Morning: Naruto's Apartment

"NARUTO!" A yell pierced through the neighborhood. Yet anyone who heard it only sighed in grief.

"AGH!" A crash quickly followed the yell. In an apartment, a bundle of blankets could be seen on the floor with a mess of limbs hanging out.

"Ughhhh...why does Iruka-sensei always has to yell? I'm going to prank Jiji hard by giving him my address." Naruto proceeds to get out of his entanglement and walk to the door.

Before opening the door, he takes the time to dismiss the now regular morning message. He opens the door to a red-faced Iruka.

Naruto grins innocently up at him. "Hey, Iruka-sensei! How's it going? You know your face is really red, right? You should get yourself checked out. After all, I can't have you kicking the bucket so soon, right?"

You could practically see the veins popping out of Iruka's head.

Iruka clocks Naruto in the head and says, "YOU BONE HEAD! You think we wouldn't notice your little "prank" all across the school? You even booby-trapped the girl's bathroom!" Iruka didn't even have time to finish before Naruto snickers.

"Ha...Booby." Iruka looked ready to clobber him again before sighing in despair. You could hear him mumble under his breath something about not being paid for this.

"Naruto, this behavior is getting out of hand. I know it might be fun for you, but I'm the one who has to deal with the aftermath. I had to cut every single trap you had that hasn't already been activated."

"Does that mean some were activated?" Naruto smiles wryly. Iruka doesn't hesitate to bonk him this time. "AGH, HEY! That's just uncalled for!"

Iruka replies with his yell. "That's not the point, idiot! You are a year and a half away from graduating, and you're still not taking this seriously." As Iruka starts to chastise him, Naruto looks down in annoyance.

He couldn't sit still and listen without it all jumbling up in his head. What is he supposed to do? Just go on pretending he understands whatever the heck they're talking about.

No way. He tried that long before, and they did not take their time to disprove him. Lesson learned.

"Are you listening to me?"

Naruto is brought out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I heard you the first thousand times." He couldn't help but snark.

Iruka wasn't blind. He could see the frustration on his face even in class, but he's been seeing it less since the year began. As if he had just stopped trying.

"I know it's boring, but you will need these things later. I also came to see if you had at least taken a look at the new material given out for this week. You know you need the head start." Naruto didn't hide the sheepish grin on his face.

Iruka sighed before deciding to bend the rules a bit. "Come on. I'll show you what you should look at before tomorrow."

Naruto looks at him in confusion. "But I thought you couldn't teach me outside of class?"

Iruka just gives a slight grin. "I'm not teaching you. Just telling you how to learn yourself." Naruto stills look confused before shrugging.

Not like he'd be the one in trouble. Naruto lets Iruka inside his humble abode, and Iruka immediately scrunches his nose.

"When was the last time you cleaned?" Let's just say Naruto's apartment wasn't even close to the word "clean."

Naruto shrugs again before entering his room to scour for the book in the mess. As he returns, Iruka notices the condition of the book.

The cover seemed to be aged and not well either. Nicks were all along the edges, and the seams looked on their last legs. After Naruto handed him the book, Iruka realized why it looked so ragged.

"Naruto...who gave you this?" Naruto raises an eye.

"The librarian, who else?" Iruka merely sighs and tucks the book away.

"There is something wrong with the book, so I'll just retrieve another for you by tomorrow. I'll excuse you from questions tomorrow." There was nothing wrong with the book per se. It was just outdated.

The book he should've received was the second revision of this one. No one would have noticed unless one looked closely.

Still, Iruka knew due to the lack of the revisor's insignia on the cover. "I still want you to at least pay more attention, or else I'll have to set up some ramen restrictions."

Naruto looked at this man as if he had just thrown his dog away. "NO! You can't do that!" Iruka just gave him a stare that said watch me.

Iruka starts to walk away but not before saying this over his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow Naruto and remember to report for detention for the rest of the week. I tripped your traps. I never said I cleaned up any of them."

Naruto could only stare at his back in shock. By the time he came to, Iruka was already gone.

The blonde child could only groan in misery. "This has to be payback. There is no way it isn't." Naruto proceeds to get ready for the day.

After realizing he was running low on food, he decided to head to the market. After living this long, Naruto knew which stores to visit that would only mark up the price instead of running him out entirely.

After spending 50 Ryo and bringing the food home, he heads to the training grounds from yesterday. This time, the green duo did not return.

"Okay! Let's get started! My path to becoming Hokage starts here! Believe it!" Naruto struck a pose and stayed awkwardly still. He soon drops the pose, already feeling awkward about it. "Ahem...I'll just start with the Taijutsu book then."

Naruto retrieves the book from the System and begins reading through it. After giving it a once over, he put it down and got ready to work. As he began to start, a prompt appeared.

[Location Found]

? Training Grounds

This location has a hidden history only known to a few. Learn of its history to reap the full benefits.

Half Benefits: 100% increase in Stat Progression

100% increase in ?

50% reduction in Stamina Cost

Naruto looked at the screen in surprise and said, "Wow, these benefits are awesome, and it's only half! That means I can get twice as much if I complete the task. But where would I find out about its history?" As he said this, another screen appeared.

[Special Quest]

Uncover the History of ? Training Grounds {In Progress}

Side Objectives:

Meet ? {In Progress}

Completion Reward

Full Benefits of ? Training Grounds

Dungeon Unlock

+150 Rep with Hiruzen Sarutobi

500 RYO

300 EXP

Side Completion

Instructor: ?

