Reflections did not always display the same thing.

Naruto saw a man who looked the same in the glass. The same hair, eyes. clothes — an identical appearance. Yet they were not the same.

The man in the mirror was smiling.

Sure, Naruto started the day with a smile. A simple sign of being content, a sign to show that he was ready and willing to take on whatever the day had in store for him. But he was definitely not smiling now.

''Uzumaki! Stop dreaming and get to work!''

Naruto turned his head towards his fuming co-worker. ''Oh, I'm sorry. I feel like these windows make my eyebrows stand out more.''

The co-worker scoffed. ''You'll have enough time to oggle yourself once the job is done.''

Naruto slid down the wall, the water gliding alongside him like a waterfall. Cleaning windows was not the most amusing thing he had done in his life.

''Uzumaki,'' his co-worker said. ''The boss was wondering if you could fix a shipment of those shoes you have? Those sticky things are really handy for work.''

''Ah, yeah.'' Naruto walked down the wall, not bothering to turn his head. ''They're a very special and limited product. You know, since they stick to the surface and stuff? And I'd have to order them all the way from Angola. I'm sure the boss understands that.''

He did not bother with waiting for a reply. He slid down again, his body like a feather on the now clean glass. He sighed, his co-worker's words ringing through his mind. The sticky shoes were a petty excuse to use chakra, but it made work easier.

Every job he worked was equal to a D-rank mission, but at least the pay was better. His life was never in danger, he couldn't get hurt with these jobs. But as the ground came closer and closer, he realized what he was missing.

Adrenaline.

The feeling of the blood pumping through his veins as the inevitable danger of combat lurked around him. There were no threats of neighbouring villages, the Akatsuki or Bijuu here. There was no need for a hero. There was no need for him.

Naruto took another good look at his reflection, scrunching up his faces from every angle. No scars, no wounds, no gigantic holes in his head. Who would've thought that he — now a simple man who cleans windows — was once a fearsome fighter, a warrior, a murderer?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The water washed over his other self once more. Was it trying to tell him something? Should he have changed himself? After a few moments of just staring at the water flowing down, clarity dawned on him.

''I guess it's all in the past now.''

''Eh, Uzumaki? What's in the past?''

''Oh you know, the past's in the past.''

''But what is in the past?''

''The past.''

At this point, Naruto's co-worker was trying to pierce him with his glare.

''Uzumaki,'' the co-worker exhaled, ''just. Just get down already.''

Naruto grinned and slid down the building. If he couldn't save the world in this life, he could at least kill some time by goofing around.

The swings swung in the wind. There were no kids on this playground, and Naruto always liked to think that the wind played with the swing to keep them company. A toy could do nothing when no one would play with it, after all.

The town of Kuoh sunk into the setting sun, an orange glow covering the buildings. It was already late, but since it was summer the sun didn't set until late. Everyone was already at home, playing with their friends, spending time with their loved ones.

For Naruto, the trip back to the collapsing apartment he called home was the sweetest part of the evening.

He always took the route through the playground, no exceptions. Even if it would get him in trouble at work, seeing the children play without care upped his spirit on the way to whatever weird job awaited him that way. On the way back, the quietness and the swings calmed him after another long day of work.

Naruto sighed and threw his head back, basking in the glow of the setting sun. His work may have been shitty, his housing may have been sub-par, but there was absolutely nothing that could take away from his calming strolls through the playground.

''Shinobi-san!''

Well, there was one thing.

Naruto tried to turn on his heels as fast as possible. He had to run, he had to escape. But the towering figure with a rather peculiar choice in fashion was already in front of him.

''Shinobi-san! Shinobi-san!'' The man gushed and jumped around. ''How glad I am to come across you on this splendid evening!''

The corners of Naruto's mouth etched into a smile little by little. ''Hey, man… I take it you want some of my kunai and shuriken again?''

This man was what people in this strange land called an ''otaku''. More often than not obese and ugly men with an obsession for 2D women. They were often seen as the scum and outcasts of society, though their bonds of brotherhood were strong in their community, and Naruto could respect that. To some extent.

Naruto had seen this otaku many times before. He was always caught off guard, just when he expected to have some peace and quiet. The worst thing about this was that this otaku had a very strong interest in ninja and the likes.

