The moment he stepped out of the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Gen saw a sea of people packed outside the gates. Parents, relatives, and clan members crowded the street so densely that it instantly reminded him of the scenes outside college entrance exam halls in his previous life.The atmosphere was almost identical—tense before the results, relieved afterward, noisy with congratulations, complaints, and questions the moment the doors opened.
There were a lot more students in the Ninja Academy than the impression people often gave. At the very least, each year group had several hundred students, and if one counted the family members gathered outside today, the entire street looked full.In the original timeline, Kakashi had once told Naruto that each class only had twenty or thirty students, and that two-thirds of them would be sent back. But that only made sense if he had been talking about the elite stream, or a specially selected graduating group—not the academy as a whole.
If Konoha truly graduated only a few dozen ninja a year, the village would have had only a few hundred, maybe a thousand shinobi total. A place like that would have been swallowed by the other great villages long ago.Just Iwagakure alone had once thrown ten thousand men at the Third Raikage. As the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha's total number of ninja could not possibly be much lower than its rivals. If anything, it ought to be higher.
Those classes of twenty or thirty were mostly elite classes, with a few exceptional students from ordinary classes mixed in. No matter their background, the people selected for that level were either the cream of the crop or second-generation prodigies with powerful families behind them.After graduation, they were assigned to jonin-led squads, and their futures were naturally brighter than those of ordinary academy students. They were the ones Konoha considered worth investing high-end combat resources in from the very beginning.
Jonin were not just strong—they were scarce. They were major fighting assets of the village, politically important enough that the Hokage election itself required the votes of jonin.Not every fresh graduate was qualified to be led by one of them. Only students who showed enough talent, enough potential, or enough background were worth assigning a jonin instructor to.
If a supervising jonin judged you promising, then you followed that jonin and entered the real path of elite cultivation. If not, you were effectively dropped a tier and handed over to a tokubetsu jonin or even a chunin instructor instead.That second category was the fate of most graduates. Some of the better ones at least ended up under a special jonin—people who had reached jonin standards in a specific field, even if not across the board. But if your instructor was only a chunin, then more often than not, you were just battlefield fodder in the making.
Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Gen walked back toward the Uchiha district the same way they usually did after class. Before they had gone far, a tall, thin middle-aged man with long hair appeared in front of them and blocked the road.His name was Uchiha Nobuyuki, a jonin of Konoha, vice-captain of one division of the Police Force—and Inahisa's father.
"It looks like your graduation assessment didn't go very well this time," Nobuyuki said.Inahisa, who always held his head high at the academy, lowered it without a word. After a brief silence, Nobuyuki's gaze shifted past him toward the boy beside him."Who took first?"
Inahisa glanced toward Gen."Congratulations, Gen. If Taki knew how outstanding you've become, he would be very happy."
Nobuyuki's expression softened when he looked at him, though his face still carried its usual sternness. Uchiha Taki had been the father of this body—the man who had died on a mission hunting enemy spies before Gen had transmigrated into his place."Thank you for the praise, Uncle Nobuyuki," Gen replied politely. "But Inahisa did very well too. In the future, he'll definitely become a powerful Uchiha, just like you."
"That's not enough," Nobuyuki said, shaking his head. "If he wants to become stronger than his father, he'll need to do more than that."He turned back to his son. "So, this time, were you second or third?"
Throughout their years at the academy, the top three had never really changed—Gen, Sarutobi Enjun, and Uchiha Inahisa taking turns trading places from one exam to the next."Third," Inahisa said stiffly. "Sarutobi Enjun hid a mouthful of oil in his mouth before the match to make his Fire Release stronger, so..."
"A loss is a loss. There's nothing to explain," Nobuyuki cut in coldly. "Still, losing to the Hokage's son and to a clansman who outperformed you doesn't disgrace the Uchiha name."His tone eased only slightly. "This afternoon, come with me to the clan storehouse. You'll choose a ninjutsu."
