a bruise on his arm, but that didn't bother him as it'll heal quite quickly with the help of the nine tails inside him.
But what annoyed him was the snicker and laughter he heard from the villagers who witnessed this, staring as if he deserved every bit of this.
If it was a normal day, he wouldn't be this annoyed, as he has experienced this many times already, but today is no normal day, is it?
He was hit by the hidden leaf's secret jutsu, then tortured by Guy during training, so what the villagers did was just salt on the wound.
'If I use slow acting poison...no one will notice, right?' This thought came to mind in that instance...
However, Ino's face suddenly appeared in his mind, making him sigh as he laid on the floor, no longer wanting to walk back.
From then on, he would just throw the kunai to travel, his expression was a bit lifeless at that moment, until Ino and Sakura's arrival, which brought light to his dead gaze.
-Back to present-
Ino had noticed that his expression wasn't the greatest
"Na-kun, if there's anything you are hiding, just tell me, bottling things up isn't good...I would know" Ino said, she felt that Naruto's mood was off
"Mn...it's nothing special" He replied, but he felt warm inside
"You're lying" Ino said
"I'm not"
"You're still lying to me" Ino stopped walking, and faced Naruto, eye to eye.
Naruto sighed
"You won't let me go until I say it, will you?"
"I'm waiting" She nodded
He was too weak to struggle against her, so in the end, he gave in...
"What! How could they!" Ino was furious when she heard what happened.
Her fists clenched
"Pfft, well, seeing you get angry for me has made me forget all about it" Naruto smiled as he poked her cheeks
Ino huffed
"Well, we can't just let them off scott free, can we?" Ino frowned, feeling that the villagers are taking things too far at this point.
Naruto smiled
"I do have one idea" He grinned
"What is it?" She asked
Naruto took out a small bottle
"This thing, once it comes into contact with your skin, it'll make you feel itchy, but not just any type of itch, it's an extremely weak itch that would constantly be felt, just enough to make you scratch it, and it would bother you if you didn't" He grinned
"...are you the devil?" Ino remembered that Naruto has been dabbling in medicine recently, and this prank is very much so to her taste as a devious grin grew on her face.
Naruto has not bothered anyone as of late, unlike his past mischievous self who would often play pranks everywhere. Yet despite not doing anything, he is still being targeted by villagers, even children who see him as a monster rather than a human. A target of scorn...
She giggled at the thought of the poison being used on the villagers
The Anbu observing: o-o
He contacted another Anbu to relay the message to Hiruzen, in case Naruto does do something that would harm the villagers, and kept an eye out for any action he did.
'Oi Kurama...is there a way to let you out without killing me? Bomb this village for me, nothing major, just blow up the wall with all the Kage's face, release some pent up annoyance' Ino may not know, but inside Naruto's head, he was having a conversation with Kurama
'Why should I help you?' Kurama sneered, he did want to desecrate the village, but acting like this kid's dog? He'd rather stay sealed for the moment.
Naruto clicked his tongue
"Is something wrong?" Ino asked when she heard him click his tongue
"No" He replied
"oh..." Ino felt that he was lying again, but didn't want to seem too pushy, his expression wasn't that great, so it may bother him.
In the end, she remained silent and helped him back home.
"Thanks" Naruto smiled
"It's alright...Na-kun, I'm always here for you, okay? Don't do anything stupid because of the villagers" Ino rubbed her arm and said
Seeing her this way, Naruto sighed in his heart
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, thanks Ino"
[Mission, take revenge on those villagers, do so in any way possible, it can be big or small, but the bigger the issue, the better the reward]
[Reward: Your satisfaction]
Naruto tucked his lips, and maintained his expression until Ino left. Once she did so, a faint smile crept to his face.
"Well, what a dilema, there's a mission, whatever will I do?" He took out a cigarette, and placed it in his mouth.
Sure, it would harm his body if he overworked it, but a mission is a mission, no? He chuckled to himself as he entered his private lab.
[Wow, no hesitation to make more poison for the villagers?]
"What do you mean? I clearly being forced by you to do this mission" Naruto said with a twisted smile on his face
[I have never seen someone who is forced be this happy, there is literally no reward]
"I'm not happy, I'm crying inside, you can see my sadness through my eyes" Naruto said, but he still had a sadistic smile on his face as he continued to mix chemicals.
He even giggled to himself amidst this, which creeped both Kurama and the system/assistant out completely.
[Way too creepy, you are my ideal specimen in every way, except that smile, it's creepy]
'Human, stop smiling, you're making me feel a shiver'
After a while, he completed it. It was a bottle of green liquid. He poured the liquid into a pouch, and the moment it was poured out, it started solidifying, turning into fine powder that would fly at the slightest huff.
"Done, my favourite prank item when I was thirteen, b*tch of an itch"
[Is that the name of it?]
"I was thirteen when I came up with it"
[I love it, but is there a difference between this and the one you showed Ino?]
"The one I showed Ino isn't freshly made, only the fresh ones can flow like liquid, and spread rapidly in the air" Naruto chuckled as he exited the lab.
[Fascinating]
Holding the pouch in his hand, he exited his house and headed to the living district where the kids knocked him out of the tree.
