*The Next Morning*
Naruto slowly opened his eyes as the morning sunlight shone through the window of his bedroom. Letting out a tired groan, the blonde Senju rolled over and looked at the clock sitting on his nightstand before sighing when he saw the time. Yamato had sent him a message the previous evening telling him to meet at their usual training ground this morning, though he had not bothered telling Naruto what they would be doing. "Guess I better get moving," Naruto muttered before throwing the covers off himself and climbing out of bed.
After taking a quick shower, Naruto got dressed in his usual shinobi gear before making his way downstairs. He grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit from the kitchen along with a bottle of water before leaving the main house. Naruto ate his breakfast as he walked through the compound towards the main entrance. Once he reached the gates, he placed his hand against the security seal and channeled a small amount of chakra into it, causing the gates to slowly open. Naruto stepped outside before closing them behind himself and began making his way towards Training Ground 11.
It took him a little over ten minutes to reach the training ground, where he found Yamato already waiting for him underneath one of the trees. The jonin was leaning against the trunk with his arms folded across his chest and his usual emotionless look on his face. "Morning, Sensei," Naruto greeted as he approached him, causing Yamato to open his eyes and look towards his student.
"Good morning, Naruto," Yamato replied before pushing himself away from the tree. He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a folded piece of paper before holding it towards Naruto. "Here."
Naruto raised an eyebrow as he took the paper from his sensei. "What's this?" he asked before unfolding it. His eyes immediately widened slightly when he saw the words written across the top of the page. "Chunin Exam Registration Form?" he read aloud before looking back at Yamato.
"I recommended you for this year's Chunin Exams," Yamato informed him, causing Naruto to look back down at the paper. "The exams are being held here in the village a little under three months from now. I spoke with Lord Hokage yesterday and gave him my recommendation."
Naruto looked back towards his sensei with a grin slowly appearing on his face. "So I'm taking the Chunin Exams?"
"If you want to," Yamato replied, causing Naruto's grin to disappear slightly as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm recommending you. That doesn't mean you have to accept."
Naruto stared at him for a few seconds before looking back down at the registration form. "Why wouldn't I accept?" he asked as though the answer should have been obvious.
Yamato sighed slightly. "There is one other thing we need to discuss first," he said, getting Naruto's attention once more. "Normally, genin are required to enter the Chunin Exams as a three-man team. Obviously, that's a problem for you."
"Considering I'm the only person on my team, yeah," Naruto replied sarcastically, earning a flat look from his sensei.
"Lord Hokage has approved a special exception allowing you to participate alone," Yamato continued, ignoring Naruto's sarcasm. "Since the village deliberately assigned you to a one-man team, it wouldn't exactly be fair to prevent you from participating because you don't have teammates."
Naruto nodded his head in understanding before looking back down at the paper. "Sounds fair enough."
"Don't misunderstand," Yamato said seriously, causing Naruto to look back towards him. "The exception only allows you to enter. The exams themselves won't be changed to accommodate you. If there is a portion designed around teamwork, you'll have to figure out how to complete it alone."
Naruto stared at his sensei for a moment before a confident smirk slowly appeared on his face. "Even better."
Yamato raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem very concerned."
"Why should I be?" Naruto questioned with a shrug. "If I'm going to become a chunin, I don't want them making the exam easier just because I'm on a one-man team. That would defeat the entire purpose."
A small smile appeared on Yamato's face at his student's response. "Good answer," he said before his expression became serious once more. "Remember, the Chunin Exams aren't just about strength. Being stronger than the other genin won't automatically earn you a promotion. Chunin are expected to lead missions and make decisions that could determine whether their teammates live or die. The proctors will be watching your judgment just as much as your abilities."
"I know," Naruto replied with a nod. Growing up around Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya had made sure he understood the different responsibilities that came with each shinobi rank. "So where do I sign?"
Yamato reached into his pouch and tossed Naruto a pen, causing the blonde to catch it. Naruto placed the registration form against the trunk of the nearest tree before quickly signing his name at the bottom. Once he finished, he folded the paper and handed it back to Yamato along with the pen. "There. Officially signed up."
