Once upon a time, there was a child named Uzumaki Naruto, and he was a child that no one loved.
He remembered the days of sitting alone on the swing set, his gaze fixed on the glowing smiles of the other children. On any other day, a fight would have broken out over the single swing in the academy yard. So, when young Naruto found all the other children preoccupied with some school event, he rushed over and claimed the empty seat.
Growing up, this was his consolation prize. This was how he dealt with the persistent ache in his heart, a void that gnawed at him most fiercely on Parent-Teacher Day. In fact, any day that invited parents to the academy was a form of torture. It reached a point where even the children who weren't smiling became objects of his envy.
Maybe they were crying. Maybe they were frowning. But those children, even in their sadness, were experiencing powerful emotions while surrounded by people who loved them.
They were relevant.
And there he was, on the one swing, all alone. Every parent shepherded their child away from him as if he were a disease. Every child whispered with their friends and pointed in his direction. There he sat on the swing he could only use when no one else wanted it, a stark reminder that he was only ever allowed the leftovers of society.
The hole in his heart grew a little bigger every day. He wasn't sure what it would take to finally fill it up.
But he knew one thing: everyone loved and respected the Hokage. Everyone surrounded the Hokage with appreciation and admiration.
So that day, sitting alone on that swing, he decided. He would become Hokage.
Years later, Naruto did accomplish in reaching his dream and he became the hokage after fourth ninja war. He was the strongest hokage as well.
Naruto was sitting in his office when he suddenly collapsed on his table. For a few seconds, the world faded to nothing, and when his vision returned, something fundamental about him had changed. It was as if a new consciousness had settled into his body.
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Mighty strength, immense power, immeasurable riches, and the most beautiful women—is that not what all people strive for? Hypocrites condemn such desires, but peel back the layers of pretense, and you will find that every pursuit is a selfish path toward the same destination: peace of the soul. Everyone, in their own way, wants to stand at the summit. Yet life can change so suddenly that you don't even have time to look back before you've reached your final destination. In my past, I understood my own nature but never truly acted upon it. That was my greatest mistake, and perhaps the only reason I have been given this second chance, this unlimited future. My thoughts, ambitions, and unfulfilled dreams once towered over me like an endless mountain peak. It seemed I was destined to lose, to surrender and remain a greedy, unsatisfied man. After all, without strength, how can one ever hope to cross a mountain? But now... my wish came true. Albeit, a little differently than I had planned.
The spacious office was a testament to organized chaos. Towering stacks of documents threatened to collapse, and a musty smell mingled with the stale air of a complete mess. This is what anyone who entered would have witnessed in the office of the legendary shinobi, the man who now held the title of the Strongest Hokage in history.
He found himself sitting in an armchair by the window, his eyes scanning the room with discontent. A desk, a computer monitor, a pull-out keyboard tray, and a nearby cup of instant ramen, long gone cold. Against one wall stood a wardrobe overflowing with books and scrolls. On the opposite wall hung six portraits—mostly older men, with the striking exception of one voluptuous young beauty. The blonde's gaze lingered on her painted form for a full minute as the shocking reality of his situation began to sink in.
The entire office felt neglected. Strange wires snaked across the floor, which was littered with crumpled pieces of paper and other rubbish. Perhaps one of the old ramen cups was the source of the disgusting stench.
Someone had transmigrated into Naruto's body.
'This is far too lucid for a dream,' he thought.
"It seems I really did transfer into Naruto's body," he murmured to himself, surprised by the sound of his new voice. It was so distant from the one he remembered from his previous life. "But I don't have any of his memories." Thankfully, no one was around to hear him. He recalled that Naruto disliked having Anbu guards in his private office so he dismissed them, affording him some privacy.
Leaning back into the soft upholstery of the chair, the man let out a long breath.
"It's impossible to believe, but this doesn't feel like a dream... I'm really Naruto!" He began to examine his new body, then spotted a large mirror nearby and quickly scrambled over to it.
Short yellow hair, piercing blue eyes, and a tired, haggard face. He was quite attractive, if not for the "gray office slave" mask he seemed to be wearing. It appeared Naruto had been Hokage for some time now.
"These are actually real, too. I thought it was just part of the animation," he mused, touching the three whisker-like marks on each cheek. "I look a little sharper than the Naruto I remember from the anime. And judging by these portraits, everyone is more realistic. They're similar to the art, but still so different." He swallowed, his eyes drawn back to the portrait of the beautiful woman. "How are they even natural..." He found himself thinking of burying his face in that heavenly valley.
Returning to his seat, he sniffed the cold ramen in the plastic cup.
"Well, it's tolerable." Grabbing the disposable chopsticks, he fumbled with the solidified noodles. It was difficult at first, but he became surprisingly proficient after a few clumsy minutes.