"Don't blame me, I'm forced to do this" Naruto smiled
[I did not force you]
"Hush, no one needs to know that"
'Who are you talking to?' Kurama couldn't help but ask, but didn't get a response
[...evil b*stard]
He placed a small metal bead inside the pouch along with the dust and threw a hiraishin kunai into the air as hard as he could.
He then threw another one towards his house, before teleporting to the one in the air. Once he was above, the pouch was tossed downwards, and he immediately teleported to the second kunai he threw.
*Bang*
Whilst it was still in the air, the metal bead inside exploded, ripping the pouch to shreds before dispersing the dust within.
The Anbu who saw all this was shocked, and quickly tried to prevent the powder from spreading through various fire jutsus.
However, his efforts were in vain as the powder were not only extremely fine, but also light, being blown away by the slightest force and gust of wind, slowly spreading down throughout the small portion of town.
"I must report this to Hokage-sama" The Anbu's expression was grim
Some powder landed on him, and a slight itch was felt on his skin.
"Tsk" He remembered Naruto's words, a faint itch that won't be too much, but would bother someone.
"That brat"
He hurried into the Hokage's office and reported everything to Hiruzen. The response he got however, wasn't what he anticipated.
"Do you feel anything else?" Hiruzen asked
"N-No" he shook his head and replied
Hiruzen stroked his beard and narrowed his gaze towards the crystal ball in front of him. From what he could see, Naruto doesn't plan to do anything else, so this can be seen as nothing more than a child's prank.
"Don't report these pointless things in the future, let him be, it is the fault of the village that he is doing these things" He sighed as he stopped his prying.
The Anbu nodded, however...
'This itch is seriously annoying' He cursed in his heart as he returned to watching Naruto.
He tried washing it with water, and even burning it with fire, but the parts that came into contact with the powder remained itchy no matter what he did.
-Next day-
Naruto decided to go visit Ino at her family's store to see if he could get in contact with Asuma sensei.
When he arrived at the store, the door opened and he saw someone walk out. It was a surprise to see this person, and when their eyes met, the young girl shifted her gaze and ran.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and walked in.
"Oh, Na-kun, did you come to see me?" Ino was at the counter as she waved at him
"Sort of, why was Hinata here?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the counter
"Hinata eh?" Ino grinned as she poked his chest
"I wonder as well~"
Naruto huffed and shifted his eyes, which made Inos smile widen. After teasing him a bit, she leaned on the counter with one hand on her cheek.
"By the way, I noticed that everyone who visited my shop today were scratching their arms or face, I have a guess, but..." She asked with a playful smile
Naruto coughed
"I wonder why~" He replied in a similar manner Ino did before
Ino remembered what naruto said, and she giggled. Such a prank can not be considered much of an issue for the village, after all, it's just an itch, what's the worst that can happen?
"By the way, how long would it last for" Ino asked
"...did I mention it doesn't have a minimum duration?" Naruto replied with a serious expression
"..." Ino stared at him in silence
*Pfft*
"Hahaha, seriously?" She suddenly burst into laughter, from her viewpoint, they deserved it for all the things they did to Naruto.
The Anbu who heard this: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
No minimum duration??? Whon't this itch stay with him forever then! No, there must be an antidote!
"Hey Na-kun, is there an antidote for that thing?" Ino asked
The Anbu's ears perked up, yes, this is what he wants to hear right now! Tell me!
"F**k em, though there is, I didn't make one, I'll leave it like this for a few days...months...nah, let's go with however many years I feel like it" He grinned
Ino covered her mouth and giggled
"You're too mean Na-kun"
"I'm the victim here" He protested
Anbu: Bullsh*t! I'm the real victim!
"So, what brings you here today?" Ino asked
"I wanted to ask you to convey a message to Asuma sensei for me, I want to learn how to coat weapons with chakra" He said
"Oh, yeah, I can convey that, but how will you repay me? Hm?" Ino leaned over and asked
Naruto scratched the side of his cheeks
"Um...p-poison?" He asked as he held a few bottles of different coloured liquid up in front of her
Ino rolled her eyes, she didn't know why he had so much poison, but didn't ask. She was actually hoping for...
"Na-kun, do you really not know what I'm after?" Ino drew circles on his chest with a finger as she asked
Naruto stared at her
"Should I?" He was a bit confused
"Nothing hard, tell me more about yourself" She smiled
"More about myself? Like what? My favourite food or something?" He asked
"Something like that, except, maybe not food, you eat so much ramen I think it runs in your blood at this point" Ino chuckled
Naruto rubbed his chin
"I'm broke..." He replied after a long thought
"...I can see that" Ino's lips twitched, this is something she knew from the moment they met as he would constantly ask her to treat him without an ounce of shame.
"You are hard to please, hm....recently, I've been sleeping on the floor more than I have slept on a bed" He snapped his fingers and said
"Huh? Why?" Ino stood up and gasped
"Cause I'm tired, Guy and Kakashi sensei are not lenient at all when it comes to training, by the time I get home, I don't even have the energy to make instant ramen and fall asleep at the doorway" He replied
Ino's eyes widened from shock, has the training been that bad? She always saw him smiling when he sees her, she had no idea it was that rough.
"I see..." She fell into a deep thought at that moment
"Ino?"
"Nothing" Ino shook her head and snapped out of her thought
She made up her mind with something and patted Naruto's shoulders.
"I'll be sure to relay your words to Asuma sensei" She grinned
"Thanks"