Yamato took the form and placed it inside his pouch. "Good," he said before turning and beginning to walk towards the center of the training ground. "Because now that you're participating, we have a little under three months to prepare."
Naruto followed behind his sensei with an excited grin on his face. "Sounds like plenty of time."
Yamato glanced over his shoulder at him. "You won't be saying that in a few hours."
Naruto's grin slowly disappeared. "Why do I suddenly feel like signing that paper was a mistake?"
"Because you're smarter than you look," Yamato replied without turning around.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Asshole."
"I heard that."
"You were supposed to."
*One Week Later*
Naruto was currently sitting behind a large wooden desk in one of the rooms located beneath the Senju Clan Compound. Spread out across the desk in front of him were several pieces of paper along with a map of Konoha's Red-Light District. It was his first day off from training in nearly a week, and instead of spending it relaxing like he normally would, Naruto decided it was time to focus on another one of his projects.
The past week had been exhausting to say the least. After Naruto signed his Chunin Exam registration form, Yamato immediately increased the difficulty of their training. Their mornings were mostly spent sparring before Yamato moved them into different survival and combat exercises throughout the afternoon. One day, Naruto was required to protect several targets while Yamato attempted to reach them, while another had him avoiding detection throughout one of the village's training forests. Yamato had even made Naruto spend an entire afternoon running around with a weighted backpack strapped to his back, something Naruto was fairly certain his sensei only did because he found Naruto's complaining amusing.
Naruto shook those thoughts away before returning his attention to the papers in front of him. Two days earlier, one of his disguised wood clones had visited the Red Lotus to collect the information Naruto ordered Yoru to gather. Naruto had told the woman that he would be the one to contact her whenever necessary, something he intended to maintain. The less she knew about him and how to reach him, the better. Yoru had been nervous enough when Naruto originally informed her that she couldn't contact him anyway.
"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he picked up one of the papers and read through it once more. Yoru had given him the names of her largest competitors along with information about their suppliers, employees, customers, and several of the people supporting them. Most importantly, she had given Naruto more information about their connections to the civilian side of the council.
Naruto had already known that those connections were one of the main reasons Yoru's competitors had been able to push the Red Lotus out of the market. Now he had a much better idea of how everything worked.
"So taking them down directly isn't the best option," Naruto muttered as he placed the paper back on the desk. If several successful businesses suddenly burned down or their owners disappeared, people would immediately become suspicious. Naruto didn't want anyone looking too closely at Yoru when the Red Lotus suddenly became successful afterward. "Better to make them destroy themselves."
A smirk slowly appeared on his face as he looked over the information again. Several of the establishments depended heavily on outside merchants for their alcohol, food and other supplies. That immediately gave Naruto an opening. Senju Shipping was growing rapidly and already controlled a considerable amount of transportation coming through the Land of Waves. If Naruto could convince some of those merchants to work with his company, he could begin influencing how much it cost Yoru's competitors to operate without ever directly touching their businesses.
Then there were the businesses themselves.
Naruto didn't know whether any of the owners were doing anything illegal, but that was something he could easily find out. Tax records, property records, outstanding loans and business licenses were all things his clones could investigate without drawing much attention. If one of the owners was doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, Naruto wanted to know about it.
Finally, there were their connections to the civilian council.
That would require more patience.
Naruto couldn't simply walk into the council chamber and begin accusing people of corruption without evidence. He was already the youngest person sitting on the council and had made enough of an impression during his first meeting. Starting a fight with half the civilian council wouldn't exactly help him.
At least not yet.
Naruto leaned back in his chair as he stared at the map for several seconds before a wide grin slowly spread across his face. "Well, I know what I'm doing today."
He brought his hands together into a familiar cross-shaped seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Twenty puffs of smoke appeared throughout the room before twenty identical Narutos stood around the desk. Several of the clones looked around before turning their attention towards the original. "Alright," Naruto began as he leaned forward and placed both arms on the desk. "We've got work to do."