As he ate, his thoughts drifted to his previous life. He had been a single, 21-year-old software engineer who was doing reasonably well for himself. He noticed, with a strange detachment, that he couldn't remember the names of anyone from that life, not even his own. Yet, the experiences remained. He remembered graduating from college early through sheer hard work and the look of pride on his father's face that day. He remembered crying at that same father's funeral. He had no one else; his mother had run away with some worthless guy when he was young. He hated her for that, a resentment that perhaps planted the seeds of misogyny within him. The thought of moving on from that life brought a surprising sense of relief. Maybe he died from exhaustion after binge-watching a show for two days straight, fueled by twenty cans of Red Bull and nothing else. Maybe some Random Omnipotent Being decided he deserved another chance. Or maybe he was overthinking it, and this was all just one big coincidence. He decided to leave that problem for the future 'me' to worry about.
After his small meal, the man leaned back in his chair and threw his legs onto the cluttered desk. He decided to ponder his situation; everything seemed clearer on a full stomach.
"This isn't so bad, actually," he sighed, closing his eyes. "There were many worse options for transmigration, but I was lucky enough not to end up as some canon fodder NPC."
"It's a bit weird not remembering certain things, but my personality hasn't changed. I still have the memories from my formative years and all the entertainment I consumed. All the manga, anime, and TV shows... I'm suddenly realizing how nerdy I was, spending all my weekends watching that stuff." Shaking his head, the man sighed again. "I don't regret a thing."
Slowly massaging his temples, Naruto began to accept that he probably wouldn't remember any more about his past. He had a feeling he just needed to forget it and focus on the present. The only problem was that his new reality was incredibly difficult to comprehend.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki, the famous Hero of the Shinobi World... Sounds wonderful... and dangerous! What do I do? On top of that, I don't have Naruto's memories or any idea how to use his abilities. One wrong move and I'll be finished." With a heavy sigh, the man rubbed his tired eyes.
"Okay, let's be optimistic and look at the positives. I am still the Hokage, and I have the Nine-Tailed Fox inside me. Besides that, I have immense strength, chakra, and power. And a beautiful wife... I could take full advantage of all this! Let's try the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Technique that every Naruto fan knows..." Grimacing, Naruto attempted to form the hand seals for the cloning jutsu, but his fingers fumbled, and nothing happened.
As he was about to try again, a gloomy voice, filled with a lifeless cold, suddenly sounded in his head.
[System bound and activated successfully!]
Naruto didn't know how to react as strange information flooded his brain. He immediately understood everything about this "System." It was a 'Domination System,' and he was pretty excited by its name. If it was what he assumed it was, he had just hit the jackpot.
"What the heck... This is so cliché," he muttered. He had been ready for a hardcore survival mode, but a system? The legendary system was here, and he certainly wasn't complaining.
He immediately called out, "Status," and a long panel appeared before his eyes, displaying his stats.
**Name:** Naruto Uzumaki
**Race:** High Human
**Titles:** Seventh Hokage, Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Patriarch Uzumaki, Child of Prophecy, Savior of This World, Asura Reincarnation, System Master.
* **Assets:** Hashirama Cells, Senjutsu of the Six Paths
* **Status:** Seal of Suppression ↑ ↑ ↑
The list of titles and assets was impressive enough to inflate anyone's ego, but there was one glaring "but"—the Seal of Suppression! Because of it, Naruto was completely unable to use his chakra. He couldn't connect with the Bijuu in his body; he couldn't do anything at all. All that remained was his raw physical body. Fortunately, thanks to his Uzumaki blood and Asura's reincarnation, it was incredibly strong on its own. He couldn't wait to test out his newfound super strength, even if most of it was sealed.
Clearly, a common person or a low-ranking ninja couldn't kill him. A jonin, however, might pose a problem given his lack of combat experience. Still, he was confident he could outrun almost anyone, as few shinobi could match Naruto's base speed. However, it was wise not to get into any fights. Without training, he wasn't confident he could win. He still had chakra in his body, but the Seal of Suppression blocked all control over it. Simply put, he was just a strong shinobi with no access to his abilities or skills. All he had left was his physical body, the post of Hokage, and this new system, which hadn't been much help so far.
Sighing, Naruto continued to study the system interface. He tapped various parts of the screen, but nothing happened until his finger landed on "System Master."
This selection revealed new information:
* **System Master:**
* Ability I: See Status
* Ability II: See the Status of Others (Locked)
* Ability III: Skills (Locked)
* Ability IV: Subjugate!
Reading this, Naruto only understood part of it. The "See Status" ability was clear, and "Subjugate!" sounded promisingly related to the system's "Domination" theme. The locked skills, however, were a mystery, though their status was definitely related to the suppression seal.
The most problematic issue wasn't the Seal, but his complete ignorance of the current situation. Naruto had not gained any of his predecessor's memories. He was here, in the most powerful seat in the village, with no idea what to do next.