Naruto sighed as he opened his backpack. If he had never dropped that old rusty shuriken a couple days ago, none of this would be happening.

''No, no. Shinobi-san.'' The otaku gripped Naruto by his shoulder. ''This time, I have come with a different request. One that a great warrior such as yourself would only be able to fulfill.''

''Look man, I already told you I'm bad at making scroll-''

''It is nothing Shinobi related,'' the otaku reassured Naruto. His grip on Naruto's shoulders tightened, and at this point it was making Naruto a bit tense in the shoulders.

Something was off about this man.

Sure, he dressed like an ordinary otaku, but Naruto knew something was off. This man did not look like an otaku. He was tall, well-built, and Naruto dared to say attractive. Not to say that there were no special cases, but Naruto concluded that there must've been something more than his hoodie with two breasts drawn upon them told him.

''I,'' the otaku started, ''am a man who holds a great burden. A duty I have to uphold. But not just any duty, a sacred duty at that!''

The otaku started shaking and gritting his teeth, and Naruto was considering to get some help.

''For many eons, I have performed my duty like a good man would. I have carried the burdens of many of my brothers. I don't hold any contempt towards He who gave me this duty, nor do I despise my duty. In fact, it is what I love the most in life! But, but…''

By now tears were streaming down the otaku's face.

''But now a once in a lifetime opportunity has showed up for me!'' he bawled. ''I have to do this, Shinobi-san! If I would not, I'd have to commit seppuku!''

Naruto did not know what that was, but it didn't sound good.

''Okay…'' Naruto was now gripping the otaku by his shoulders as well, a faint effort in calming him down. ''So what about this request?''

The otaku sobbed and stood upright, steeling himself. ''In order to chase my dream, I'd have to abandon my sacred duty, but I can simply not afford to do that. That's why I need a replacement for while I'm gone. And you, shinobi-san, might fight like a shinobi, but I'm sure you have the honor of a samurai!''

The otaku fell to his knees and slammed his head into the ground.

''So I beg of you, Shinobi-sa- no, Shinobi-sama! Please have pity on my sorry self, and assist me in the chase of my deepest desire!''

Naruto stared at the otaku. The only sound in the playground was the rustling of the swings.

''Sure.''

''I understand it is unreasonable! But- wait what.''

Naruto laughed and pulled the otaku up from the ground, patting him on the back. ''I'll help ya out. I know that feeling, when you just want to give up everything to chase your dreams.''

Naruto no longer saw an otaku, but a little boy who wanted to become Hokage.

''Shinobi-san…'' The otaku's tears were still falling from his face like a waterfall, and it looked like his body was suffering from an earthquake. He wiped his tears and stood upright once again.

''I am truly grateful. Now prepare yourself, Shinobi-san. I shall transfer my duty to you.''

Naruto nodded as the otaku took a few steps back. He started humming a simple tune. Naruto cocked his head to the side a bit. Was this some sort of weird otaku ritual.

Soon the humming became louder, and Naruto's body started getting hotter. The sky became a pure white, and the playground lit up in a dancing display of colors.

''Uh, what's going on?''

The otaku simply continued humming. Naruto blinked.

There were no wings on the otaku before, right?

The now winged otaku flew up in the air, spreading his arms wide. The colors continued their dance, now circling around Naruto.

'''I, Metatron, the voice of God, hereby grant you my power!''

Another small light appeared, this time coming from the otaku's mouth. It rushed towards Naruto, and forced itself into his throat. Naruto choked and fell to to the ground. The light surrounding the playground disappeared, the warmth was lost and the sky turned back to it's orange color.

''What the hell was that…'' Naruto groaned as he got up. He looked around, but the otaku was now gone. He had no idea what happened, but he knew that his throat was feeling a bit sore.

''Oh well,'' Naruto muttered to himself as he dusted his jacket off. He had seen worse after all. Hundreds of men getting torn to pieces by one demon, gigantic beasts facing off with each other, his village getting blown to pieces…

Naruto started whistling a tune as he continued on his way home. Thinking about it, he never got to know what the otaku's duty involved.

