Chapter 122 - Arc 8 - Forest of Quest: Introspection, Traits, and some Surprise Bullshit

I haven't done a trait update chapter in 40 chapters. I know because I had to go through every chapter to ensure I didn't miss stuff while making this one. I tried to add flavor so it's not just a status page and a lot of cool new traits, but it is at the end of the day, a status update chapter. I wanna start doing these more often so that they don't take up the entire chapter. Back when chapters were 1600 I didn't have much of an option but now that I have more wiggle room I should be able to just throw a few things in there for a small scene and not have to let it build up for 3 months.

So this, should, be the final huge status update chapter. Should.
I hope you all enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------

Sasuke being annoyingly familiar to her past self aside, Sakura finds she’s rather reflective on their way back to camp. She's always a little reflective, in fact going on accidental introspective rants is something she’s trying to stop doing, but a lot of new thoughts have occurred to her recently and she hasn't given them any time so self reflection is probably the best path at the moment. Moderation in all things, as some dude said in a book once.

Firstly are her thoughts on her team. She clearly needs to approach them with a more socially competent avenue than she has in the past. They need to figure stuff out, and she hasn’t allowed them to benefit from her recent social improvements because she’s too comfortable with them. Sasuke’s downright protective of her quirks, and in Naruto’s case she’s thought that as long as they bond as siblings and she avoids killing stuff in front of him, they’re great.

They clearly have independent thoughts, concerns, and motivations. A higher charm means she understands their individual agency better which means she can't just hide behind their team motto 'let's kill Itachi' and use it as a shield to avoid talking about awkward things. She had a real conversation with Neji and Tenten after Tenten almost died, she even had a real conversation with her parents about her new life and what it means; she needs to have a real conversation with her team.

Second are her thoughts on the organization that’s after her. She's somehow managed to go beyond a simple bingo book entry. It's not bounty hunters after her, she's managed to cause an actual organization to try and behead her and her team is getting caught up in that. Clearly something about the way she does things is, or was, terribly wrong. Sasuke killing the Genin she was trying to save just a few moments ago showed her just how annoying her ‘just kill the enemy’ attitude really is, and maybe attempting to actively demoralize and scare the enemy shitless in that dungeon wasn’t a great idea either. She needs to be more careful because it’s not just her life she can screw up. At least, she needs to be careful until they’re Jonin and any organization actively trying to kill her can just be blown up with sheer awesomeness. Death and terror makes enemies, and she’s not strong enough to put up with the consequences of her own behavior.

That’s not to say she’ll never take out the enemy when it’s required, but it shouldn’t be her default response unless her team is on board. Their lives are at stake too.

Third, and probably most importantly, are her thoughts on this exam. Things are getting away from her, and Ino’s quest is very concerning. That needs to be given a real discussion, probably tomorrow when it’s looming and ominous and Naruto’s starting to shake from anticipation. She’s thinking of having him make a clone based explosive tag contingency, she figures either that’ll be awesome or it won’t work at all and she’d love to know which it is.

With a forlorn sigh she enters the camp, makes her way over, and plops down directly next to Naruto without a comment. She quickly pulls him into a side hug - this time for her - and starts looking through her traits. She’s gained new ones, and it’s about time she pays attention. No more of this finding out later garbage. Enemy eight is too much of a jump, and there’s not even a lot of reason to put it off besides anxiety.

She can be better than that.

[Enemy level 8

An organization with a small amount of global power has risen from the ashes and for whatever reason, they really don't like you. You can expect to regularly see them meddling in your affairs until they are removed or amends are made.]

She wishes she’d seen that level up one at a time from two, she likely would have gotten this quest chain earlier. She should have checked it when she was attacked in Suna, it should have been obvious it was them that ruined her fun in the sand village if she’d just thought to get out of her own head and look at the world around her. By the look of that description, they’ll be ruining her activity everywhere until they’re gone. They’re at the top of her list for problems to deal with as soon as she’s out of this exam. Well, it’s at the top of the list assuming the Hokage won’t just let her hire a Jonin to deal with it for her, that’d be really cool. She’s definitely asking him about it.

[Blast Survivor

You've been face to face with a powerful explosion and survived. You now take 25% less damage from explosions.]

She imagines that was when Konohamaru blew them all up. That’s a little much but she’s not going to complain. Thank you Konohamaru.

