Naruto: Akira’s Story

Damn! THIS IS INSANE! - That was my first thought as I walked into McDonald's at lunchtime. Honestly, it was so packed that even Ayumi was helping take orders.

Every seat was taken, and on the first floor, I had to squeeze my way through just to get to the kitchen.

The girls were so busy they didn't even notice me until I started helping out with the cooking.

Damn! Turns out, everyone loves a freebie! do! KAMI, HELP ME!

****

"Phew, we did it, finally." I raised my fist, exhausted.

"Yeah… we did…" (x5) - the girls echoed, raising their fists just as tiredly.

Right now, we were basically sprawled out on the tables, trying to recover from today's madness. I'd had to run to the market several times for more buns and ground meat. Luckily, we had enough fries - otherwise, I don't know how we would've managed, peeling and chopping potatoes all day.

"All right… everyone, go home and get some rest. Now."

"What about prepping the ingredients?" one of the cooks asked.

"I'll handle it."

"But…"

"No buts. You're all barely standing, and I've still got some energy left. Besides, I'm the one who started this mess. Go on, or Ayumi will kick you out herself. Your shift ended an hour ago."

I walked the girls to the door, then turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I need to kick you out too?" I asked Ayumi.

"My chakra reserves might be shot, but I've still got plenty of physical strength."

"Overtime isn't in your contract," I said.

"I'm not asking for it," she replied, shaking her head.

"Hm, do what you want." I was too tired to argue with her.

We went back to the kitchen, and seeing the mountain of work ahead, I sighed.

"Ayumi-san, can you keep a secret?"

"I swear on my family's honor."

"No need for that, just… don't tell anyone about this, all right? I don't need any extra trouble." Forming a hand sign, I summoned three clones and got to work. Ayumi just raised an eyebrow and started helping. In an hour, we finished everything. I handed her the keys and went home, where I collapsed onto my bed right after a shower.

Seriously, chakra's a damn miracle. After a good night's sleep, all the exhaustion from yesterday was gone, so I went for a run right away. Before lunch, I edited the last twenty pages of my manuscript.

I decided to have lunch at my own restaurant. Unlike yesterday, there were far fewer customers, but even so, 80% of the tables were occupied. I got in line behind four people and waited my turn.

"Oh, Akira-san, hello."

"Hey, Fujiko-chan, how's it going?"

"Much easier than yesterday, that's for sure. Are you here to eat or just checking in on us?"

"Mmm, to eat. I'll have combo number three."

That's a burger, fries, nuggets, and a mojito.

"Got it."

"Thanks." - No way was I going to pay at my own restaurant. That's just shuffling money around.

Ayumi was standing in the corner, and when she caught my eye, she nodded.

"Order number 123." Five minutes later, I heard my number and went to the counter, where ever-smiling Fujiko handed me my wooden tray and went right back to the register.

I ate quickly and returned the tray to the counter - that's how I'd set things up, to make life easier for our one and only cleaner.

After lunch, I stopped by the print shop, where the old man and his son greeted me with big smiles.

"Akira-san, you scared us. We thought you weren't coming back."

"Ah, yeah, I was swamped yesterday - it was the first day my restaurant opened."

"Oh, you don't mean McDonald's, do you?" the son perked up.

"Yeah, you've heard of it?"

"The whole village was talking about it yesterday," the old man said. "Is it true there's a Code Playground at the restaurant?"

"Absolutely. Come by anytime between ten and nine."

"We'll definitely stop by," the old man said. "Now, about your book…"

"Did you read it? What did you think?"

"It's fantastic!" his son blurted out. "We couldn't put it down - I can't wait to read the rest." The old man nodded enthusiastically.

"So, what do you think about my offer?"

"If you're willing to give us 45%, I'll find someone to fix the second printing press today."

"Forty-five percent… let me think." Turning my back to them, I allowed myself a small smile. In my world, publishers took at least 80% of the profits - and that's if you were even a little bit famous. Newcomers were lucky to get 10%. "All right, let's draw up an official contract and get it stamped at the administration office."