He shrugged. He'd figure it out on his own. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Anxiety always killed him.

Training, chunin exams, and now job interviews. It was not going to be hard, he knew it, but the shivers than sprinted all around his spine appeared again and again.

A position as janitor opened up at the local school. It was a full-time contract, and Naruto was tired of hopping from job to job, so something that promised a steady income was worth to look at.

The hall was empty, the only sounds around were coming from the office in front of Naruto and the classrooms in the distance. There was no one else applying for the job, so at least Naruto knew that he was guaranteed the job.

Or that was what he liked to think.

''Please enter.''

Naruto gulped and stood up from his seat. He marched towards the office door, like a soldier prepared to end his life for a lost cause.

He swung it open and stepped inside.

It was a typical office. It reminded him of Tsunade's office a bit, only with less sake bottles laying around. An older looking man was sitting behind the desk, staring right at Naruto.

''Naruto Uzumaki, reporting for duty!''

Once he did the mock salute, his heart stopped beating. It was a bad habit he had never gotten rid of.

The man behind the desk kept staring at Naruto, his mouth now open. Naruto cursed under his breath, he had not even started the interview and he already messed up.

Instead of getting told off, the man stood up, smiling like the sun.

''Such enthusiasm! Please, do sit down.''

This time it was Naruto's turn to stare at the man. He decided not to question it, and sat down.

The man started dancing around Naruto's seat, asking all types of questions except job related ones. ''Do you want some coffee? Tea perhaps? Maybe you'd fancy a massage?''

''Uh, no. I'm fine.''

After Naruto rejected his offers, the man sat down again, but his smile was still on his face.

''So, what can I help you with?'' the man asked.

Naruto had to stop his jaw from falling down. Was this guy in his right mind?

''I,'' Naruto started, making sure he'd put emphasis on every syllable, ''came here for the job.''

''You're hired.''

''What.''

''You heard me.'' The man kept smiling as he leaned back in his chair. ''From the moment I saw you I knew you were up for the job. In fact, I think a position as janitor would be unbecoming for you. You will be our new history teacher instead!''

Naruto jumped up from his chair, disbelief now evident on his face. ''What the hell, man! I didn't even answer any questions, and now you already want to make a teacher? Fuck, I don't even qualify to be a teacher!''

The man ignored Naruto's outburst, his smile still plastered on his face. ''I believe you can do it.'' The man stood up and grabbed a couple books and pushed them into Naruto's hands. ''You can start immediately. If there's anything you need, you can come to me. Maybe you'd like a raise?''

Silence ensued.

''A raise would be nice, yeah.''

This was not how it was supposed to be.

He was supposed to get tons of annoying questions, sceptical looks, and then get the job on a whim. He was supposed to feel relief, to embrace the feeling of his doubts being washed away. But now, his doubts had doubled.

''I'm not a fucking history teacher… Even if that dude hired me, once they see me teach the committee or whatever will fire me on the spot…''

Thoughts raced through Naruto's mind as he wobbled towards his classroom. There was no way this could turn out well. He would be humiliated by a bunch of pesky brats, get fired in the middle of a grand drama, and then he would become the joke of the town.

Naruto gritted his teeth. Maybe he should look into that seppuku thing the otaku mentioned?

"Well, here goes nothing.''

Naruto stepped into the classroom. The hour of judgement arrived.

The room was loud and messy. The students were all messing around and talking to each other. They all ignored his existence, as if he was not worth their time because he would be gone in a minute anyway.

Naruto steeled himself. Even if he was going to get fired, he wouldn't let a bunch of kids waltz over him.

''Attention students.''

It all happened in a second.

The classroom became silence itself, and all eyes were glued on him. No one talked, no one moved. Naruto shivered, this was getting too creepy.

There was something wrong, and there was only one way to find out what.

He didn't introduce himself. He grabbed a random book from the pile he was given, opened it up somewhere in the middle and started reading from it. If he didn't follow protocol and started doing stuff out of the blue, no one would take him seriously.

And yet they listened.

The students stared at Naruto, entranced by his words. He was the puppeteer, and they were the puppets. No questions asked. Naruto didn't even know what he was reading at this point, but the students wouldn't deverge their attention from him for a single second.