[Shukaku Tamer

For Whatever Reason, Shukaku of the sand adores you enough to be too busy wriggling in its mental sand space when you're nearby to poison its Jinchuriki's mind.]

… She kinda thought he like, literally meant his mother’s soul or something. A freaking Biju likes her? Like personally? Well, she already knew the Kyuubi was okay with her since she checked the relationships and saw him there but… She shakes her head to move on, she’ll be here all day if she doesn’t move on. She doesn’t have the slightest clue why that would be a thing, but she knows it’s not some kind of murder frenzy related nonsense. If anything, Gaara’s killing has gone down since he met her, if it was that she smells of blood, the Biju would hate her guts by now.

[Gaara’s Most Precious Person

Gaara's not just willing to kill for you, he's eager to. He would like to kill for you. Please give him people to kill for you.]

That’s unsettling, but sweet. Very sweet. In that older brother that sorta scares you kind of way.

[Overprotective

You've protected those you care about to your own detriment one too many times for it to be normal. You gain a 50% bonus to defensive stats if you're defending someone you care about, but you are overbearing and should probably back off a little.]

That’s just insulting… Okay the bonus is really nice, but come on she’s not that bad. If she had to take a guess she got that when she tried to protect Tenten before the exams, but like, they were bullying her friend. Anyone would have stepped in. Anyone that wouldn’t have stepped in is a bad friend, that’s just how the rules work.

She already saw Genin Charm and All-rounder during the exam, so… Three back to back traits catch her eyes.

[Honorary Hyuga

Regardless of why, you now live with a Hyuga as your family. Should you be given the chance, you may learn Hyuga arts at only half the normal penalty.]

[Honorary Yamanaka

You are used to the Yamanaka arts. Enough so that should you be given the chance, you may learn Yamanaka Skills with only half the normal penalty]

[Honorary Inuzuka

You have spent a lot of time at the Inuzuka compound, and have your own Ninken, kind of. Should you be given the opportunity, you may learn Inuzuka Skills with only half the normal penalty]

The three of those are a little confusing. What does it mean by normal penalty? She was under the impression Inuzuka and Yamanaka clan techniques could technically be learned by anyone, and she has in fact learned a few small things from Ino. They even have a duo technique, albeit a small one, they used it during the first exam test. Does that mean those not raised into the clan have a harder time learning anything from them, or does it mean that any technique has a penalty of sorts if you’re not attuned to it and those skills will have less penalty for her? Then there’s the Hyuga skills, those require magic eyes! She does not have magic eyes! Is there some price she can pay for magic eyes? Because she would love magic eyes.

If nothing else, pranks with Konohamaru would be a lot easier without trying and failing to convince Hanabi to join.

[Hokage’s Protection

The Hokage has taken a great liking to you, your political immunity is not great but it is not insignificant.]

She already kind of knew this after a certain… incident. It involved a lot of clones and a lot more property damage. She’s still mad about that, Naruto will rue the day, rue it! The fact that she got to attend the exams and isn’t in a cell was a pretty clear indicator that she is not a normal Genin. She’s pretty sure any normal Genin involved in an incident that caused half a street block to be evacuated would not immediately be up for promotion. Luckily, since she is up for promotion, she just has to impress a third Jonin throughout the entire exam. That sounds rather easy, especially when she’s helping the other Konoha teams pass. Technically it’s the Hokage’s final decision even if she has ten recommendations, but she’s pretty sure if she gets the minimum three, the awe inspiring old man is going to promote her.

[Mother of Blood

A Demon Sword calls you mom. You should probably be worried about that.]

That confirms that Hunger’s avatar in her head is real. That’s nice, she wasn’t really doubtful but the additional confirmation is good to have, and she really could have gotten that so much sooner if she’d just checked. Never again, she swears it now, she will not falter, she will not fail, she will check her status page every few days!

[In Tune With Death

You have both failed and succeeded in the art of death. Your ability to understand the cycle of life and death inherently has been increased.]

She’s guaranteed to have gotten that in a moment she’d rather not think about if she can help it.