The contract spelled out both sides' responsibilities, and made it clear that all rights to the book belonged to me. Since copyright law was basically unheard of here, I made sure to spell that part out in detail. If anyone tried to print my book for their own profit, I'd be able to prove with this contract that they had no right to do so and would have to stop selling or cut me in.

Unfortunately, the contract was only legally binding within the Land of Fire. If someone in another country tried to cash in on my work, there wasn't much I could do… well, except maybe hire a shinobi. That option was always on the table.

"I'll definitely buy your book, Akira-san," Homuri said as he congratulated me on the restaurant opening.

After handing over the rest of the chapters, the rest was up to the Hokuishi family.

The book's title wasn't anything fancy - "In Search of Truth." But it fit. The main character investigates crimes in his village. He's a man of justice who can't stand evil in any form, which naturally earns him enemies - people whose dirty laundry he starts airing out. 

That leads to the destruction of his clan, and the story revolves around his search for the culprit(s), which eventually leads to the main antagonist - who, in a twist that shocks every reader, turns out to be his supposedly dead half-brother, who's been popping up throughout the book in a mysterious mask, with motives the hero can't quite figure out.

It's all a tangled mess, but really gripping. By the end, readers can only sigh and say, "So that's how it is… who would've thought?"

On the dark cover, a tall man stands, almost hidden by shadows, with only his glowing crimson eyes, a Tyrolean hat, and a smoking pipe visible.

After an hour of waiting, I got the first two copies and headed out.

It was almost dinnertime, and I wanted to show off my first book, so after a shower, I stopped by my neighbor's place.

"Oh, Akira-san, good to see you! Come in, don't just stand outside." Kushina stepped aside to let me in.

"I came to share some good news." As I took off my sandals, I noticed there was another guest in the house, already standing by the table.

Kushina gently nudged me toward the living room and went to introduce us.

"Akira-san, this is my best friend, Mikoto. Mikoto-chan, this is my neighbor, Akira."

"Nice to meet you," we both said, bowing slightly, and Kushina quickly sat us down at the table.

"Akira-san, would you like some tea?"

"Yes, as usual." I nodded, and Mikoto shot Kushina a quick glance.

"Akira-san, I've been wanting to meet you for a while. Kushina's told me so much about you…"

"Don't talk nonsense, Mikoto," Kushina said, blushing a little.

"Hm, have we met before? You look familiar, but I can't place where…" I tried to get the conversation going. I really had seen Mikoto somewhere before - and no, I don't mean in the anime. [ image ]



"Hehe, maybe you've seen my younger daughter, Sasuke-chan. She looks a lot like me."

"Sasuke-chan?" I rubbed my chin, then my eyes widened. "You wouldn't happen to have a white, fluffy cat at home, would you?"

"Yes," she said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Sasuke-chan brought her home after helping her down from a tree. So you must be the young man who helped her."

"Small world. Yeah, that was me."

"So, what's this about a cat?" Kushina asked, setting a cup of tea in front of me.

I started telling them how, on my way back through the park, I'd heard a cat meowing and saw a little girl.

"Hehe, so that's why she was too shy to give us the details. Now it all makes sense." For a moment, Kushina's eyes sparkled.

"I think she's in the same class as Naruko-chan. By the way, where's that troublemaker?" I asked.

"Oh, she went to that new restaurant everyone's talking about - McDonald's, I think."

"I've heard of it too. Pretty strange name," Mikoto said.

"By the way, Akira-san, weren't you planning to open a restaurant too?" Kushina remembered, and Mikoto raised an eyebrow with interest.

"I already did. Decided to call it McDonald's," I smiled at the two women, whose faces immediately froze. "I meant to tell you yesterday, but with the grand opening, I was so busy I didn't get home until midnight."

"Congratulations! We have to celebrate!" Kushina jumped up and ran her finger along the wall. I watched in surprise as a square meter of the wall disappeared, revealing a little alcove with bottles inside.

"Is that how you hide alcohol from Naruko?"

"Of course. I don't even want her to get the idea that drinking is normal. I'd rather she never knows I keep it here or drink at all," she admitted, a little embarrassed.

"Somehow, I get the feeling you didn't pull out the sake just to celebrate my restaurant opening," I said, nodding at the empty bottle by the trash.

