NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Chapter - 1
**News Playing on TV**
This morning, the Hunters Guild, led by Guild Master Choi Jong-In and Vice Guild Master Cha Hae-In, cleared another A-Rank dungeon. According to the guild master and vice master, one of the dungeons was the highest rank among the A-Rank dungeons.
*Channel changed...*
The increasing number of dungeons and gates has been a concern not just in South Korea but all over the world. Officials are thinking about...
*TV switched off*
Naruto switched off the TV, tired of the constant news about hunters and dungeons. He leaned back on the sofa, his mind wandering away from the repetitive headlines. He imagined a world full of possibilities beyond his living room. With a casual flick of his finger, he summoned his Limitless Curse Technique: Blue—an orb of energy that distorted the air around it, like a mini black hole pulling everything in.
"Tomorrow," Naruto thought with a grin, "I'll be part of the action, not just a spectator."
Six years ago, after Hiruzen's death, Naruto started living on his own at the age of 12. He relied on the funds left by Hiruzen for his studies and daily needs, aware that they wouldn't last forever.
4 years after Hiruzen's death, Naruto's awakening happened as he received power of like an hunter, but much more powerful and stronger than other awakening hunters around him.
He knew the process of awakening in people, and understood that he was one of the reawakened hunter too.
Now, six years after Hiruzen's death, he had finally decided to become a hunter, and for that, tomorrow he would go to the Hunter Association to evaluate his rank and get his hunter license.
According to Naruto's expectations, he was at least an A-Rank, if not above, because...
**The Next Morning...**
Naruto woke up early in the morning, as he lived alone in the apartment Hiruzen had left for him. He wasn't that bad after all.
Well, that's because Hiruzen didn't have any family members left. As much as Naruto knew, his two sons and their wives died in a dungeon, and his wife also died early from disease. So, before Hiruzen's death, he had given almost all of his property and money he made through his hunter work and other assets to Naruto, and some went to charity.
So, Naruto was completely set for at least another five years in terms of money, and now that he was about to become a hunter, he was going to make sure he earned double what he already had.
After waking up in the morning, Naruto took a bath to refresh himself before making a sandwich and some coffee to get ready for the day ahead.
After this, he got ready to leave for the Hunter Association.
Naruto wore a black turtleneck sweater, slim-fit black jeans, and a black leather jacket. He completed the look with black combat boots and a minimalist black wristwatch.
"Too much black," he said to himself as he left his apartment.
In reality, his whole closet was full of only black or white clothes. Why? Because whenever he went to buy new clothes, he couldn't pick anything but these two colors.
After getting out of his apartment, he took the elevator and, upon reaching the bottom floor, quickly booked a cab. Because, from all the properties Hiruzen had left, a car was not among them, as Hiruzen believed a car was a depreciating asset.
After taking the cab, in a few moments he reached the hunter examination center to evaluate his rank and obtain his hunter license, as he had already registered for it earlier.
As he entered through the front door of the building, he was greeted by a woman in formal clothing. "Hello sir, are you here to evaluate your rank?" she asked in a professional tone with a gentle smile.
Naruto just nodded, returning the smile. "Yes. I have applied for it already and was told to be here today," Naruto responded gracefully.
"I see. The rank evaluation is inside. Please come with me, I will guide you," she said with a smile, as she proceeded to show him the way.
"Are there many people who come here to become hunters daily?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. There are a lot of newly awakened hunters who come here every day to evaluate their rank," she replied as they finally reached a huge room with a crowd of people. On the other side, there were people sitting in front of a room as well, and she pointed towards the seated people. "Those are also the people who came to evaluate their rank."
There were 13 people total sitting there silently. Looking at some of them, Naruto felt fear. They were anxious, and he could imagine why. As Naruto's gaze fell on the people on the other end of the room, he asked, "Then who are those?"
"They are scouts from different guilds. After any hunter gets their rank evaluated, they are here to scout and sign new hunters," she replied. "I will leave you here, sir. Please take a seat with the hunters waiting, and when your time comes, your name will be called," she said as Naruto nodded and thanked her.
After some moments, he sat in the waiting area, watching people enter the room and come out with either happy or sad faces. Mostly sad faces. Their rank came as E-Rank or D, some were C, and the highest it went while Naruto was sitting there was B-Rank.
Though with his eyes, without even knowing their rank, he could tell the amount of power they possessed, and after watching the rankings happening, he could even tell which person was which rank just by looking. At least until B-Rank.
A few moments later, a girl came into the waiting room and sat beside him. The girl had long, wavy dark brown hair and expressive hazel eyes. She wore a stylish lavender blouse and a pleated skirt, paired with sleek ankle boots.
Naruto could instantly feel her nervousness with his extraordinary perception. But he didn't say anything as he looked towards the gate.
The girl looked at him, suddenly curious about something, and spoke, "If you don't mind, may I ask a question?"
"Me?" Naruto questioned, a bit puzzled by the sudden question.
"Yes. Who else?" she responded.
"Of course," Naruto replied, turning his attention to her a bit.
The girl hesitated for a moment, as if weighing her words, before she spoke. "I was just wondering... you seem really calm about all this. Aren't you nervous about the evaluation?"
Naruto chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair. "Well, I've always been more excited than nervous about these things. I guess I just see it as another adventure, another step forward. What about you? First time here?"
She nodded, a hint of anxiety flashing in her eyes. "Yeah, it is. I keep hearing about how tough the evaluations can be, and I can't help but worry about it."
"It's nothing to worry about. As much as I know, you won't even have to do much. They will evaluate your rank, which is already decided, and you can't change it even if you want to. So there is nothing to be nervous about. Just be yourself," Naruto said.
"I guess you are right. Thanks, I needed to hear those words," she said, feeling a little less nervous than before. "By the way, I am Aria, Aria Moon," she said, extending her hand towards Naruto.
Naruto shook her hand and responded, "Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."
As she took her hand back, she asked with a curious look, "You are not from South Korea?"
"Nah, I was born in Japan. Though, I lived most, I mean my whole life, in South Korea," he replied.
As they were speaking, the door of the evaluation room opened, and a woman called, "Next..." It was already Naruto's turn as he stood up and started walking towards the door. "Best of luck!" she said with a gentle smile, and Naruto nodded.