She vaguely remembers seeing it pop up in the corner of her vision, but unchecked prompts are only there for like two seconds and she was dealing with more important things. Dead dogs are not her ideal afternoon, but it was her afternoon for quite a while there. The Hokage thought she needed a vacation, Tsume thought she needed to work at a vet clinic. She reaches her hand out to the side, and her big undead dog pushes its snout into her palm. She’s grateful it’s learning so well, she’s also grateful Tsume has stopped throwing her face first into doggy hospice and pretending it’s a favor.

It certainly didn’t feel like a favor.

[Murderbunny

This Nickname will stick way longer than you want it to.]

That’s alright, she doesn’t mind it now and that’s what matters. Though she’s pretty sure she’s only thought of that internally, did the system inject that into people’s heads? Can it do that? Could she come up with any phrase and suddenly give it widespread use? That’d be awesome.

[Life Debt

Temari Of Suna owes you a life debt, and would acknowledge it as such.]

Given the last time she talked to her the teen walked away while doing everything she could to not flip her off, she’s not sure why Temari gets a trait for this and Tenten doesn’t. Would Tenten not consider it a life debt? She’d never cash in a life debt from her bun haired friend so it doesn’t really matter but the difference is confusing. Do they have to dislike her for it to count, because a friend would just help her debt or not?

She’d step in front of Tenten infinite times out of ten, she’s even got a trait to prove it.

[Interrogation’s Pet Haruno

Everyone needs a pet Haruno. As far as they're concerned, you're the interrogation department's.]

Well that’s… nice. Does that mean she got special treatment during the first exam, since it was run by Ibiki? Probably not but a lot of the seating was somewhat weird. Ino had suspiciously easy vision to the back of her head, and the route to Naruto from Ino’s desk was entirely too easy and unlikely to be stopped. Was that intentional? Did Ibiki plan her actions before she did them? That’d be ridiculous, there’s no way. She’d say she should ask when she’s out but the odds she’ll remember are fifty fifty, it’s just not that important and there’s a lot going on.

[Great with Kids

You have put time and effort into becoming friends with just way too many kids. You are now 100% better with children than you were before! Make your social checks with confidence! But seriously, maybe make friends your own age.]

It’s like six kids, not counting family, Inuzuka children, Yamanaka children… Hanabi. How many does a normal person befriend, like five? Why is that too many? This is ridiculous, she’d like to normalize knowing your neighbor’s kids and sneaking them snacks. It’s the only way a polite and just society should function.

[Predictable At Home

You largely follow a strict schedule when in Konoha. Others have a much higher chance of guessing where you are at any given time while you're on schedule.]

As she explained to Iruka, that’s a good thing. She is not changing her habits, she is happy about this.

[Lord of Sakura Country

You are now the known and renowned lord of Sakura Country, previously known as Wave. This will have political consequences.]

That’s scary, but she already knew that. At least she can officially get some documentation of her ownership now. Having it clear and official who owns Wave - err, Sakura Country - will make a few things easier. Like getting leave to go there and visit Inari, setting up a cool workshop to use Sakura Country’s excess resources for her whimsy, and finding an excuse to visit the fire lord Daimyo as a diplomat. Afterall, she still needs to collect that reward from killing Fierro from the Daimyo.

She does need to ensure the KSH doesn’t throw too many spies at Sakura country now that they’re officially allied with her, but any infiltration attempt will likely be of the ‘sit and wait for her to arrive so they can stab her a lot’ variety, so it’s not urgent. If they become residents they might actually help her, who cares if her willing minions hate her, they’re still minions.

[Itachi’s Rival

You announced to a large group of people that you and your team are going to kill Itachi. Itachi now knows this and is aware of your intentions. He finds your declaration, and you, adorable.]

Their rival finds her cute. Is that demoralizing or is it a reason to make a cosplay costume for when they inevitably hunt him down? Maybe he’ll let his guard down if she arrives with lace and a pretty pink bow. Whatever the case, they clearly need to get stronger before he’ll take them seriously. It also means Itachi has spies in the exam, which is something she needs to write down and try to get to the Hokage at all costs. Unfortunately with Sasuke right there and being unhinged she can’t just drop ‘Itachi’s possibly around’ right now.

[Hero

The definition of a Hero is hotly debated, some think it's someone who does brave acts without ever thinking of themselves. Some think it's a title to be bought.

Some believe it's someone that inspires others. That's you.

You have inspired at least 10 other people to be better, and not just a little bit better.