As one of the greatest clans in the shinobi world, the Uchiha had remained powerful for over a thousand years. Their clan members never lacked access to strong techniques.As long as one reached certain milestones—promotion from genin to chunin, or awakening the Sharingan from two tomoe to three—one gained the right to enter the clan's ninjutsu archives and select techniques to learn.
"Yes, Father!" Inahisa answered at once.Then Nobuyuki turned back to Gen. "Gen, I had planned to take you there myself and give you some advice on what to choose. But on the way here, I ran into the granddaughter of the Grand Elder. She should be here for you by now, so I won't presume to interfere."
As he spoke, Nobuyuki looked toward the intersection ahead.A beautiful black-haired girl came walking briskly toward them, smiling as she approached. A bright red ribbon held her long ponytail high behind her head. She wore a green Konoha flak vest over a short light-blue top embroidered with the Uchiha crest. Her legs were long, straight, and healthy with that clean, disciplined strength shinobi carried, white wraps winding neatly around her calves above blue combat boots that made her seem even taller.
At a glance, Gen recognized her.Uchiha Mikoto.Because they belonged to the same clan, it was impossible not to know who she was. Back when he had first entered the academy, Mikoto had already been a well-known senior—three years older than him, famous in the clan for her looks, temperament, and talent.
"Sister Mikoto," Gen and Inahisa said together."Uncle Nobuyuki, Cousin Inahisa, Gen—hello," the girl said with a gentle smile, bowing slightly to the three of them.
Nobuyuki gave a small nod. "Mikoto, you came on Elder Daigen's behalf?""Yes," Mikoto replied. "Grandfather heard long ago about the clan's newest genius. Since today is the academy's graduation day, he asked me to invite Brother Gen to our home for a talk."
The Grand Elder of the Uchiha clan stood second only to the clan head himself. He enforced the clan's rules, oversaw the management and distribution of public resources, and controlled major matters involving education and inheritance.In practical terms, that meant the archives, the internal school, and a large part of the clan's future. A newly risen prodigy like Gen had no chance of avoiding the Grand Elder's notice.
"Then I'll take my leave with Inahisa," Nobuyuki said. "Gen, if you need anything, just say so. You don't need to be overly polite with the Grand Elder."With that, he waved once to Mikoto, then turned and left with his son.
Gen watched them go, then felt Mikoto's gaze settle naturally on him."Shall we go, little Gen?" she asked with a smile.
Her eyes were bright and clear. Up close, she was even more striking than he remembered. Her features were soft, but not weak; elegant, but with the vigor that came only from real shinobi training.And she smelled faintly of rain, clean cloth, and something floral from her hair.
Gen gathered himself and answered, "Ah... okay, Mikoto-nee."The two of them set off side by side along the streets of Konoha. Around them, the village was still lively with post-graduation excitement, but Gen's attention kept drifting between the girl beside him and the system panel only he could see.
Mikoto seemed a little absent-minded as she walked, as if she had something on her mind. Her gaze occasionally wandered, and her steps were unhurried. But Gen knew better than to assume that meant she was inattentive.Anyone who could already wear a flak vest at her age, and move with that effortless calm, was not someone to underestimate.
As for him, only part of his attention stayed on the road.The rest had already sunk into the system.
Originally, after leaving the academy, Gen had intended to go home first. A proper bath. Clean clothes. Then, if possible, burn incense and respectfully pay tribute to every luck-related existence he could think of—Buddha, Guanyin, the Three Pure Ones, even the Sage of Six Paths—before drawing his card.After all, this was a rare chance. Rare enough that even someone who knew better than to believe in ceremony still couldn't help wanting a little ritual.
The system interface hovered in his vision, invisible to everyone else.[Character Name: Uchiha Gen] [Character Level: 9] [Currently Loaded Character Card: Sakura Haruno (Ninja Academy)] [Currently Available Item Cards: None] [Available Card Draw Attempts: 1]That last line practically shone in front of him.