Receive Rare Armor or Weapon

+150 Rep with ?

+5 WIS

Failure Reward

Barred from Training Grounds

[Yes/No]

Naruto shook with glee at the rewards. "Ooo~...these rewards are good. Huh? Why would I gain more Rep with the Old Man? And what is this about dungeons?" More questions arose, but no answers would be given until he spoke with the Third Hokage. "At least it gave me somewhere to start." After he pressed yes, a different screen surfaced.

[Daily Training Quest]

Complete Daily Training Quota {In Progress}

Punching [0/100]

Kicking [0/100]

Push-Ups [0/50]

Squats [0/75]

Sit-Ups [0/75]

Run [0 km/2 km]

Completion Reward:

+2 STR and DEX

Failure Reward:

Double Pain Sensors

The sense of glee quickly retreated after the quest was displayed. "What kind of sick joke is this?! These numbers are criminal, and this is daily at that. Please tell me this is not an everyday thing. And it calls the punishment a reward?! Flipping Sadist!" Naruto continued to shout expletives before soon calming down.

It wasn't like he could decline it, so he might as well get it done. Naruto got into his punching stance before he began to punch. He quickly noticed something was wrong.

"Why is the quest not counting it?" Naruto questions before trying out the other exercises as well. One by one, he began to try them all and found none of them working. Nothing he did count.

Naruto thought about what was going wrong before looking at the book. Each exercise came with instructions that he had glossed over, but looking at the pictures, he saw how different it was from how he was doing it.

He read through the passage centered around punching.

Punching is a simple yet profound concept. There is a difference between punching and swinging a fist.

It is all about the transfer of power.

The fist is nothing without the wrist.

The wrist is nothing without the arm.

The arm is nothing without the body.

The fist is nothing without the body.

To punch is to use one's entire being.

After reading through it more thoroughly, he understood he was doing something wrong but couldn't understand what.

Before he could contemplate any further, the clearing became a shade darker before seeing a blue figure appeared. Naruto couldn't help but trip over his feet in surprise.

"What the?!"

At the Hokage's Office

A meeting was underway between the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and a particular Academy Teacher.

"Sir! This has been going on far enough! They are continuing to sabotage him at every corner. I tried my best to curb this, but I can only do so much. You have to take action." Iruka could be seen standing straight before the Hokage holding a familiar book.

After blowing out of his pipe, the Third Hokage sighs. 'I still can't change their hearts with all my honor and valor.' He turns to Iruka.

"What would you have me do?"

Iruka raises his head and says, "Punish them! They have to be held accountable. This behavior cannot be accepted no matter how they feel towards a student." The Third Hokage merely nods his head.

"You are correct." This only seems to pour oil over the flames.

"Yet, you're not doing anything!" The old man gazes at the teacher in understanding, not bothered in the slightest.

He only answers with a question. "And do you know why?"

Iruka retreats and stares back with accusation blazing in his eyes. However, his expression stays the same in respect. "That's what I wanna know." The old ninja's gaze returns to the window overseeing the village.

A moment of silence sets in before being disturbed again.

"You know Naruto is your average student. He is special. Maybe not in a good way, but nevertheless, he is. Sasuke Uchiha is also special. Both boys were shaped by tragedies and through that. Rules become complicated."

Iruka couldn't understand how rules set them apart from the rest. "Rules are meant to protect the students. No matter the background or the situation, they are all equal." The Third Hokage could only shake his head at the young man's naivety.

"Do not confuse promised safety with promised equality. While it may seem to show fairness, it only seems so because the rules were made for the majority. It is only because the minorities are only individuals that the current System prevails." While Iruka could understand this, he could not wrap his head around why the aged warrior let this continue.

The Third continues, "It is my fault. During my reinstatement, I made too many concessions. I understood the plight of the people as I, too, was a victim of loss that night. I could only spread my authority among others in my momentary lapse of strength. Now, they are not all too keen on giving it back."

The old man takes another puff from his pipe before chuckling. "It is as they say, "Give them an inch, and they'll take a thousand."

His voice contained a touch of grief, and Iruka tucked his head down in frustration.

"Is there really nothing we can do?" The Third turns back to Iruka. Seeing the teacher's fist tight and shaking, the man's face softens.

"It is, as I said. The rules are not meant to be fair. While we may not be able to punish people for minor things, we can reward those who can stick through it." Iruka looks up in shock.

He stammers to reply. "Y-you mean..."

The Third eye smiles and says, "Affirmative, you are given permission to correct any and all misconduct made by the teachers at the expense of the Academy. Any further instructions are allowed but at your own expense. Should there be any trouble, a stamped document will be made shortly, and you can pick it up tomorrow from me. Your pay will also increase based upon your investigation and the additional time required to rectify this mess."

Iruka was not apprehensive about the idea but still questioned this action plan.

"Are you sure we can do this? This won't fly with many people."

The old man rolled his eyes. "It's not as if we are going to advertise it, but we won't deny it either. Don't cause too much trouble, and I'll take care of any backlash." Iruka brightened and stood straight at attention.

"Yes, Sir! Thank You!" Iruka bows, but The Third shakes his head.

"This is merely my own selfish desire. While I have my duty to the village, I owe Naruto a debt. Maybe this will lighten the load some."

Iruka dims a bit before saluting in determination. "You can count on me, Lord Hokage." He leaves, and the old man nods towards the door.

"I know I can. Cause if not, who can I count on."

Back at the Training Grounds

"IS THAT ME?!"