Konoha — Naruto's Apartment
Morning sunlight leaked through the cracked blinds.
Dust floated in the air like tiny golden specks.
Ding… ding…
An empty ramen cup rolled across the wooden floor when Naruto shifted in his sleep.
His stomach growled.
Loudly.
Naruto Uzumaki slowly sat up from his bed - a thin futon tossed carelessly onto the floor. Instant ramen containers, scrolls, and old clothes were scattered across the tiny apartment.
His head throbbed.
"...What the heck was that dream?"
Fragments of memory drifted through his mind.
The cool touch of ink to skin. A smiling face whose entirety couldn't quite be made out. And finally, a vague sense of warmth.
If our protagonist had a less tumultuous childhood, he might have recognized the feeling as safety and belonging.
Naruto rubbed his face.
"Man… I shouldn't have eaten expired ramen again."
*Ping*
A faint panel appeared in front of his eyes.
Floating in midair.
Transparent. Glowing dark blue.
Naruto froze.
"...Huh?"
The panel flickered once before stabilizing.
[Status]
[Jutsu Archive]
[Enemy Index]
[Map]
Naruto blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Okay."
He poked the air.
Nothing happened.
He poked harder.
Still nothing.
Naruto scratched his head.
"...Am I going crazy?"
After a moment, he focused on the first option.
[Status]
The screen expanded instantly.
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 12
Rank: Rookie Genin
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Endurance: 12
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 5
Luck: 3
Chakra: 18
Naruto stared at the numbers.
Then grinned.
Wide.
"Whoa…"
His eyes sparkled.
"This thing's AWESOME."
Last night flashed through his mind.
The failed graduation exam.
Mizuki's betrayal.
The forbidden scroll.
And then—
Shadow clones.
Hundreds of them.
Naruto grinned.
That part had been awesome.
He focused again.
[Justu Archive]
Skills:
Academy Taijutsu (LVL 2 3/10)
Clone Technique (LVL 1 .5/10)
Shadow Clone Jutsu (LVL2 2/20)
Naruto stared proudly.
"Shadow Clone…"
He puffed out his chest.
"Heh. Bet nobody else in class has THAT."
His eyes drifted lower.
Intelligence: 2
Naruto frowned.
"Hey!"
He pointed accusingly at the panel.
"That's rude!"
The system did not respond.
Naruto squinted.
Then he noticed something blinking in the corner.
[Daily Mission Available]
His eyes widened.
"Ooooh."
He immediately selected it.
[Daily Mission]
Attend first Genin team meeting.
Objective: Report to the Academy classroom.
Reward:
Unlock Inspect feature
Failure:
No ramen tonight.
Naruto gasped.
"No ramen?!"
He jumped to his feet.
"That's EXTORTION!"
The panel blinked quietly.
Naruto grabbed his jacket.
"Alright, alright! I'm going!"
He dashed toward the door, pausing briefly.
"...Wait."
He squinted at the reward again.
Inspect
"What does that even do?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Probably makes me more awesome."
Decision made, he burst out the door.
Konoha Streets
Naruto sprinted through the village, weaving through pedestrians.
Shopkeepers shouted as he rushed past.
"Naruto! Slow down!"
"Watch where you're going!"
"I'm on an IMPORTANT MISSION!" Naruto yelled.
Technically, it was true.
He had a system now.
That meant he was basically a legendary ninja already.
Probably.
Maybe.