One draw.Just one, but that was already enough to make his heartbeat speed up.The half-finished game system he had brought with him into this world still had all the roughness of an unfinished corporate product. Most features were missing. Most events were not implemented. Most monetization loops had no channel to function through. What remained was a skeleton—leveling, rewards, and the gacha.
But as crude as it was, the gacha was still the gacha.It could produce character cards. It could produce item cards. And even a seemingly ordinary card could change a person's fate if it landed at the right time in the right hands.
Sakura's academy-era character card had already proven that. It had not turned him into a monster overnight, but it had polished his foundation to an outrageous degree, granting him balanced growth and frightening mastery over academic fundamentals.Without that card, he might still have ranked near the top of the class. With it, he had become the consistent number one in written exams and someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the true elite heirs in practical combat.
So this new draw mattered.It mattered a great deal.
As he walked, Gen couldn't help calculating probabilities in his head.The prize pool was messy. Since the project had been unfinished when it came over with him, a lot of useless junk was still mixed into the reward table—mediocre consumables, low-value materials, and assorted garbage obviously designed to pad rates and bully players into spending. In other words, exactly the kind of design his company would have approved without blinking.
From a professional standpoint, he understood it completely.From the standpoint of the poor soul now forced to live inside that system, he could only hope the planners who designed the drop table were struck by lightning in every universe where they existed.
Still, complaining was pointless. He had a draw, and that meant possibility.Maybe it would be a useful item card. Maybe a character card with a strong passive trait. Maybe something outrageous. Maybe utter trash.That uncertainty was exactly what made it dangerous—and addictive.
Mikoto walked quietly at his side for a while before speaking again."You seem distracted today, Gen."
He glanced at her. "A little. I just officially became a shinobi, so it still feels unreal."That wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.
Mikoto looked ahead, her ponytail swaying lightly with each step. "That's normal. Graduation is a big moment. For many people, it's the first real step into the world outside the academy."Then she turned slightly and smiled at him. "But you've already done very well. Grandfather has been hearing your name for quite some time."
Gen kept his expression modest. "I've only worked a little harder than others."Mikoto's smile deepened, amused in a way that made it clear she didn't believe that for a second.
"A little harder?" she repeated. "You took first place in the graduation exam and defeated both the Hokage's son and one of our clan's most talented students. That's not something that comes from being only a little hardworking."
Gen coughed lightly. He could hardly explain that his effort included an imported game system, a transmigrator's maturity, and years of corporate knowledge about reward structures and stat growth."Luck was involved too," he said."Luck is also a kind of strength," Mikoto replied at once.
Those words made him look at her again.For a moment, Gen suddenly understood why so many people in the clan spoke well of her. Mikoto's temperament was unusually comfortable. She was gentle without being weak, measured without being cold. Being around her made conversation feel easy in a way that lowered other people's guard almost automatically.
That kind of person was dangerous in a clan like the Uchiha.Or perhaps precious.Maybe both.
Rainwater still clung to parts of the street from earlier, turning the stone road dark and glossy. The two of them passed other clan members heading home, some of whom nodded to Mikoto and glanced curiously at Gen.News really did travel fast inside the clan.Then again, when a newly graduated child from a war era took first place over both the Hokage's son and another highly regarded Uchiha, there was no way that wouldn't spread.
Gen kept walking with a calm face, but inwardly, he was already on the verge of rushing home, locking the door, and drawing the card immediately.No. Patience. A little patience.If ceremony could influence luck even one percent, then hurrying would be a sin.
Beside him, Mikoto was still speaking in that warm, clear voice of hers, telling him a little about the Grand Elder's habits and reminding him not to be nervous when they arrived.Gen listened, answered when needed, and maintained the image of a polite young genius.All the while, the golden exclamation mark in his system task bar and that single available draw kept pulsing at the edge of his vision like a hook buried in his mind.By the time he and Mikoto turned deeper into the Uchiha district, his anticipation had already risen to the limit.Whatever came next, one thing was certain.Tonight, he was going to draw.