"Busted." Kushina and Mikoto smiled. "Well, everyone needs to relax sometimes. To the restaurant!" Kushina raised her glass, and we clinked and drank.

"If only Mebuki were here," Mikoto sighed.

"Yeah, damn Kizashi never lets her out of his sight. So what if his wife wants to hang out with her friends and have a few drinks? What do you think, Akira?" Apparently, Kushina had finished off that bottle.

"In a marriage, there should be mutual respect and trust. Would I let my wife go out with her friends? Probably, yeah. It's not like she should be stuck in the kitchen all day."

But if there was a guy in that group - not a chance.

"Exactly!" Mikoto said, pouring us all another round. "To freedom!" She and I exchanged glances and drank.

"Akira, I heard your restaurant is staffed entirely by beautiful women. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I specifically picked girls with pleasant looks to attract more customers."

"Really? No other reason?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, it's also nice knowing beautiful women work for you," I admitted.

"Haha, I thought so. But have you considered how your girlfriend would feel about that?"

"Is this your sneaky way of asking if I have a girlfriend?" Mikoto laughed into her fist, and Kushina blushed and looked away. "I keep things strictly professional with my staff, and as for a girlfriend… that's going to be tough for now."

"Why's that?" both women asked.

"I've got too much on my plate, and real relationships take a lot of attention. Plus, it'd be hard to explain to my hypothetical girlfriend why I'm always hanging out with my neighbor, who's prettier than she is."

"You say that like your future girlfriend is guaranteed to be less attractive than Kushina," Mikoto said thoughtfully.

"Well, as someone who knows art, I'm pretty good at judging beauty, and honestly, in the month I've been in Konoha, I've only met one woman who could rival Kushina." If you could harness the redness in Kushina's cheeks, you could light up the whole room.

"Hm, and who's that?" Mikoto asked, since Kushina was too embarrassed to speak.

"Mikoto-san, you see her every day."

She thought for a moment, then gasped.

"Is he talking about Itachi-chan?" Mikoto wondered.

"Really? Where?" she asked.

"In the mirror," Akira replied, swirling his sake and staring at the corner of the table.

"You're really good at giving compliments," Mikoto smiled, praying her cheeks wouldn't turn red.

"No compliments, just the plain truth."

"Oh, stop it," Kushina said, coming back. "And for the record, Mikoto is married."

Mikoto smiled and showed her ring.

"Oh, what a tragedy. The world is cruel and unfair. You've crushed my hopes, and I was really counting on you…"

"Pfft, like you didn't figure it out when she said she had a daughter," Kushina snorted.

"Hey, you never know," I shrugged.

"Don't worry, Akira, besides me, you said there's another beautiful woman out there," Mikoto winked.

"All right, that's enough," Kushina blushed and slapped the table.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. Be right back." I got up and left the house.

****

"So, just a neighbor, huh?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he's easy to talk to, and he cooks well and sometimes brings me treats, so I invite him over in return. What's wrong with that? Back in my old village, everyone just dropped by each other's houses all the time."

"In your village, everyone was related. It's different here. And admit it, you like him."

"That's… Fine, he's handsome and easy to talk to. Even you blushed at his compliments, and you have a husband."

"I did not blush," Mikoto straightened up, touching her cheeks. "But yeah, there's something about him. I'm a little jealous, honestly…"

"Jealous? Of me? Why?"

"You're always surrounded by handsome guys. First Minato, now Akira."

"He's not hanging around me. He's only visited… four or five times."

"Only?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "That's more than enough for people to start talking. And if we're comparing… who's better looking, him or Minato?"

"Hey, stop bringing up my ex-husband."

"See? You said 'ex' - you never used to say that. It's been a long time, Kushina. You've let Minato go."

"Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am. So, who's more handsome, in your opinion? For me, the answer's obvious."

"Well…"

"And here I am," Akira said, coming back and cutting Kushina off.

"What's this? Books?" Both women looked at the copies I set down in front of them.

"Yep, just finished writing it. They'll be in stores next week."

"You wrote a book?" Mikoto was surprised.

"No way, you're kidding," Kushina said, opening the first page and seeing "Author: Akira Zoldyck" at the end. 

"Wait, is your last name really Zoldyck? That's a pretty unusual last name."

