Naruto: Power in Play

The exchange shop, the place where the academy students could exchange their hard-earned Academy Points, was located in the ground floor of the school building.

Naturally, Ando knew where it was. He had cast curious glances at the place from time to time. He envied the rich upperclassmen who had amassed enough AP to exchange for some cool jutsu.

Little did he know that his turn would come so soon. And it was actually thanks to the support of his stupid classmates. A smirk unconsciously drew itself on Ando's face as he recalled the event of the previous day. How he wished the kids could see him exchange his points for resources that would make him even more powerful.

"How long do you plan on staring with that stupid smile on your face?" Chika's voice cut through his thoughts; her arms crossed as she eyed him with amusement. "We don't have all day, you know?"

Despite her teasing, Ando's grin only widened. "Let me savor the moment, okay? Do you know how long I've been dreaming of this?"

Chika sighed and shook her head. "You really caught me off guard, though. I didn't think you'd reach this step so soon."

"And this is just the beginning!" Ando declared with pride, drawing curious glances from a few students lingering in the hall. "Next, I'll be hunting down those arrogant bastards."

"Jeez, you beat up a few nobodies and suddenly you're a big shot?" Chika rolled her eyes.

"Haven't I always been?" Ando shot back with confidence.

"You seriously need a lesson in humility. Good thing we have training today."

The pair slowly made their way towards the shop amidst their banter.

The keeper of the exchange shop was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had dark blue hair that bounced slightly with each of her movements, her eyes a lively shade of green that sparkled with warmth. Despite her cheerful demeanor, there was a certain seriousness to her. She greeted the pair with a friendly nod.

"Hello and welcome to the exchange shop! I'm Amaya Teruya. What can I do for you today?"

One thing came into Ando's mind at that instant. She was cute. Beautiful even. The kind that would find success in modeling back in his original world. Her friendly attitude was a relief to him. Most ninja he's been interacting with were always either the serious or lazy type. One thing they had in common though was that they all seemed a little cold, detached.

But Amaya was a breath of fresh air. Maybe it was him imagining things but he could have sworn that she seemed to glow.

A small nudge at his side broke him out of his reverie. Making him realize that he has been staring at the woman without saying anything.

"Ah, hello miss Amaya. It's a pleasure to meet you." He returned the greeting with a chuckle. "My name is Ando Yoshio, and I'm here to learn more about the exchange shop."

"My, of course." Amaya didn't seem to mind his staring and handed him a pamphlet with a smile. "The exchange shop is one of the most important aspects of our academy. It's a system designed to reward hard-working students like yourself. Here, you can exchange your academy points for a variety of items and services. We offer basic supplies like food, training weapons, and protective gears. You can also get access to study materials, such as extra textbooks or scrolls that cover basic jutsus and ninja techniques."

"But it's not just about items," she continued with a hint of excitement. "You can request extra tutoring sessions, reserve time in the academy's training grounds for one-on-one practice, or even sign up for workshops on topics like strategy, teamwork, or chakra control."

"We also offer minor healing supplies, like bandages and basic ointments, to help with those bumps and bruises you might get during training. And we even have a medic-nin in case you want to recover faster, or have some accidents during your training."

Ando's eyebrows lifted in surprise. The healing services were negligeable to him, but the rest was truly a boon. This was not something he expected to have access to, at least, not in the academy.

Ando started studying the pamphlet, on it were listed the basic services and items, along with their prices.

"I have a more exhaustive list with me here. You can ask me if you do not find what you are looking for in the pamphlet." Amaya offered. Ando glanced at her and wondered how life would be if all the staff at the academy were all like her.

It would make the whole place a lot more enjoyable. But again, they weren't there to enjoy their time, but to learn how to survive, to infiltrate, to kill… The chaotic environment was better for that aspect.

"You really gotta stop staring at her, dude." Chika reminded him, then turned towards the shop attendant. "I'm sorry miss Amaya. This fool here is a bit of an airhead."

"That's alright, I'm used to this." Amaya replied with a laugh. "So, what do you have in mind, Ando?"

Ando awkwardly cleared his throat. Much to the two women's amusement. "I'd like to see what you have to offer about chakra control and theory."

"Of course. Concerning chakra control, we have many exercises that could help you improve your control. We also have many documents explaining the process of harnessing your chakra. A compiled document recounting the experiences of many ninjas who have trained before you. There is also the chakra assist sessions that's provided by the instructors. But those are quite expensive as they count as extra tutoring sessions."