But there was one exception.

A red-haired girl. She wasn't giving Naruto her full attention unlike the others. She glared at him, and for some reason it didn't make Naruto uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, it made him feel relieved. Was she the only semi-intelligent person around? Had she seen through his guise and realized that he was in fact not a teacher?

The bell rang, liberating Naruto from his shackles.

''Oh look how time flies!'' Naruto's laugh cracked a bit. ''I will see you guys next class!''

All students stood up in sync, mouthed a louth ''thank you'' and left the classroom. Naruto was at loss for words. He tried to leave the classroom after all the students were gone, but the door was shoved close right in front of his face.

''Sensei~''

Naruto realized that something worse than getting fired was about to happen.

He turned around, and the red-haired girl was still sitting in her seat. Now she was smiling, but not the good kind of smile. It reminded Naruto of Sai's smiles.

''Can I help you with something?'' Naruto asked as he tried to force his mouth into a smile.

The girl kept her Sai impersonation up. ''Yes, actually. I was just wondering why someone with so much holy energy would show up in my territory?''

''Holy what now.''

The girl slid off her chair and marched over towards Naruto. She pointed her finger at him and glared. Even though she was shorter than him, Naruto felt like she looked down on him. Or at least tried to. He didn't like that in the least.

''Don't play games with me,'' she hissed, '' I know you're here for a reason. Who sent you? The Vatican? The Protestants? Or are you taking orders directly from above?''

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. ''Look girl, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just a washed up teacher-''

''Of course!'' The girl laughed. ''A teacher who likes to put all his students under his filthy spells. You better look out sensei, because your petty tricks don't work on me. I'll figure out what you're doing here, and I will bring you to justice!''

''Okay, listen.'' Naruto's voice started getting louder. ''I just wanted a damn job. I got it, but now I got some stuck-up bitch blabbering about some weird shit right in front of me, and that bothers me. So how about you take your talk, take a walk, and leave me the fuck alone.''

Naruto pushed the door instead of shoving it open, and it broke apart. He sprinted away, ignoring the looks from all the students. His blood was streaming faster, the sweat trickled down his brow and his heart was beating.

The adrenaline was back.

''Finally, a break well fucking deserved.''

Naruto dropped down on his matress. Today's events had taken a toll on him. First the otaku and his request, then the weird job interview and then the girl going off at him for absolutely nothing. He would end up quitting that jobs himself before they fired him.

He rolled around the bed a bit and stared at his apartment. It was a small studio with a bathroom and kitchen. It was the most he could afford at the moment, but he had promised himself that he would get a steady job and get himself out of this place.

As he kept lolling around on the bed, his hand landed on something. Naruto sat upright and saw a bunch of papers on the edge of his bed.

''What's this?''

The papers were stacked around each other neatly, and a small note was attached to them. Naruto took the note and started reading.

Most honorable Shinobi-san,

I am deeply sorry for leaving you without any further explanation. My duty called, and I had to be quick if I wanted to start my pilgrimage on time. To help you out, I left you these papers. This is a guide meant to help you through upholding my duty while I'm gone. Most of it should be easy to understand, and I hope it won't be much trouble for you. Again, thank you for helping me pursue my dreams.

Yours sincerely,

Metatron

''So his name's Metatron, huh…'' Naruto muttered as he took the guide. It contained more pages than he had expected, so that meant this ''duty'' was a bit more complicated than Naruto first thought.

Metatron's handwriting was neat and streamlined, so at least he would have no problem with reading it. A title shined upon the first page of the guide, written in sparkling gold ink. Naruto squinted his eyes to read what it said.

''A guide to being the voice of God?''

Well, first story published, so yay I guess. If you actually read the story, you may have a vague idea of what Naruto is up to. This will be romance/humor, nothing too serious except for a couple bits. For god's sake, no, it won't be a harem. There might be feelings brewing between multiple characters, but no harems. Also, please don't spam me with questions about Naruto's power level and the likes. This isn't some dark neglect fic where he's gonna go around and one-shot everybody, so it doesn't matter honestly. I also didn't really edit this, apologies for that and any annoying typos you might see while reading. Anyways, please let me know what you think and I hope you have an otherwise splendid day.