"Yep, I can show you the registration papers." I stole the name from a notorious family of assassins.

"I was going to give one to Naruko and one to you, but since fate brought me together with Mikoto today, please, accept this as a gift."

"I'd be happy to," Mikoto smiled.

"Well, then we should drink to the book, too," Kushina said, pouring us another round of sake.

"To a successful launch," I said, and we all drank.

"So, you opened a restaurant, wrote a book, and paint portraits…" Kushina started listing.

"Well, I'm a man of many talents. Good at some things, not so much at others."

"By the way, Kushina, you promised to show me his portrait."

"I'll go get it!" Kushina jumped up and ran to her room.

"Akira," Mikoto said, catching my attention, "I care a lot about my friend, so I hope you won't hurt her." For a second, her Sharingan flashed.

"I'd never even think of it. Actually, could you… turn your eyes on again?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow, but did it anyway.

"Wow… they're beautiful." Without realizing it, I leaned in closer to Mikoto's face. "Like little rubies - you look at them and it's like you're falling into a swirl of colors. Oh, sorry." I straightened up and sat back down. "It's really mesmerizing."

"I was trying to intimidate you, not seduce you!" Mikoto thought, blushing.

"What's going on in here?" Kushina asked, coming back into the room, eyeing both of us suspiciously.

"I just got inspired and was thinking about painting Mikoto."

"Paint me? No need…"

"You shouldn't refuse, Mikoto-chan. Look here," Kushina said, holding up the painting.

"Wow, that's really well done."

"Thanks, but half the credit goes to the model. See those perfect cheekbones? And the chin? Sharp and soft at the same time. And that delicate nose with slightly plump lips? They're a joy to paint. The hardest part was getting the hair color just right - I spent an hour mixing shades to capture that red, and in the end, I even used a drop of my own blood."

I paced in front of the painting, pointing out each feature, while Kushina held the canvas, her head down - I must've embarrassed her too much.

"Hehe, all right, I get it. But how am I supposed to explain to my husband where this portrait came from?"

"Well… good question. I'd rather not have him show up at my place in the middle of the night with a kunai and those scary eyes. And judging by the way men glare at me when they're out with their wives, I'm pretty sure that would happen."

"Don't worry, Akira, I won't let Fugaku skewer you," Kushina assured me.

"Thanks, that's a relief."

"Hm, all right, maybe I'll just leave it at Kushina's place. I can always come see it here."

"That works," Akira agreed, already sketching ideas in his head.

"Well, I'd love to stay longer, but Sasuke-chan will start to worry." Mikoto stood up and took her book.

I walked Mikoto to the door, and she and Kushina said their goodbyes - I with a nod, she with a hug.

****

"So…" Kushina looked at Akira as he closed the door after Mikoto left.

"Oh, right, our houses are identical. I forgot for a second." Akira scratched his head, about to leave.

"It's fine," Kushina said quickly.

"Want to go check out the restaurant? We can look for Naruko while we're at it." Kushina thought for a moment - she was a little tipsy, so getting some fresh air sounded like a good idea. Plus, she was curious to see how Akira's project turned out.

"Sure, let me just hide the bottles. And change."

She quickly stashed the empty bottles in her secret spot and ran to her room to change. When she stripped down to her underwear and looked in the mirror, she blushed a little.

"Kami, I'm standing here in just my underwear while my neighbor's in the house…" Suddenly, she remembered a scene from an erotic novel she'd bought a month ago, and her mind went straight to the gutter. So much so that she ended up taking off her underwear, too.

"Now I'm naked. What a pervert I am!"

The fact that she was now standing there naked, with only a thin door between her and a handsome man, made her even more excited. And with the sake in her system, her instincts told her to just deal with the problem right now.

She knew, rationally, that what she was about to do was wrong, but her hand moved on its own, reaching between her legs. The moment she touched her little cherry, her hand just kept going.

"Damn, what am I doing? What if he hears me? What if he decides to come in and check on me? What if he's standing right outside the door?"

Somehow, those dirty thoughts only made it better. Shuddering a few times, Kushina collapsed onto the bed, legs spread wide, giving herself over to the moment with her eyes closed.

🔥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🔥

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