"Regarding chakra theories, we have documents concerning them, normally you should receive them for free in your second year. But I see that you are quite an advanced student." She finished with a wink at him.

"Ah, yes." Ando sheepishly responded. "Can I get the prices of those services?"

"Certainly." Amaya started writing something on her desk and then handed him a slip of paper. "Take this to the exchange counter just over there," she said, pointing to a small, neatly organized area at the back of the shop where another clerk was handling similar transactions. "They'll help you with the pricing and complete the exchange."

"Thanks!" Ando smiled.

"You're welcome! See you next time."

Ando nodded at the woman and then headed towards the other counter. Where he was greeted by another clerk.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"I was told to hand you this slip of paper."

The clerk received the paper, along with Ando's student card and nodded at him. "Just a moment, I'm going to check it."

A few seconds later, the man came back with a scroll and some documents. He handed them over to Ando.

"These are the relevant documents regarding chakra theories, and some introductory information about ninja arts."

Ando received them and gave the man a weird look. "Uhh, how much are they exactly?"

"They're free." The man chuckled at his surprised expression. "The village wants to encourage talents like you to keep trying hard. But it also wants to make sure that you don't stumble around in the dark for too long. So, we're giving these to you for free. You deserve it since you have unlocked your chakra so early."

"You also get one free chakra control exercise called leaf-sticking technique. I'll demonstrate for you." The man placed a leaf on his forehead and used his chakra to keep it from falling.

Ando's chin was hanging low by now. It wasn't because of the chakra exercise. But because of how generous the village was. It was completely out of his expectation. The shop clerk grinned at him before giving him back his student card.

"I suggest you take your time to review these materials for now, and then come back later when you're ready to spend some Academy Points."

"Yes, thank you, sir!"

After the student pair made their way out of the main school building, they changed direction from the training field to Ando's dormitory.

 "I still can't believe they gave me all that for free." Ando murmured.

Chika gave him a quizzical look and shrugged her shoulders. "You know that it's just some study materials, right? It's nothing compared to the free housing, food, education…"

"Well, when you put it that way, it's true. But it still means a lot. I mean, where else could I find this? Who would give me all this stuff for free aside from the village?" He argued back. Coming from a world where knowledge was power, he knew full well the importance of information.

"Yeah… maybe you're right…"

Ando did not comment on her less enthusiastic response. Nor did he probe. He knew that Chika was different from the others. He could ask, and maybe she would tell. But then she would ask questions of her own, and he would not answer.

Still, he wanted to help her, to return the favor she had given until now.

"You know, it's the weekend. Maybe we should skip training for today." Ando proposed. He expected Chika to vehemently argue against the idea, but strangely enough, she seemed to think about it.

"Why would we do that?"

"Well, the two of us never seem to relax. I was thinking, maybe we could take a walk around the village and enjoy the day for once?"

Standing outside of his door, Ando waited for her to respond. He glanced at her, and Chika had a pensive frown on her face.

After a moment, Chika shook her head. "Maybe another time. But sure, let's take the day off. I don't feel like spending my morning under the hot sun."

Ando grinned and opened the door. Finding to his surprise that his two roommates have vacated the place. Ando shrugged and walked towards his bed.

"So, what do you propose we do?"

"We…? You, as an honest and hardworking student, are going to learn all there is to know about chakra. Make sure to soak everything in. I'll be quizzing you next time." Chika smirked. "And before you complain, I'm gonna go home and cook up some new training regime for you."

"What-"

"See ya!"

Chika just up and abruptly left. Ando just looked at the door, feeling slightly numb. It was only a few seconds later that he walked up to the door, but by then, the girl has already disappeared.

"Just what has gotten into her?" He thought aloud, scratching his head. He walked up to the stairs but Chika truly left. Ando thought for a moment about what to do. In the end, he decided to just do as she told.

After all, he too was excited to learn about chakra. He walked back to his room and started reviewing his documents.

All in all, he received three books and one scroll. The first book was a general introduction to chakra, its nature, and its basic applications. The second one was more of an application guide; it depicted the list of known hand signs, their uses, and how one could start practicing them. The third book could actually not be called a book; it was more like a collection of insights and experiences written by ninjas who had tried to unlock their chakra and how they guided it. And lastly, there was the scroll for the leaf-sticking technique.

Ando decided to start with the introduction book. A little theory might help him with understanding what he was dealing with. He subconsciously had an idea of what chakra was. After all, he unlocked it on his own. But having his doubts cleared would be a huge help toward grasping the full picture.

AN: Thanks for reading! And don't forget to check out p4tre0n / rp741 for more chapters.