Naruto separated the clones into several groups before explaining their assignments. Five were ordered to investigate the suppliers used by Yoru's competitors and find out which ones could potentially be persuaded to use Senju Shipping. Another five were assigned to investigate the businesses themselves, specifically looking into ownership records, taxes, debts, and licenses. Five more were tasked with investigating the civilian council members connected to the establishments, while the remaining five would verify everything Yoru had given him.
"Remember, don't do anything yet," Naruto instructed as the clones listened carefully. "We're gathering information. I don't want anyone realizing someone is looking into them."
One of the clones raised his hand. "What happens if we find something useful?"
"Bring it back to me," Naruto replied. "Once we know everything we're dealing with, we'll decide what to do."
Another clone smirked. "And then we put them out of business?"
Naruto returned the smirk. "That's the plan."
"What about violence?" another clone questioned.
"Only if absolutely necessary," Naruto answered seriously. "The goal isn't to kill anybody. I want their businesses gone and Yoru controlling the Red-Light District. If we can do that without throwing a single punch, even better."
The clones nodded their heads in understanding before Naruto waved his hand towards the door. "Get going."
"Right!" they all replied before disappearing from the room in several puffs of smoke.
Naruto leaned back in his chair once more and looked at the papers scattered across his desk. He had no idea how long the plan would take, but he wasn't in a rush. If anything, taking several months would make everything look more natural.
"Let's see what we find," Naruto muttered with a smirk.
*One Week Later*
Naruto was currently sitting underneath a large tree at Training Ground 11, eating a bowl of ramen. Sitting beside him were six empty bowls while he happily worked his way through his seventh. A few feet away, Yamato sat underneath another tree eating his own lunch while occasionally glancing towards the ridiculous amount of food his student had already consumed.
The two had just finished completing their usual number of D-Rank missions for the morning and were taking a short break before beginning their afternoon training. Over the past week Yamato had changed their schedule around, with the two now completing missions during the morning and spending the rest of the day training for the Chunin Exams. The change wasn't because Yamato thought Naruto needed additional mission experience, but because several villagers had apparently complained to Lord Hokage about Naruto no longer being around to complete their missions.
Even though Naruto had only been back in the village for a few months, the villagers had quickly grown attached to the Senju heir. Naruto had spent a considerable amount of time completing jobs throughout Konoha since becoming a genin, whether it was helping shopkeepers move supplies, repairing fences, clearing fallen trees, or chasing down someone's missing pet. His Wood Release also made him particularly useful for any mission involving repairs, causing several villagers to begin specifically requesting him.
"You're surprisingly popular," Yamato commented as he finished his lunch.
Naruto looked over at him while noodles hung from his mouth. "What makes you say that?" he asked after slurping them up.
"There was apparently a stack of complaints on Lord Hokage's desk from villagers wondering why you weren't doing missions anymore."
Naruto blinked several times before looking down at his ramen. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Huh," Naruto hummed before shrugging his shoulders and taking another mouthful. "Guess they missed me."
"Apparently."
Naruto leaned back against the tree while eating, causing his thoughts to drift towards everything else that had happened over the past week. The clones he created to investigate Yoru's competitors had returned with quite a bit of useful information, allowing Naruto to finally begin moving some of his pieces into place.
Several of Yoru's competitors relied on merchants who transported their goods through routes now connected to Senju Shipping. Naruto had already approached some of those merchants and offered them better transportation rates in exchange for preferred contracts. He never ordered anyone to stop supplying the other businesses. He simply made working with Senju Shipping more profitable, causing several merchants to begin renegotiating their other agreements on their own.
The clones had also discovered several useful things about the businesses themselves. Two appeared to be hiding portions of their income, another had employees who weren't properly registered with the village, one owner was considerably deeper in debt than his business made it appear, and another appeared to be purchasing stolen goods to resell through several contacts.
Naruto hadn't acted on most of the information yet.
He didn't need to.
The entire point was to make the businesses slowly fail rather than suddenly destroy them. One supplier changing an agreement wouldn't attract much attention. Neither would a tax investigation or a lender suddenly demanding payment. By the time anyone realized something was wrong, Naruto wanted the Red Lotus to already be in a position to take advantage of it.
A small smirk appeared on Naruto's face as he thought about everything.
