Chapter 128: Rewards

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 128: Rewards

"Yo!" Jiraiya greeted Naruto in his usual cheerful manner.

"I've been told you wanted to see me," Naruto said as he glanced at Tsunade, who was seated behind her large desk, surrounded by towering stacks of paperwork. "I see you're keeping yourself entertained."

She frowned.

"Hey, don't ignore your Sensei!" Jiraiya pouted.

Naruto turned his attention to him. "I thought it would be polite to address the Hokage first." His gaze shifted to the last occupant in the room.

"Greetings, Shizune. I hope you're adjusting well to your new position."

Shizune smiled warmly. "Yes, thanks for asking."

"Now, as for the reason behind my summons… no one has told me yet," Naruto said.

"You still haven't greeted me properly! At least say hi to your Sensei, damn it!" Jiraiya complained.

"My Sensei?... I don't remember ever acknowledging you as such," Naruto replied coolly.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, he decided to elaborate. "I didn't mean to sound rude or ungrateful. You've taught me many useful things, and I'm thankful for that. I always repay those who show me kindness, tenfold over. However, the relationship between a Master and a student has a deeper meaning to me. And I don't plan to acknowledge anyone as my Master…"

'At least not in this life,' Naruto thought to himself.

"Right…" Jiraiya was caught off guard by the answer and felt a bit lost.

"The reason for your summons was to discuss the results of the Chunin Exam. Normally, the Hokage wouldn't do this in person, but in your case, I thought I should explain," Tsunade said.

"Well?..." Naruto waited for her to continue.

"You failed," Tsunade stated bluntly.

"How so? I beat a giant monster that was trying to destroy the village," Naruto pointed out.

"Yes, and the elders are still preparing your reward. But that wasn't part of the exam," Tsunade said as she glanced down at a particular paper on her desk. "Of the three parts the exam was divided into… in a way, you failed all three."

"I'm sure I passed the first two…" Naruto argued.

Tsunade sighed. "The first part tested your ability to gather intel. Do you remember what you did during that test?"

"I already knew the answers, so there was no need for that," Naruto shrugged.

"And that's why I said 'in a way.' You passed the test but failed to fulfill its true purpose. Now, what about the second part?" she continued.

"I don't remember much of that one. I lost control of the Kyubi while fighting Orochimaru and woke up four days later," Naruto said.

"Yes, that one was unfortunate. But again, your teammates carried you out of the forest. I can't really consider that a 'pass,'" Tsunade pointed out.

"I was attacked by an S-rank criminal who shouldn't have been there…" Naruto added.

"I agree, it wasn't fair. You could say you were unlucky. But luck is also a factor during real missions, so there's that," Tsunade explained.

"That is true," Jiraiya nodded. "Although I usually get lucky."

"Lord Jiraiya, don't say that! It'll bring bad luck!" Shizune exclaimed.

"And finally… the third exam. You were eliminated for attacking someone who wasn't your opponent," Tsunade said.

"I was s—"

"I know, you saved the life of the Yamanaka heiress. We're all grateful for that," Tsunade acknowledged.

"I'm sure she's particularly grateful," Jiraiya winked, earning scornful looks from both women.

"But," Tsunade continued, "rules are rules. And you were disqualified from the tournament. That's a fact."

"Naruto, Lady Tsunade wanted to pass you," Shizune chimed in. "She said you were the best Genin th—"

"Oi! Don't say unnecessary things," Tsunade cut her off, flustered. "And yes, it wasn't my decision alone. Since I wasn't the Hokage at the time of the exam, It was only fair that I called upon the Ninja Council to help make the decision regarding the results. The majority felt that, despite your capabilities and your merits during the village's defense, it would be unfair to pass you, given that you didn't complete the tests satisfactorily."

"Did anyone pass?" Naruto asked.

"Just one," Tsunade replied.

"That's disappointing to hear. And now what?" Naruto said.

"There'll be another exam in less than five months. Prepare for that one. If your team doesn't want to participate, I can arrange for another one just for you," Tsunade informed him.

"I'm sure you'll pass next time!" Shizune said, trying to sound reassuring.

"It'd be a disgrace if my student fails again…" Jiraiya pretended to be sad.

Tsunade gave her assistant a glance. "Bring that."

Shizune nodded and went to a nearby cabinet, pulling out a large leather bag. "Here!" She placed it on the table.

"What's fair is fair… that's for you," Tsunade said, pushing the bag towards Naruto.

"This is?..." Naruto opened it up. The bag was filled with money.

"One hundred and fifty thousand ryo," Tsunade informed him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain further.

"One hundred thousand is the reward for successfully hunting down the A-rank criminal, Kabuto Yakushi. Normally, some proof of the kill would be required, but in this case, my word was enough since there was no corpse to recover."

"And the extra fifty?" Naruto asked.

"That's my way of saying thank you. You can also consider it payment for your last mission," Tsunade said.

Naruto hadn't expected to receive this much money, but he wasn't going to turn down such a generous reward, he hasn't done a mission with his team in a while so he was running low on funds. "I'll take it. Thanks."

Tsunade chuckled. "I thought you'd say that." She looked around.

"Now… there's one more matter I need to discuss with you," she said, her tone serious. "But I'd like to talk to Naruto alone."

Jiraiya and Shizune exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't been informed about this.

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