Naruto: I make my own way!

As the week passed by Sora spent most of the time practicing in the forest or learning in the library. His teacher told him about his achievements for creating three jutsus and wondered what Sora would do with them.

Traditionally, the jutsus that one creates on their own can be regarded as secret techniques and if they had enough power or versatility could become the foundations of a ninja clan. Sora didn't like the idea though; he wanted everyone to use his jutsus and see if anyone could improve upon his original design.

He also felt that it would be selfish to do such a thing when the village allowed his parents in even though they were outsiders. So, that Saturday after writing the jutsus on scrolls, Sora delivered them to Makoto-sensei, who then gave them to Hiruzen for proper categorizing.

Apparently, both Ninja Art: Gale Instant Strike and the Ninja Art: Counterattack Power Storage are categorized as D-Rank Ninjutsu while the Ninja Art: Hardened Body Technique was categorized as a E-Rank Ninjutsu.

Sora wanted to make more jutsus that can adapt to his limited chakra pool and for that he needed to know the names of other jutsus to see if some names were taken, which weren't much but here's the list.

Exact Matches:

Substitute (Kawarimi no Jutsu)

Double Team (Bunshin no Jutsu)

Close Matches:

Water Gun (Suiton: Mizudeppō no Jutsu)

Waterfall (Suiton: Takitsubo no Jutsu)

Earthquake (Doton: Yusuburu)

Rockslide (Doton: Ganban Kyū)

Fire Spin (Katon: Hibashiri)

Solar Beam (Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan)

Thunder (Raiton: Sandāboruto)

Thunderbolt (Raiton: Sandāboruto)

Explosion (Bakuhatsu no Jutsu)

Dragon Pulse (Katon: Ryūen Hōka no Jutsu)

Yeah, a pretty nifty list, good thing there's different ways to call a jutsu based on the romaji.

Still, Sora knows that he doesn't have the chakra amount to use even half of the Pokémon moves, and some others are just useless and or impossible here. Like "Play Nice" and "Pay Day," yeah, I'm gonna attack with my own money and somehow, I'll win money at the end of the battle. Grow up bitches, that doesn't work here.

It's currently Sunday and Sora is walking the streets aimlessly looking for something to do. He's not wasting his time if you're wondering, his body had already tapped out for the day, so he decided to walk the rest of the day looking for something to do.

"Yo, Sora!" Minato called him.

Besides the blonde were Shikaku Nara, Akimichi Choza (who's eating peanuts), Inoichi Yamanaka and Aburame Shibi. This is the second rewarding thing of the week, Sora managed to befriend these four students, and he can finally say that he was a friend group instead of just a friend.

Fun fact: All four of them are actually older than Minato and Sora, but because they're their respective clans' heirs, they were held back until their basic training was completed, except Shikaku, he was just too lazy to go to school until his mother literally dragged him there.

"Yo~ how's it hanging?" Sora.

"Nothing much, Choza here wants us to unite our money for a dumb food challenge that opened the other day" Shikaku spoke with his bored demeanor.

"Ok… why come to me? You folks have more money than Minato and I combined." Sora.

"Yeah, well, our parents have started being stricter about our allowance." Shikaku complained.

"And you've never saved up money before?" Sora.

"Well, no." Inoichi admitted.

"Minato, analysis." Sora.

"Well, we could help them and give them our money but, it'll be a significant blow to our training funds." Minato.

"Training funds?" Choza.

"Well, with no fancy clan membership that basically pays up for almost any training need, us poor kids have to save up money to buy the necessary training gears." Sora faked some tears.

Everyone, but Minato and Shibi, rolled their eyes at the fake reaction.

"It can't be that much." Inoichi said unconvinced.

"Oh yeah? Start memorizing Ino (That's a small nickname Sora uses with him when he says something stupid): We buy scrolls to research and develop Fuinjutsu, different sets of weights for physical training, medical books for Medical Jutsu, and the most important item of all: Chakra Induction Paper." Sora listed.

"Are you seriously planning to save for something like that? Those things are really expensive." Shikaku asked a bit surprised.

The Chakra Induction Paper is made from a special type of tree that is grown and fed with chakra, the process is long and tiring but the product is what matters.

As one trains as a ninja, one must learn nature transformation jutsus. From the basic Fire Ball Jutsu to the more complex Great Breakthrough are jutsus that require the nature transformation.

Of course, some people are born with some affinities that makes it easier for them to learn one type of Nature Transformation than the other.

This is where the Chakra Induction Paper is key, when exposed to even the slightest hint of chakra, it reacts according to the chakra's latent element:

Fire: the paper will ignite and turn to ash.

Wind: the paper will split in two.

Lightning: the paper will wrinkle.

Earth: the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away.

Water: the paper will become wet/damp.

The Yin, Yang and Space ninjutsu affinity (which is mostly used for Fuinjutsu), cannot be analyzed by this method.

Shinobi have an easier time learning to create and control a chakra nature that matches their affinity, although even then it may take a number of years. Shinobi are not limited to the nature they have an affinity for, and can learn others throughout the years, albeit with harsher difficulty.

