Naruto hummed a small tune as he strode down the dirt path that led to Wave Country, a large grin on his face, the prospect of seeing a new land excited him immensely. However, Kurenai and Anko walked a few yards behind him, talking amongst themselves. 

They were nearing the Land of Waves, a small town could be seen in the distance, Naruto's bright smile only increasing at the sight. 

"C'mon guys, I see the town! We can find lodging there for the night before we actually begin our mission." Kurenai rose an eyebrow. 

"But it's only three o'clock, why not just finish the mission and get it over with?" She was elbowed in the side by Anko, who was smirking. 

"Come on Kurenai! We get to eat all types of different dango here! Let's just enjoy our missions for once!" Kurenai rolled her eyes. 

"And I thought the Jounin was a child. . ." Anko scowled at being called out so easily. 

"No fighting now," Naruto said nervously, an awkward grin on his face. "Let's just hurry up." 

"Tch," Anko clicked her tongue and ran ahead, most likely going to the nearest restaurant that served her favorite sugary food. 

"I hope you know that waiting for tomorrow is a waste of time." She spat out as he walked away, her arms crossed.

"Are you upset?" He asked her quietly, causing her to stop and freeze, deathly still. "Are you upset that I got to Jounin faster than you? I mean, you were a Chunin when I was six-years-old and you're still only a Special Jounin while I got promoted from Genin to Jounin in one fell swoop. Do you detest me on that fact alone?" 

Kurenai was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "No, that is not the reason why I dislike you. I was watching your performance last year at the Chunin Exams, and in my personal belief," She stopped for a second, wondering if she should continue or not. She decided to. "I do not believe you are fit to be a shinobi." Naruto's smile drooped slightly.

"What do you mean?" Kurenai turned around, her crimson eyes meeting Naruto's sky blue.

"I mean you are not mentally stable to be a shinobi. I, we, the entire village saw your reaction. A shinobi must keep calm during situations such as though, and you lost your cool and showed brutality. You ripped someone open, split them into two halves!" She took a step towards him.

"I've heard of you before then, the always positive prodigy! You preach about peace and not killing, and yet you go back on your word so easily and killed three Genin! I do not like you Naruto Namikaze because you are a hypocrite who has several severe mental issues that a Yamanaka ought to look at." She finished.

"Oh," Was all Naruto got out, the eleven-year old's smile was now reduced to a mere fraction of what it had been. "I guess you're right. That's why the village hates me. That's why Izumi won't hang out with me nor train with me anymore. I'm a monster in their eyes," He then grinned. "But I have Shisui-sensei, Kaka-nii, and Itachi as well as his family. I'm not completely alone, nor do I care what others think about me. 

"I appreciate the fact that you were honest with me, Kurenai-san. When we get back home, you can make a request to permanently stay off of a team with me. You will never have to work with me again." He walked past the teenager. 

"Tomorrow morning we shall meet at dawn to begin the crossing. Meet me at the shore, and make sure you inform Anko as well. Enjoy your night, Kurenai-san." And with that, he flickered away, leaving Kurenai alone to walk to the village. 

The crowd was bustling, the sheer amount of noise from such a small town surprised Naruto and he strolled the streets, holding several pieces of food in his hand, munching on each one, one at a time. 

There were dancers, singers, and several types of games that could be played, and lucky for Naruto and the vendors, he had brought a rather hefty amount of money with him. 

First, he played a small fishing game where a thin line of paper was made to be the net and he would have to catch a fish without it breaking. 

"Dang it," He muttered as another piece of paper broke against the weight of the fish, causing the vendor to laugh heartily at the misfortune of the preteen. 

"The trick is to do it nice and slowly, move at the same speed the fish does, they aren't swimming away." Naruto nodded as he followed his instructions. It broke. 

Naruto sighed as he stood up, a good-natured smile on his face. 

"Welp, I give up." He turned to the child next to him, who was being accompanied by his father and mother, who smiled at the child. He was about four or five if Naruto were to guess. "Hey, do you wanna give it a try? I bet you can get it better than I can!" He handed the child a single bill that would cover the cost of the game.

"Thank you," The mother said, smiling happily at Naruto. "He already spent his money on sweets and couldn't afford it," Naruto nodded. 

"No problem, I'm happy to bring someone joy." He watched as the boy successfully caught a fish, making the vendor begin laughing once again.

"He got it on his first try! How many times did you try again?" Naruto grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I think thirteen?" He then turned his attention to the boy who was receiving his fish in a plastic baggy filled with water. "Congrats lil dude, ya did it!" 

"Thank you, mister!" The boy said as he grinned, a missing tooth revealing itself. Naruto pat the kid on the head gently, happy that he had made someone's night. 

"No problem kiddo, I have to go, but you keep enjoying your night." He waved to the strangers and was on his way to the hotel before he caught sight of a tavern. 