"What are you smiling about?" Yamato suddenly asked, knocking Naruto out of his thoughts.
Naruto looked towards him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"You've been staring at your ramen with a smile on your face for the last minute."
Naruto looked down at his bowl before shrugging. "Just thinking about some business stuff."
"Business stuff?" Yamato questioned suspiciously.
"Senju business."
Yamato stared at him for several seconds. "Should I even ask?"
"Probably not."
Yamato sighed and shook his head while Naruto chuckled before finishing the rest of his ramen. Once he drank the remaining broth, Naruto placed the seventh empty bowl on top of the others before letting out a satisfied sigh. "That was good."
Yamato stared at the seven empty bowls. "How do you eat that much?"
Naruto shrugged. "I was hungry."
"Seven bowls?"
"I spent the entire morning doing missions."
"So did I."
Naruto glanced at Yamato's considerably smaller lunch. "Sounds like a you problem."
Yamato gave him a flat look, earning a chuckle from the blonde before Naruto gathered the bowls and sealed them inside one of his storage scrolls. After resting for a few more minutes, both shinobi stood up and made their way towards the center of the training ground.
"So what's on the schedule for today?" Naruto asked while stretching his arms over his head.
"Your bloodline," Yamato replied, causing Naruto to stop and look towards him.
"My Wood Release?"
Yamato nodded. "We've focused enough on your general abilities for now. For the next several days, I want to focus specifically on your Wood Release."
"Finally," Naruto said with a grin.
"Don't get too excited," Yamato replied as he walked further into the training ground. "There's probably very little I can actually teach you about Wood Release itself."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"My Wood Release isn't the same as yours," Yamato explained as he turned around to face his student. "Mine comes from the First Hokage's cells that were implanted into me when I was a child. Yours is the actual Senju bloodline."
"So?" Naruto questioned.
"So yours is considerably stronger than mine," Yamato admitted, causing Naruto's eyebrow to rise slightly. "Your trees grow faster, you can create larger constructs, and the amount of Wood Release you can produce at once is already beyond what I can manage."
A smirk appeared on Naruto's face. "So what you're saying is I'm better than you."
"No."
"That's what it sounded like."
"I said your Wood Release is stronger than mine," Yamato replied with a flat look. "That doesn't mean you're better at using it."
Naruto's smirk disappeared slightly. "Fair enough."
"I've been using Wood Release on actual missions longer than you've been a shinobi," Yamato continued. "Capture missions, infiltration, reconnaissance, combat, and suppression. That's what I can teach you. You already have more than enough power. What you need is to learn how to use that power more efficiently."
Naruto nodded his head as he understood what his sensei was saying. "So less destroying half the training ground?"
"Preferably."
"No promises."
Yamato sighed before bringing his hands together and forming several hand seals. Naruto immediately felt the ground beneath him shift before nearly two dozen wooden posts rose from the ground throughout the training field.
Naruto looked around at them before turning towards his sensei. "What's this?"
"Your first exercise," Yamato replied as he stepped between two of the posts. "Your goal is simple. Capture me."
Naruto smirked. "That's it?"
"Without damaging a single one of these posts."
Naruto's smirk immediately disappeared.
"If you break one, we start over."
Naruto stared at Yamato before looking around at the wooden posts surrounding him. After several seconds, he turned back towards his sensei with an annoyed look on his face. "Asshole."
A small smile appeared on Yamato's face.
"Begin."
*One Month Later*
Naruto casually walked through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village with both of his hands tucked inside his pockets as he made his way back towards the Senju Clan Compound. He had just finished another long day of training with Yamato and was looking forward to getting home and relaxing for the rest of the evening. The Chunin Exams were now a little over a month away, and Naruto could already see the effects the approaching event was having on the village. Genin from several of the smaller hidden villages had begun arriving in Konoha with their jonin sensei, causing Naruto to see more and more unfamiliar headbands whenever he walked through the streets. Most of the larger villages had yet to arrive, though Naruto knew that would change as the exams got closer.
