Naruto: Akira’s Story

The moment I woke up, I knew something was off.

My desk was right where it should be, but the problem wasn't the desk - it was the canvas I'd left on its edge. Or rather, the canvas that was supposed to be there. I haven't been forgetting things lately, so I know for sure I left it there. But not only was the canvas gone, in its place was my mug, filled with hot tea.

I picked up the mug and took a sip - just a taste, really - and immediately realized the tea was made from the herbs Kushina had given me, with exactly as much sugar as I usually add. What does that mean?

It's simple - someone broke in this morning and stole from me. At the very least, they stole one thing for sure.

And this thief knew exactly what kind of tea I like, and judging by the scalding temperature, they also knew the exact time I wake up.

And there's no way this thief with a weird sense of humor was Kushina, and definitely not Naruko. According to her mom, Naruko only wakes up two hours before lunch, then heads straight to the academy. The only people who know how I take my tea, how much sugar I use, and when I wake up are those two - or... whoever's been keeping tabs on me.

But the real question is - why did they want me to know I'm being watched? Damn, it's actually kind of creepy. Maybe I should ask Kushina to put some kind of anti-intrusion seal on my house? Or just go straight to the police? No... if someone's watching me, it's probably with the Hokage's or Danzo's blessing. But come on, spy on me all you want, just don't come into my house! And if you do, at least don't steal my stuff!

Whoever's running this surveillance clearly wanted me to know about it - but why? Well, first off, they left me tea, and it was hot, so it probably wasn't poisoned. And honestly, if they wanted to kill me, they could've come up with something way more creative overnight. So this tea was meant to send a message... to show their intentions. 

I don't know what those intentions are, but if they went to the trouble of making my favorite tea, I doubt they're trying to threaten me. Maybe it's some ANBU with a decent sense of humor and a bit of a klepto streak. Not great, but not the end of the world either. Still, I should probably count my money and put most of it in the bank, just keeping a little cash on hand.

The money was all there. The thief was so considerate, they even watered my plants.

"Ha-ha, very funny. If you'd done the cleaning too, I'd have nothing but respect for you," I said out loud.

Alright, if something else goes missing tomorrow, I'm definitely complaining to Kushina about how bold the ANBU are getting these days. I don't know what she'd do, but whoever's watching me would definitely regret it.

After my run, I summoned two clones in the bathroom and got back to my book. By now, I'd finished forty pages - about three chapters. My plot was planned for ten chapters. If I had a laptop or even a typewriter, I could've finished this much in five to eight days, but since this world's tech decided to give us copy machines but not typewriters, I have to write everything by hand. 

I figure the book will be done in about two weeks. Then I'll need a few days to edit, and voilà - Konoha and the Land of Fire will have their first book in this genre, with plot twists the locals have never seen and a narrative that jumps between first and third person, plus a few other points of view. And I'll even add my own illustrations.

I swear, readers of any age or social status won't be able to put this book down.

For lunch, I reheated some frozen pizza, and as soon as I finished, I dispelled the clones.

"Damn! I'll never get used to that pain."

After some tea, I lay down for a nap. The rest of the day was spent on nothing special - walks in the park, reading the next volume of Icha-Icha.

The next day was much the same, and in the morning I made sure nothing had gone missing.

On the third day, I woke up to my alarm and, for the second time, found a cup of hot tea on my desk. I jumped out of bed and mentally checked every item in my house - thankfully, nothing was missing.

Two days later, the tea appeared again. Another round of inventory.

"Well, whatever, as long as nothing's stolen, I can live with it."

The next day, I went to check on the final touches at the construction site.

The first two floors were finished, and the roof was on. All that was left were the details - varnishing the floors, polishing the woodwork. As you can guess, I decided to build the restaurant out of wood - it's cheaper and goes up faster.

The plumbing and gas lines were run from below, but I'd have to wait another two days for water and gas. In about a week, a merchant friend of Teuchi-san's was supposed to deliver the furniture and kitchenware. By my calculations, I'd be down to a measly two hundred thousand ryo by opening day - and I still needed to spend money at the print shop for the book, which should be ready by then too.

Back home, I made some cheesy pasta, and before going to bed, I left a plate with a serving on the table and a note: "Enjoy your meal."

As soon as I woke up, I reached for the tea. By now, I'd figured out the prankster's schedule. Not only did they eat the pasta, but they washed the plate afterward, and instead of pasta, they left a soft bun on the plate, like it had just come out of the oven. And I even knew where it was from - I sometimes hung out at that bakery with the veranda. Imagine, they went there and back just for this. Not bad, prankster... but I'm still salty about the painting.

