Chapter 1 – A New World
A sharp, mechanical chime echoed directly in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on crossing into the world of Naruto. The system has been activated!"
Before Izaya could even process the sound, another prompt followed swiftly.
"Ding! The God-Level Selection System has been successfully activated. Please choose your destination, Host…"
A translucent screen materialized before his eyes, displaying five stark options:
{Choice 1: The Land of Water. Reward: A random Bloodline Limit or special trait from Kirigakure.}
{Choice 2: The Land of Fire. Reward: A random Bloodline Limit or special trait from Konohagakure.}
{Choice 3: The Land of Earth. Reward: A random Bloodline Limit or special trait from Iwagakure.}
{Choice 4: The Land of Wind. Reward: A random Bloodline Limit or special trait from Sunagakure.}
{Choice 5: The Land of Lightning. Reward: A random Bloodline Limit or special trait from Kumogakure.}
"What in the world is this?" Izaya murmured, his voice a confused whisper as he slowly opened his eyes. His last memory was of playing a Naruto video game. Had he simply fallen asleep? But when he closed his eyes, he was in his room, and now…
He looked around, finding himself suspended in a barren, silent darkness, the five glowing options his only point of reference.
"Why am I in a place like this?" he sent the question out into the void, his heart tightening with anxiety. "Have I… crossed over?"
As his confusion peaked, the system issued another reminder, its tone utterly indifferent.
"Ding! Selection time has expired. Initiating random selection… Option 2 selected: Destination is Konohagakure."
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host, Izaya, on a successful crossing. Location: The outskirts of Konoha Village."
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host, Izaya, on obtaining a new identity—Konoha Civilian: Izaya."
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host, Izaya, on obtaining a Konoha exclusive trait: Uchiha Clan's Mastery of Fire Release Ninjutsu."
A sudden, overwhelming sensation flooded his senses. A milky-white, inexplicable halo of energy poured into him, and the world spun. His consciousness flickered, and he felt himself falling before everything went black again.
When awareness returned, he was lying on his back on cool, damp grass. The scent of rich soil and dense foliage filled the air. Izaya pushed himself up, his eyes scanning the verdant, sun-dappled forest surrounding him.
"This… it's real. I've really crossed over now," he muttered, the reality of his situation finally sinking in. The system, the choices, the new location—it all pointed to one undeniable truth. He was in the world of Naruto.
A complex wave of emotions washed over him. "Well… it's not like there was much for me to miss in my previous life," he reasoned aloud, trying to steady his breathing. "Coming to the Naruto world with this so-called God-Level System might actually be a good opportunity."
Since he couldn't change what had happened, his survival instinct kicked in. His mind shifted from panic to a single, driving question: how was he going to survive in this dangerous world?
Yet, despite his pragmatic thoughts, a silent sorrow lingered on his handsome features. He had truly left everything behind.
"This system is such a cheat," he grumbled, frustration edging into his voice. If he'd been given the choice, he definitely wouldn't have picked Konoha. While most of the story's major events revolved around the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and knowing the plot was a huge advantage, it was far from a safe haven.
Konoha was a place obsessed with bloodlines and heritage. Throughout its history, only the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, had truly risen from civilian backgrounds. And look how they ended up—one died young, and the other was driven out and branded a traitor.
More importantly, Izaya had no idea how reliable this Selection System actually was. If it was powerful, great. But if it was useless, he was as good as dead.
Forget about the Akatsuki's invasion or Pain literally leveling the village with a single Shinra Tensei. Even the earlier Chunin Exam invasion, orchestrated by Orochimaru and the Sand Village, resulted in countless deaths. He remembered the casualties clearly—Proctor Hayate, numerous ANBU elites, and scores of Konoha civilians. Izaya didn't flatter himself into thinking he was some chosen one who could waltz through the shinobi world unscathed.
Especially when his starting reward was just the Uchiha clan's mastery of Fire Release!
Fire Release! The one ninjutsu that never seemed to kill anyone in the original story! Even basic shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags had more impressive track records. Fire Release had barely taken out any named characters. Starting with this felt like a cruel joke.
"A catastrophic start," Izaya sighed, a tear of sheer frustration tracing a path down his cheek. His heart was a mix of sorrow and a faint, inexplicable anticipation. And then, a more immediate and primal need made itself known.
He was hungry.
This wasn't just a minor inconvenience. He hadn't eaten anything before crossing over, and he hadn't had a drop of water for nearly a day. If he stayed lost in these woods, he'd starve to death before he ever even became a ninja.
Right on cue, the system chimed again.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for activating a selection—The Temptation to Return to the Village."
{Option 1: Return to Konoha to fill your stomach. Reward: One bowl of Special Ichiraku Ramen.}*
{Option 2: Awaken! Betrayal is the only true path for a shinobi! Reward: Three Basic Jutsu Training Scroll.}*
"Seriously? Ichiraku Ramen? And what's this about 'betrayal is the only path'?" Izaya stared at the virtual screen, his expression one of utter helplessness. The system's voice was a flat, computer-generated monotone, yet he could have sworn he felt a thread of mockery woven through its words.
A real man wouldn't bend for a mere meal… but a real man also wouldn't last long on an empty stomach.
"I choose Option One," Izaya stated resolutely, his pride thoroughly defeated by his growling stomach.
The moment the words left his lips, a warm, comfortably heavy bowl materialized in his hands. A rich, savory aroma instantly hit his nostrils, making his mouth water. The broth was a golden hue, and nestled within were perfectly cooked, wide, round noodles.
"Big bowl of wide noodles?" Izaya mumbled, an infamous scene from his past life flashing inexplicably in his mind. He shook his head, dismissing the bizarre memory, and dug in without another second's hesitation.
As he savored the last delicious slurp, the system chimed once more.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host, Izaya, for consuming the Special Ichiraku Ramen. As this dish is a specialty of Konoha Village, it grants a permanent 20% increase to the damage of all Fire Release ninjutsu."
Izaya stared at the empty bowl, a slow grin spreading across his face. The frustration from earlier began to melt away, replaced by a spark of excitement.
"So… this just upgraded my Fire Release from mere flames to something truly scorching?"