Once per full rest, you may reach out for help from someone you've inspired. They may help you in various ways depending on variables like distance, powerset, and the difference in stats between you and them.]

That’s the last one, but also it’s the one that has her blinking at it the most.

What in the Elemental Nations could that mean? Who has she inspired? Maybe it’s months of sessions with Ino about her self values and how bad her previous ones were, maybe it’s things like even Kakashi warning her not to piss off Gaara like she’s some kind of time bomb, but the idea that she’s inspiring people is about as shocking as suddenly getting mauled by a bear while having a picnic.

She focuses on it, and really thinks about the trait. When it doesn’t pop up with a new system or window to tell her who she inspired or how to use it, she instead tries to figure out at least one person through deductive reasoning.

Maybe she could try Gaara? He’s mentioned twice in her traits, there has to be a reason for it, and he is being a better person because she told him to be a better person.

What does it mean by reach out, is it a messaging system?

“Message Gaara.” She sends a request to the air, getting an odd look from Naruto.

“Reach out to Gaara for help.”

“What are you doing?” Naruto asks, just in time for her vision to fizzle.

The world tunnels into darkness at her peripherals, swirling her gaze into an out of bounds place far away. After a moment to clear some fog with a blink, only static remains.

For a small moment.

Well before she has to blink again, she finds her vision opens back up and she’s staring at an older Blonde with spiky pigtails, and a guy in more make-up on than Ino’s craziest day. Temari and Kankuro, Gaara’s siblings. They’re resting up in a tree, eating rice balls and watching another team wander by below. It’s a Konoha team, in fact it’s the one that ambushed her yesterday. Gaara shakes his head, informing them that they will not be attacking. It’s good to know he’s keeping up his promise to her even when she’s not around, even if she’s pretty sure she didn’t explicitly say he couldn’t take out any Konoha teams, just not mush them.

Maybe he doesn’t know the difference.

[You have Reached out to Gaara of the Sand for help, he is within range for maximum benefits.

What would you like to do?

1. Summon Gaara to your side

2. Borrow a watered down version of his Sand Control for 1 hour

3. Borrow Chakra]

… She.

She uh…

She isn’t sure how to respond to this.

She can’t do the third option, she’s like one hundred percent sure she would explode if she borrowed even a notable amount of Gaara’s chakra, assuming all Jinchuriki are even remotely the same in Chakra content. Maybe the system would give her some restraints or ways to not die, but she hasn’t made it this far by taking dumb risks for no gain. Maybe she’ll test that kind of thing sometime when she has a way to expel it quickly, and on someone less insanely powerful. She could get help designing a seal specifically to suck up excess chakra, maybe she could store it as fire chakra or something? That’d be a great way to train her fire affinity, which is the one she uses the most despite it being her second worst. It’s Hunger’s fault, he reacts positively to fire chakra and not a lot else besides more blood. She should use her personal jutsu more, she doesn’t want to be reduced to a samurai role, she’s a ninja!

Pulling Gaara away from his siblings would be bad for them and awkward for him which means the first option isn’t viable. If he wanted to find her, he would, and if she wanted to find him, she has a summon not too far from him to direct her. The scroll said at later levels she can do things like attune to her summon’s senses or blow them up from a distance, but for now she has nothing like that.

As for the second option, she’s not even sure if sand would be useful here in the Forest of Death, since she’s not in Suna and doesn’t have Gaara’s Gourd with her. What does it mean by watered down? Does it mean like mud, or does it mean weaker. How much so? She needs to test that once they’re done with all this and there’s no potential for backlash.

She has a lot of questions and she’s not answering them right now because like, what if she takes his sand control and he doesn’t have it and someone kills him or something?

She’s not doing any of those right now, but the theory is solid, and if nothing else being able to look through the eyes of her allies is something she would like to learn outside of the one time she can use this trait per rest.

[You have used your Hero Bonus, please rest before trying again.]

Suddenly having her vision back, she finds Naruto’s staring into her eyes with a concerned look in his bright blues. “I tested a new thing.” She explains. He doesn’t look impressed. She needs to start communicating before she does crazy things, but that’s right along the same lines as ‘communicate more in general’ so, baby steps.

That trait goes beyond her normal traits, she finds herself wondering just how far this system goes. Is her world a game it can interact with, or is it limited in some way?