Two days later, I paid the architect and the foreman. I checked everything in the restaurant - the work was top-notch, nothing creaked, even the wooden stairs sounded solid underfoot.

For dinner, I reheated two pizzas. I ate the first, and left the second on the table just like with the pasta - except I loaded one slice with red and black pepper, really went all out. I also added some super spicy sauce I'd bought at the spice shop. To hide it, I covered all the slices with a thin layer of mayo.

With a smug grin, I went to bed.

"Huh, he still made me tea? Didn't get the message?" I took a sip and almost spat it all over the bed. Well, I kind of expected something like this - the tea was salty. A quick check of the kitchen showed all the pizza was gone, and the plate was washed and put away. No tea for me today, but it was worth it - that sauce is so hot, it'll be burning for half a day.

Alright... time to start looking for future employees.

***

[ Third POV ]

"On today's agenda, we have several issues to discuss and decide on," the Hokage began, lighting his pipe. "Let's start with the more important topics - Suna has reduced their shipments..."

At this monthly clan meeting, all the main clan representatives were present, along with those who had voting rights. They voted on all the village's major issues, from security to development. Thirteen people sat around the table: the heads of the Hyuga, Uchiha, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans; representatives from the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans; one representative from the city administration - Homuri; one from the daimyo's family - Torio; and the Hokage's chief advisor - Shimura Danzo.

The Hokage himself had one vote, but if you added the votes of his close advisors, who also represented their clans, he got three more. Plus, allied clans like Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka almost always voted with the Hiruzen-advisor bloc, making it pretty clear to everyone who really ran the show. It wasn't hard to guess where all the power in the village was concentrated.

The meeting had been going for an hour, and everyone was already on their third cup of tea.

"Ahem, now let's talk about Konoha's cultural development." Hiruzen cleared his throat and handed a stack of papers to the person next to him, who took a sheet and passed the stack around.

"What is this nonsense?" Inuzuka Tsume asked, squinting at the paper.

"This 'nonsense,' as you put it, is the sincere wish of one of our villagers to enrich Konoha culturally and spiritually. Just because you, Tsume-sama, don't need it doesn't mean others don't," Homuri replied calmly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she shot back, standing up.

"That's exactly my point - no culture. If we had a 'center for the arts,' a lot of people - and I dare say, even shinobi - would benefit from it."

Shukaku thought for a moment, signed the paper, and set it aside.

The others followed suit, either thinking it over or just signing.

Koharu signed too, raising an eyebrow at Homuri.

"I'd like to see a center like that," she shrugged.

Except for Tsume, who crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the trash, everyone else silently voted in favor by signing.

Fugaku, meanwhile, was stroking his chin, trying to remember where he'd heard of this "Akira" - the initiator of the project, as listed at the end of the sheet.

"Well then, the project is approved," Hiruzen nodded with a smile. "Hmm, I almost forgot, we should've discussed this first." He pulled out another stack of papers and passed it around.

"Pension reform?" the clan heads said in surprise, since most of them had already read and discussed the document.

"Ahem, if I may." After a nod from Torio, Homuri stood and began explaining the reform and why it was needed. Unlike Akira's explanation, he added a lot of his own analysis - after all, it was his boss's order, and he'd had time to think it through.

"...and so, after we adopt this reform, analysts say it'll likely be picked up by other villages as well. So I don't think anyone doubts it's necessary."

"Hmm, the funds for this pension will come from the mission commission fees... I don't see any reason to vote against it," Shukaku said after a quick analysis, making a mental note of the reform's initiator.

The other clan heads also voted in favor. The advisors abstained, as did the Hokage - they didn't like that the money was coming out of the village budget, and they could have convinced a few clans to vote against it (not naming names), but the catch was, the daimyo had already signed off on the reform, so the only way to reject it would be if everyone in the room voted it down.

As for the shinobi who'd already retired for one reason or another, they'd start receiving payments within a week, after all their missions were tallied and the percentages calculated.

Still, Hiruzen allowed himself a smile. According to this document, he'd technically been retired for a long time. Of course, if Konoha were going through hard times, he'd have done everything he could to block this reform, but right now the village was at its economic peak, and a small budget drain wouldn't even be noticeable in a few years.

As everyone packed up to leave, the Hokage was mentally counting how many missions he'd completed over the years, trying to calculate what his payout would be.

"Ahem, unfortunately, as long as I'm in office, I can't collect those payments... I really need to find myself a replacement."

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