'Phew, that was a lengthy talk,' Sabuko thought, walking down the quiet street; noticing a clock on his way. 'Almost 22:00 already. Gotta hurry, or I'll end up waking Takos.'
'Still... I sealed the deal. Naruto said to meet him in the nearby woods tomorrow around noon…' His hand trembled with excitement.
'I can't believe it. I'm finally learning Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!' He struggled to contain his grin. 'Mommy domme clone foxgirl sexy jutsu harem, here I CUM~'
Later, he reached the Bruger house.
He looked up at it.
'Small place… Good thing it's not too late and the lights are on. Took me a while to find it. Can't believe I kept saying Burger instead of Bruger…' He sighed internally as he knocked on the door.
Takos opened it. He and his family had agreed to let Sabuko stay after hearing about his parents kicking him out.
Though, they only agreed after Sabuko promised either to become a Genin, or eventually come back to live with his parents.
He agreed to the former.
'That was my original plan anyway.'
Takos had looked conflicted, but eventually sighed and nodded.
Sabuko sat silently on the bed in the guest-room he was given.
He turned toward the ceiling, pulse quickening.
'Tomorrow morning I register as a ninja. Then… I learn the Kage Bunshin.'
'I can't wait…'
—– Tomorrow —–
'Hoo... I'm actually facing the Third Hokage.' Sabuko sat in a wide, empty room, across from the old man himself. The Hokage was seated calmly, another Jonin at his side, both staring directly at him.
'He actually handles the initiation process himself? Man, the Hokage's really overworked…'
'And... as much as I hated how he handled Naruto's growth, it's still kinda surreal seeing him in front of me.'
The Hokage opened his mouth.
"Sabuko Kanto... I cannot officially register you as a ninja," he said, expression unreadable.
'NO.'
"WHAT?!" Sabuko bolted upright. "Why, sir!? This is my dream!"
"Wait until I finish," Hiruzen said evenly. "There's no need for panic."
Sabuko froze, tense on the seat's edge.
"I sent Iruka-sensei to deliver your headband to your home. To personally congratulate you. But your parents refused it. They said you're not ready. And naturally, I need your guardian's approval. Without it…" Hiruzen gave a regretful glance, "...I cannot proceed."
Sabuko's fists clenched.
'Going that far just to sabotage his son… That motherfucker. That MOTHERFUCKER!!! HE'D ALREADY KICKED ME OUT. NOW HE WANTS TO FUCK MY FUTURE UP EVEN MORE?!' His teeth ground together.
"Sabuko," Hiruzen continued. "Why do you want to become a ninja?"
Both the Hokage and the jōnin leaned in, curious.
He took a breath, his teeth slowly unclenching.
'No point pretending now. I did prepare a whole speech ready for this moment, though… about protecting the village, upholding peace. All that noble bullshit. But since Sabuko's piece-of-shit dad already blocked me from this life…'
'Screw it. I'll be real. Maybe I'll just kill myself again afterwards.'
"…I don't have a noble reason, sir. I don't have a personal 'Way of the Ninja,' either." Sabuko inhaled, then exhaled slowly.
He noticed Hiruzen's eyes narrow just slightly.
"I just want to have enough chakra to mess around with jutsu. To live life to the fullest. You can do amazing stuff with it, and I've got all kinds of ideas to try."
Sabuko closed his eyes.
"I want to be a ninja because… I wanna have some good fucking fun and live a care-free life only for myself." He said, his voice nearly growling with intensity.
'Come on, old man. I'm ready. Say what you must.' Sabuko's fist tightened.
Hiruzen chuckled, puffing gently from his wooden pipe.
"I see... So you want to become a ninja just to have fun."
"…?"
"Everyone in this world has their own reasons for entering the ninja Academy. As time passes, those reasons are tested."
Hiruzen detailed, looking out the window.
"Some go on to face the Chunin Exams. Some get sent on deadly missions and die. Some give up, some grow stronger. What matters," he said, voice firm as he leaned in, looking into Sabuko's eyes.
"is your resolve."
'Alright, here it comes. He's gonna say my goal's stupid, shallow, resolve's not enough—'
"What doesn'tmatter…" Hiruzen puffed his pipe again, eyes sharp, "...is what you want to do."
'... What?'
"Reasons vary. One may want power. One may want to protect peace... One may just want to prove something. Even a certain someone who just wants to have fun can be a wonderful ninja. Your reason is no less valid than someone who dreams of becoming Hokage. What truly sets you apart, is your resolve: Just how much do you believe in what you want to do."
Sabuko's eyes widened.
'What is this...?' Sabuko gulped, 'You're supposed to rebuke me...!' His lips quivered.
"And when I heard you talk about why you want to become a ninja, I heard it loud and clear in your voice and saw it in your eyes. Your resolve."
Hiruzen looked away, his eyes momentarily distant.
"Even a Hokage cannot claim that seeking selfish joy is any less worthy than pursuing what others call noble. A ninja's path is shaped by their heart! Not by how grand their reasons may appear to others."
'Stop...!' He sniffled softly. 'Reject me!'
"…And that is why," Hiruzen continued, reaching beneath the desk, "despite your parents' refusal, I'm personally approving your genin registration."
