Touching the untouchable

Chapter 24

Naruto took a deep breath, trying not to get mad. He drummed his fingers on the table a few times as he stared at the person in front of him, making them feel intimidated. However, Naruto immediately flashed them a grin and begin talking to them like they had been friends for the longest time. Those clients weren't the ones that he was mad at though. A drunk man came over to their table and started rambling about how the company he was working for before ruined his life. Naruto frowned at the man, he recognised him... and it seems the man did too.

"You! You are that little bitch of a secretary of that bastard!" he screeched and tried to hit Naruto but the blond merely moved to the side to avoid the punch. He took the opportunity to grab the man's wrist to subdue the man to the ground. Naruto grimaced, he might have ruined the company's opportunity to expand their connections. "The cops are on their way!" the manager exclaimed, running out from where the phone was to see if he could help but relaxed a little when he saw Naruto had gotten the situation under control. 

"Let me go, asshole!" the drunk man screamed, thrashing about. "That bastard Uchiha fired me!" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. He really didn't want to be in that situation right now. 

"Do you know why he fired you? Work was delegated to you and what happened? None of it was completed and you were behind schedule, every second count as money and you managed to waste millions of dollars. You trash the company cars, got into accidents which caused thousands to fix. We could have deducted that from your salary but I told him not to because it was too mean. You know what, I see now that I was the foolish one for thinking that you would change for the better. I told Itachi-sama not to fire you and that you were a good person and that maybe you were going through a rough time that's why nothing was accomplished. However, it has gone on far too long and Itachi-sama might be a patient man but even the most patient ones have limits." Naruto said softly so that no one heard them, making the man look down in shame.

"I... I'm sorry I let you down." the man muttered, only now knowing that the blond had placed a lot of faith in him that he even went beyond his ways to convince their boss to let him stay a little longer to prove his worth but he didn't. Naruto loosened his death grip a little when the man had seized struggling. "You didn't let me down, you let yourself down. You are a very smart man but things are no longer as easy as sitting for an exam and passing. In the adult world, everyone is out to throw you off and climb on top of you.  In exams, your grades may have defined where you stand but right now, your actions are the ones that determine where you stand." Naruto said, getting off the man.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting." the man said sheepishly, albeit he was a bit drunk but he was still sober enough to have taken in that life lesson. Naruto pressed his lips together, showing an expression of a grimace. Naruto pushed his name card into the man's hand, he had looked into his background before and knew he grew up in a rough environment and being fired from such a large corporation is a big downfall for their future careers. He had given the name his card to call when he is ready and Naruto could help him find a job with the old places he used to work at; salary might not be the same but it was better than no job for months.

Naruto resumed the meeting, his clients had in fact not been turned away by the display; they were more impressive than anything that Naruto had handled it so well and managed to get the man to reflect on his mistakes so quickly. They didn't need any more convincing as they immediately offered deals and contracts to bring back to Itachi. The more they talked, the more they liked Naruto. At the end of the meals, contacts were exchanged with the promise that if they found more companies, they would help the Uchiha Corporations scoop them in.

Naruto smiled to himself, he was glad that it had gone successfully. Despite not being able to contribute with connections of his own, he was glad that he was able to bring some in with whatever little charm he has. 'Thank Kami, I managed to do something for Itachi.' Naruto thought to himself as he made his way back to the office. For some reason, all the work that Naruto had done for the company, the blond feel that it isn't enough, that nothing would ever be good enough to offer to Itachi.
Naruto paused outside the building, why had Itachi chosen to be with him?