Knowing this, Sora won't helplessly try to develop a jutsu he has a poor compatibility with, he needs to use his time effectively, so he won't waste it on techniques that'll take ages to make when he barely has chakra to waste.

He did fine with his Ninja Arts but that was solely due to them being completely nature-less.

After listening to Sora's explanation, Choza thought for a moment before remembering something.

"I have those papers in my house." Choza said casually as he munched on another peanut.

"I expected as much but so?" Sora.

"How about I give you the papers and you share your money for this?" Choza asked as if he was making a killing through investments.

Everyone looked at him with a 'what the fuck man' face and Shikaku just sighed.

"Choza. I'm your friend so I won't scam you, those papers are worth at least over 100,000 Ryo, per piece! I like free stuff, but I won't screw you over something like this, you'd better save them for the future. Also, your parents would probably be mad at you for taking them." Sora spoke while cursing his own well-behaved nature.

He's the type of guy that would see someone losing a 1,000 Yen and would give them back.

"Oh, thanks! Still, when will I use something like that? Almost every member of the Akimichi Clan has affinity for the Yang Nature, which our Expansion Jutsu is, so I don't think we focus on other natures at all." Choza.

"Truth to be told, I've never heard of an Akimichi that uses other techniques besides their clan's jutsus." Inoichi.

"That's because Shinobi from Clans show pride on their exclusive jutsus. Our ancestors have spent an incredible amount of time researching and practicing said jutsus so that we have the best versions possible, compared to the other jutsus everyone else can learn, it seems like a waste of resources, don't you think so?" Shibi spoke in his almost impossible to hear tone.

"You make a great point, Shibi." Sora.

"Wait, Shibi said something?" Inoichi looked amazed.

"I can't understand how you understand Shibi so well, even Tsume from the Inuzuka Clan, a clan with keen senses mind you, can't hear him sometimes." Shikaku.

"My theory is the bunch of bugs inside their bodies that give them a passive undetected vibe. Like when you're sitting on the grass and can't feel the ants in your body until they're too close to your face or shoulders." Sora.

"So, what did Shibi-san said?" Minato.

"Well, that clan techniques are too precious to be wasted, and I agree on that. What's the point of developing a jutsu for your descendants if they're not gonna use it, a complete waste of time in my opinion." Sora.

"Still, I kinda wanted to check that food challenge." Minato.

"Well, I have an idea of how to win some extra money, I wasn't so sure about it before but if you're with me on this, I'll help ya." Sora.

"Really?!" Choza's eyes lit up.

"This seems like a drag." Shikaku groaned but didn't object.

"Let's do it, I don't want to stay home rearranging some flowers." Inoichi said excited.

"I'll help as well." Shibi also agreed.

"What do we need, Sora?" Minato.

"Alright, Minato. Go to your house and bring the ropes I told you to hold onto and a frying pan. The rest of us will go by the riverside-lake near the big tree." Sora commanded.

"On it." Minato immediately disappeared from sight.

"His speed is amazing as always." Inoichi complimented.

"Yeah. Follow me!" Sora begun to run and the rest followed him.

"What are we going to do?" Shikaku asked.

"We'll introduce a new ingredient that will forever change the Land of Fire's gastronomy for decades to come." Sora said excited.

Everyone looked at each other with some confusion but didn't dwell on the matter. After running for some minutes, they arrived at the riverside. It's a wide area with a waterfall that falls into a lake and then the lake becomes a river.

(A/N: Sorry if I don't express myself correctly, I don't know the correct terminologies sometimes.)

"So, what's the plan here?" Shikaku.

"First, let's wait for Minato, he should be here in... ten seconds tops." Sora.

As if he was summoned by a jutsu, Minato appears on the scene with lots of ropes carried in his arms and a frying pan on his waist.

"What took you so long?" Sora feign dissatisfaction.

"Sorry, I got lost in the way of life." Minato spoke as if he were a sage.

The duo then laughs as Minato gives Sora the ropes, the rest of them also snicker at the interaction, except Shibi for whatever reason.

"Alright, everyone, here's the plan. We'll use these ropes to craft nets and then we'll use them to fish out our prey." Sora.

"Fish? I thought you said we'll find a new ingredient." Choza asked confused.

"Indeed, we will Choza. I just need you all to see where I'm going with this." Sora spoke as he walked on the surface of the lake and Minato followed.

The rest had to walk directly while getting wet so, yeah, that sucks for them.

"Here, we'll hunt these." Sora spoke while signaling some rocks on the most stagnant part of the lake.

He then carefully removes the rock and under it can be seen some small animals. The group saw a small lobster-like body with claws, antennae, and a hard exoskeleton. There were lots of them around the sizes of 2 to 6 inches (5–15 cm) long.

These are Crawfish.

"What are these?" Shikaku asked with curiosity, it was the first time he saw this animal.

"These are Crawfish, a freshwater crustacean that looks like a small lobster. They belong to the Astacoidea and Parastacoidea superfamilies." Shibi explained softly.

"That's their name? I thought they were just small lobsters." Sora lied.