He placed the Konoha headband gently on the table before him. Sabuko's eyes were fixated on the headband, widened in disbelief.
"Even wanting to enjoy life… fooling around, experimenting... That, too, can be your Way of the Ninja."
He smiled faintly.
Sabuko clenched his teeth and clutched his thighs as he looked down.
'Don't accept... Me..!! I'm a freak..!!'
"Just don't fool around too much. I've already got my hands full with Narut—eh, with everything else."
The Jonin beside him chuckled with a sigh.
'....'
Sabuko gulped... Then stood.
He walked quietly to the desk, picked up the headband, and slid it over his forehead in one smooth motion.
He didn't speak.
The Hokage's smile held steady as he watched. Sabuko's lips quivered—pressed tight, head bowed low, eyes hidden.
A quiet sniffle coming from Sabuko as he walked toward the exit, not saying a word.
"Jonin rotation is on the 15th of next month," Hiruzen called after him.
"At the Ninja Academy. Don't be late."
Sabuko gulped and nodded at the remark before he stepped out.
And then—just outside the door—he collapsed softly against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He buried his face into his knees.
Subtle sniffling echoed in the corridor, using the headband to cover his eyes, and bear his tears.
"Are you sure about this, Lord Hokage?" the Jonin asked. "There'll be backlash from his parents."
"I'm willing to face it," Hiruzen replied, eyes gently closing.
"…He's a good kid. And he's got sharp senses fitting for a shinobi," he said with a smile. "You heard what he told Naruto, didn't you? At the graduation ceremony, when Naruto failed. Sabuko noticed that boy's agony within minutes, when an entire crowd had failed to see it for years. A keen eye is one of the deadliest weapons a ninja can have."
He looked toward the closed door.
"That, and self-honesty. Right now, he could use some support to raise those qualities up." The Hokage concluded.
"I suppose that's true, he's got the heart for it." The Jonin echoed while shaking his head. "If only most kids his age were that honest..."
Later…
"It's that simple—you better believe it!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, "Now you try! Try to make three Shadow Clones!"
"…Three?" Sabuko echoed.
'All I need is the Tiger hand sign, and instead of visualizing the clone's form, I focus on splitting my chakra evenly… 25%, since it's for 3 clones and me...'
He paused.
"Yeah, no," he muttered.
"E-eh!?" Naruto yelped.
"I'm not making three. I'll make one."
"W-why not?! If you don't try, you'll never know if you can do it or not!"
"Oh, don't get me wrong. It's… surprisingly easy, actually. For something this dangerous." Sabuko replied,
"But I don't have your chakra reserves, Naruto. If someone like me uses this recklessly like you do, we could drop dead on the spot."
Naruto blinked. "Geeeehk," he groaned, scratching his head awkwardly.
"I guess… I didn't really think about that—you better believe it…"
"Either way…"
Sabuko formed the Tiger seal.
"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
A single clone poofed beside him. Perfect. Identical.
Sabuko looked at himself, eyes wide.
"You did it!" Naruto cheered.
Sabuko stared, slowly grinning.
"Sabuko…?" Naruto tilted his head at the silence.
Then suddenly, the two Sabukos grabbed each other's arms and spun in circles.
"WE DID IT!!"
"ONE STEP CLOSER—"
"—TO…"
They paused. Looked at Naruto.
"...?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"…OUR DREAM!!"
They jumped again in unison.
And then it hit.
A wave of fatigue crashed through Sabuko. He collapsed to his knees.
"S-SABUKO!?" Naruto ran forward.
"Chakra reserves…" Sabuko gasped.
"Too low…" the clone echoed, swaying, barely upright.
"H-huh? From just one Shadow Clone?" Naruto scratched his head.
Sabuko looked up at him. "Like… I said… Naruto… This is a jonin-level jutsu… for a reason. If I'd made three… I'd be dead…"
"B-but… I can do over a hundred! It's just a little tiring—you recover fast! You better believe it!"
'That's because of Kurama, you moron… His chakra's constantly regenerating your stamina and body. But of course… you wouldn't know that.' Sabuko coughed.
"Guess… you're stronger than you know, Naruto…" he muttered, laying back against the dirt with his clone beside him.
"H-huh… I am? I-I mean, I AM! But... You sure you're not just really weak or something?" Naruto said, blinking.
'This shitty kid…' Sabuko growled.
'Well, I am just a mob character. This was expected.'
He closed his eyes.
'My chakra's almost gone… And once I dispel this clone, I'll get all of his fatigue, too. Damn it. I'm gonna pass out, aren't I?'
Then, a smirk crept onto his face.
'…Good. Depleting your chakra and stamina completely is the best way to increase it. For the next fifteen days until Jonin orientation, I'll keep doing this: One clone. Collapse. Recover. Repeat.'
'Once I'm stable enough for two, I'll scale up. Eventually three. Eventually more. If I don't die… I'll be unstoppable. No one trains like this because it's suicide. Except Naruto…'
'…And me. Because I, Sabuko Kanto, have a dream too!'
He clenched his fist.
Poof.
The clone vanished.
Sabuko immediately faded to black.
"SABUKO!? SABUKOOOO!!!"
Naruto's voice echoed, fading into silence as darkness took him.