Foreign shinobi weren't the only people arriving in Konoha either. Civilians from around the Land of Fire had also begun coming into the village early, causing hotels and restaurants to become considerably busier. Merchants were bringing in additional supplies while several temporary stalls were being constructed throughout the commercial district. There was an excited atmosphere throughout the village as nearly everyone seemed to be talking about the approaching Chunin Exams. Some people were discussing which villages would be participating while others were more interested in how much money they would make from all the visitors. Naruto had even overheard several civilians arguing over which village would have the most genin promoted. "So much excitement over a bunch of genin beating the crap out of each other," Naruto muttered with a chuckle as he continued walking.
Naruto rolled his right shoulder slightly as his thoughts moved towards his own preparations for the exams. The past month of training had been exhausting, with Yamato continuing to focus heavily on Naruto's Wood Release. As his sensei originally admitted, there wasn't much he could teach Naruto about the actual bloodline itself. Naruto's Wood Release was naturally much stronger than Yamato's, but his sensei had considerably more experience using the ability during actual missions. Because of that, Yamato focused most of their training on teaching Naruto how to better apply his Wood Release instead of simply increasing its power.
Several training sessions required Naruto to capture Yamato without damaging anything around them, while others had Naruto defending multiple targets at the same time. Yamato also forced him to fight while limiting the amount of Wood Release he could use, which Naruto found extremely annoying at first. Naruto had always been used to overwhelming his opponents with the sheer power of his bloodline, but Yamato was slowly teaching him that creating a massive forest wasn't always necessary when a few roots placed in the right location could accomplish the same thing. Naruto still preferred the massive forest, but he couldn't deny that his sensei had a point.
Along with his training with Yamato, Naruto continued using his shadow clones to practice several of the Wood Release techniques contained inside his great-great-grandfather's scrolls. Some were still beyond his current abilities, while others Naruto had begun getting the hang of. Naruto wasn't too concerned about mastering everything before the exams. He already had more than enough techniques. What he wanted now was to become better at using everything he already knew.
His training wasn't the only thing progressing over the past month. Naruto's plans involving Yoru and the Red-Light District were also beginning to show results. Several of Yoru's competitors were already experiencing problems with their suppliers after Senju Shipping offered better transportation agreements to several of the merchants they depended on. One establishment had been forced to increase several of its prices while another was having trouble getting certain supplies delivered on time. Another business had recently found itself under investigation by the village tax office after information about its finances somehow ended up in the right person's hands.
Naruto smirked slightly at that thought.
The Red Lotus itself was doing considerably better. Yoru had used the money Naruto gave her to pay off a large portion of her debt while also repairing the establishment, just as Naruto ordered her to do when he first took control of the business. Several rooms had been renovated, old furniture was replaced and customers were beginning to return. Naruto had mostly stayed out of the business since then, only checking in whenever he needed information. As far as anyone knew, Yoru had somehow found herself a wealthy private investor. Naruto was perfectly fine allowing everyone to continue believing that.
His political plans were moving considerably slower, though Naruto expected that. He had attended several council meetings over the past month, most of which revolved around preparations for the Chunin Exams. Security was one of the biggest topics due to the number of foreign shinobi expected inside the village, while the civilian side of the council was more concerned about hotels, food, merchants, and the amount of money the village was expected to make. The civilian council had been excited about the business the exams would bring from the very beginning.
Senju Shipping had benefited greatly from the preparations as well. With more supplies being brought into Konoha, several merchants had approached Naruto's company for transportation contracts. Naruto accepted most of them, earning his company more money while also giving him additional business connections around the Land of Fire. Naruto was quickly learning that having money and knowing the right people could sometimes accomplish just as much as being a powerful shinobi.
The council had also received several updates on the stadium's construction during those meetings. Tazuna and his workers had made considerable progress, with the main structure of the stadium already completed. Most of the seating had been installed while workers were currently finishing the interior sections and preparing the arena itself. Several civilians from Konoha had also been hired to help with the construction, something Lord Hokage was particularly pleased about since it gave more villagers work. Tazuna had assured the council that the stadium would be completely finished before it was needed, and Naruto had no reason to doubt the old bridge builder.
"Good evening, Lord Senju!" an older woman called out from outside one of the nearby stores, knocking Naruto out of his thoughts.