In truth, he knew quite a lot about crawfish. Every time he saw a reel about the best seafood on youtube crawfish would appear, his curiosity took over and the rest is history. He learned about these fellas a few days back while training and seeing no one using them he felt an idea to make some money.

Unfortunately, he lacked the workforce to actually do something but with Choza willing to give a hand, he's ready to begin this enterprise. He's also grateful that Shibi knows about them, makes it easier to make this weird.

"How do you know so much about them, Shibi-san?" Minato asked.

'Another reason I'm glad he knows about them. Even if he's lying, which I'm sure he's not, we really can't tell. I have a horrible poker face.' Sora.

"Over twenty years ago, the head of the Aburame Clan at that time went on a journey to gather and record various insects in the ninja world. He encountered crawfish when he mistook him as water adapted bugs but afterwards realized that wasn't the case. He still recorded them in the Aburame Clan data book just for the troubles but didn't dwell further on the matter." Shibi explained.

"When given the chance, you sure can talk a lot." Inoichi commented.

Shibi only adjusted his glasses.

"Right, with that introduction out of the way, these'll be our new catch." Sora.

"Are you sure, they might not be worth much." Choza.

He thought that as food, given how small they are, they wouldn't sell for much.

"Don't worry your chubby face about it, I'll show you how tasty they can be." Sora.

Luckily, Sora had bought the ingredients on the way here. After catching a lot of crawfish and cleaning them, Sora began to cook while the others wait near a tree.

We're now cooking a Garlic Herb Sautéed Crawfish. For this recipe we'll need:

1 lb. crawfish tails (pre-cooked or peeled fresh) (We're using the whole Crawfish).

2 tbsp butter or olive oil.

2 cloves garlic, minced.

1 tsp salt.

½ tsp black pepper.

1 tsp fresh or dried herbs (thyme, parsley, or oregano)

1 tbsp lemon juice (optional, for extra freshness)

With these simple ingredients, its time for the cooking process:

Heat Pan – Add 2 tbsp butter or olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat.

Sauté Garlic – Add 2 minced garlic cloves, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add Crawfish – Toss in 1 lb. crawfish tails, stirring occasionally.

Season – Sprinkle 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp herbs (thyme, parsley, or oregano) over the crawfish.

Cook – Stir and let it cook for 3–5 minutes until golden and heated through.

Finish – Drizzle with 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional) and remove from heat.

Serve – Enjoy with rice, pasta, or crusty bread! But since we've got none of that here, enjoy it anyway!

Everyone looked at the nice dish that Sora had made, and they had to admit, it looked delicious. Even Shibi reacted when the smell reached his nose.

"What are you waiting for? Eat. You grab them by the tail and head, twist them, suck on the head, and then eat the meat." Sora showed them how to eat Crawfish.

Inoichi and Shikaku looked a bit reluctant to eat them at first but after seeing Minato, Choza and even Shibi eating them without much thought they immediately dug in.

The moment they ate it, the felt the delicate flavor this dish has. The butter or olive oil adds a rich, silky mouthfeel, the garlic gives it a deep, aromatic savoriness the herbs (thyme, parsley, or oregano) add freshness and a slight earthiness the salt & pepper enhance the natural sweetness of the crawfish and the splash of lemon juice gives a bright, tangy contrast.

Of course, they were no experts in the culinary arts, so they didn't think like presented earlier but that's basically how they felt when eating the dish, even though they don't know the proper terminology.

 "This is delicious!" Minato complimented.

"Right? This'll make a heck ton of money." Sora.

"But will this be fine? They're so small I'll need to eat over a hundred to feel full." Choza.

"That's where your family comes in, we'll take these suckers here and breed them in one of the Akimichi Clan's establishment just like cows or chickens." Sora.

"Do you even know how to reproduce them?" Shikaku.

"Not really, but Shibi, did your ancestor left something about it?" Sora lied again.

How could he not? Crawfish takes several months to breed properly, and he only learned about them a few weeks ago, he also already admitted that to them so faking a misunderstanding isn't wise.

"He only recorded the ideal habitat for them." Shibi.

"Wow, now is when you decide to suddenly go short worded, huh?" Sora.

Shibi simply shrugged.

"Well, we'll only have to do some trial and error." Sora.

"Thinking this carefully, it is extremely profitable. How much are we dividing this exactly?" Shikaku asked.

"Well, we're five and Choza's family will handle most of the things, so he gets the hefty 50%, sounds fair?" Sora.

"Well, considering none of our families can guarantee quality as the Akimichi Clan, I guess it'll have to do." Shikaku admitted.

"No complaints here." Inoichi.

"Nor here." Minato.

"Neither here." Shibi.

"Cool. Now about our share. We all get 10%. Easy peasy lemon squeezy." Sora.

"Agreed." Everyone said at the same time.

"Well, Choza. We'll leave the rest in your hands. Tell us how everything goes tomorrow." Sora.

"You can count on me, Sora!" Choza said excitedly.

The group of friends then went back to the village and then went to their respective homes. Overall, another relaxing day at the Hidden Leaf.