Now Naruto was not an alcoholic, he couldn't get drunk due to the Kyuubi in his gut, but he did enjoy the taste of a fine aged liquor, preferably whiskey. He walked up to the entrance only for it to be blocked by a large bodyguard.

"Sorry, you have to be twenty-one or up in order to get in." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I'm a Jounin of the Hidden Leaf Village." The man rose an eyebrow.

"Can I see some identification?" Naruto nodded as he dug into his pocket, only to find nothing. 

"Oh no," He pat his other pocket, nothing. "Oh no," He emptied his pockets and looked into his kunai pouch, only to find nothing. "I LEFT IT AT THE HOTEL!" He cried. 

"Sorry, no ID, no entrance." Naruto pursed his lips in slight annoyance before grinning.

"What if I were to prove it to you that I was a shinobi, hm?" The man crossed his arms, skepticism in his eyes. 

"Go ahead." Naruto grinned as he jumped back, gathering chakra in his lungs before backflipping onto the roof of the building behind him and spitting out a large ball of fire into the air, it lighting up the night sky easily. 

"Is that good enough?" The man nodded, and then shook his head in what seemed like disappointment. 

"Everyday shinobi just keep getting younger, hmph." 

Naruto walked into the bar, embracing the warmth and slightly toxic air that permeated the joint. Yes, the smell of alcohol was something Naruto would always embrace happily. A comforting smell. 

He sat at the bar, ordering a whiskey, getting a raised eyebrow in return.

"Lee let you in here? A shinobi I presume?" Naruto nodded. The barkeeper sighed. "They make them younger with each passing day, it's kinda sad." Naruto ignored the words and let his eyes trail across the bar. 

There were many obviously drunk men littering the place, some playing pool, another checkers, and some were just lounging or catcalling women, even some of the women were catcalling the men.

His eyes widened slightly as he saw Anko in the corner, drunk out of her mind as several men were talking to her, even going as far as touching the edge of her clothes which she snapped at them for. Naruto perked his ears up, listening.

"Just go away," Anko groaned. "Leave me alone you asses," 

"How about you let us touch your ass instead hm? I'm sure you'll like it." Anko didn't respond, she just downed another shot of an unknown drink. 

"Let's get you out of here hm, go someplace quiet?" A member of the four guys suggested as the others chuckled perversely. 

"No, I wanna stay here." 

"Too bad," He grabbed her wrist and began leading her out, she was too drunk to fight back. They exited the bar as Naruto's smile disappeared completely, replaced with a frown. 

People are trash. 

He quickly slapped the bills on the table and a tip, grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter and walked out, seeing the guys holding Anko a few feet away, having to practically drag her. 

"Hey!" Naruto called out as he uncapped the whiskey and chugged it a bit, the burning liquor sliding down his throat with ease as he wiped his mouth. "You four with the girl, put her down and go home." They stopped walking and turned around.

"Who the fuck are you?" Naruto took another swig from the whiskey.

"I am of someone of no importance, but you will let her go and walk away or else other measures will be taken." They slowly sat Anko down on the ground, the teen groaning. 

"Oh yeah? And what measures are that?" Another swig from the bottle was taken, half the bottle was now gone as Naruto just stood there nonchalantly. The biggest of the group slowly walked up to Naruto, towering over the small boy before knocking the whiskey out of his hand, it shattering against the ground as the liquid slowly seeped into the ground. 

"You got a fucking problem with us trying to get lucky?" He snarled, gnashing his teeth as he glared at Naruto. 

"I have a problem with you trying to rape my subordinate. I may be young, but I'm still a shinobi."

"Rape? She was begging for it ya brat, you wouldn't know anything about that!" 

"I heard her repeatedly say no. She's also drunk. I will be taking her back now, if I have to, I will call the local authorities." 

"Tch, you won't get the chance!" He raised his overly large hand and curled it into a fist and launched it towards Naruto, who easily caught the fist in the air. 

"I guess further measures are to be used," Naruto spoke. "Plus, you spilled my whiskey!" He grasped the man's wrist and flipped him over his shoulder, making the man hit the ground with the force of a sledgehammer, making an imprint in the dirt. 

Naruto turned to the other three groupies and began walking towards them. 

"A kid took down Frilo? I can't believe it!" One of them uttered in absolute confusion. "He's a freak!" 

"Meh," Anko got out as she tried sitting up, but her head swam as her vision just got hazy before she plopped right back down on the ground, still groaning. 

Naruto suddenly flashed in front of the three men surrounding Anko, an apathetic look on his face as all three men felt one thing at once.

It was cold. 

Naruto instantly knocked the men out and tossed them on the leader's body and looked at a bypasser. 

"Hey, report these men to the authorities. They attempted rape on a drunk and incoherent underage teenager." The man nodded before running off.

Naruto sighed before picking Anko up, his hand under her knees and his arm supporting her back. His eyes then widened before he cursed.

"Shoot, I don't know where your room is!" 

And done. How was it? Good? Bad? Tell me!

Anyways, yeah. 

Til next time my lil demons!