"Evening!" Naruto replied with a smile as he waved towards her.
"Training hard for the Chunin Exams?" she asked, causing Naruto to sigh dramatically.
"Unfortunately."
The woman laughed at his response before Naruto continued on his way. It still surprised him sometimes how quickly the people of Konoha had grown accustomed to him. A few months ago, most of the villagers didn't even know he existed. Now people regularly greeted him whenever he walked through the village, and some had even begun specifically requesting him for D-Rank missions.
Naruto smiled slightly as his thoughts shifted towards two particular D-Rank missions he had taken out himself during the past month. The Yamanaka Flower Shop had finally finished supplying all of the flowers Naruto ordered for the Senju Compound. When Naruto originally visited the shop, he told Aoi that he wanted to breathe some life back into the compound after hearing stories from his grandmother about how beautiful it used to be. Ino had gone back to the compound with him that same day to figure out what flowers would work best, with her mother later promising to finalize everything after looking over her notes.
When all the flowers were finally ready, Naruto realized there were considerably more than he originally expected. He could have easily created a few hundred shadow clones and planted everything himself, but instead Naruto went to the mission office and personally paid for two D-Rank missions to help plant them throughout the compound. Team 8 accepted one mission while Team 10 accepted the other, something Naruto still suspected Lord Hokage had intentionally arranged.
It took the two teams nearly two days to help Naruto plant everything, with Ino quickly taking charge of the entire operation. Naruto had learned within the first hour that it was easier to simply do whatever the Yamanaka told him rather than argue with her about where a particular flower should go. Choji had been helpful carrying around the heavier supplies while Shikamaru spent half the day complaining about how troublesome planting flowers was. Team 8 arrived the following day, with Kiba complaining about the mission until Kurenai threatened to make him plant the rest of the flowers himself. Shino had surprisingly been one of the most useful people there since his insects could help determine the quality of the soil, something that immediately got Ino's attention.
Naruto had also gotten to spend quite a bit of time with Ino during those two days. The two blondes worked beside each other for most of the first day while Ino explained where she wanted everything planted and Naruto mostly did what she told him. He occasionally made fun of how seriously she was taking everything, usually earning himself a punch in the arm whenever he did. By the end of the second day, however, Naruto couldn't argue with the results. The empty gardens around the compound were filled with flowers again, and for the first time since Naruto returned to Konoha, the old Senju Compound was beginning to look like someone actually lived there.
Naruto continued walking for another ten minutes before the large walls surrounding his clan's compound finally came into view. "Home sweet home," he muttered as he approached the gates and placed his hand against the security seal. He channeled a small amount of chakra into it, causing several symbols to briefly appear before the large gates slowly opened. Naruto stepped inside and closed the gates behind him before looking around at the flowers lining the main walkway.
Some of the flowers were already blooming while others were still growing, but the difference they made to the compound was obvious. Naruto's grandmother had always told him how beautiful the compound was before the Senju Clan disappeared, and he was finally beginning to understand what she meant. "Not bad, Ino," Naruto muttered with a smile before continuing towards the main house.
Naruto entered the house and kicked off his sandals before heading upstairs towards his bedroom. After the day Yamato put him through, Naruto had absolutely no intention of doing any more work tonight. His clones could deal with anything important. Naruto removed his shinobi gear and changed out of his clothes before grabbing a towel and making his way towards the private hot spring.
A smile immediately appeared on Naruto's face when he slid open the door and felt the warm steam wash over him. "Finally," he said before placing his towel off to the side and stepping into the water. The moment his body entered the hot spring, Naruto let out a satisfied sigh as he could already feel his sore muscles beginning to relax. "Ahhh, that's better," he said as he leaned back against the edge of the spring and closed his eyes.
Yamato had spent nearly four hours that afternoon forcing Naruto to fight while limiting how much Wood Release he could use, causing nearly every muscle in his body to ache. Naruto was fairly certain the man enjoyed watching him suffer, though he would worry about getting revenge on his sensei tomorrow.
For now, Naruto was going to enjoy his hot spring.
*Chapter End!*