The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that the world looked... sharper.
The blurry edges of the ceiling tiles were crisp. The dust motes dancing in the sunlight filtering through the blinds were distinct. It was like someone had upgraded my graphics settings from "Medium" to "High Resolution."
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[EXPANSION PACKS INSTALLED SUCCESSFULLY]
[MODULE: CHAKRA SENSITIVITY (BASIC)... ACTIVE]
[MODULE: ENHANCED HUD CLARITY... ACTIVE]
I sat up, flexing my hands. The sluggishness from yesterday was gone. My body felt light, responsive. The [Restructured Coils] and the [Passive Recovery] from the System had done their jobs.
I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the new sensation buzzing in the back of my skull. It wasn't a sound, but a feeling. Like static electricity on my skin. I could vaguely sense bundles of energy moving in the hallway.
Nurses and Doctors, I realized. It’s faint, but I can feel them.
Suddenly, a stronger, denser presence approached the door. It felt heavy, like old wood and smoke.
The door handle turned.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in. He looked like he hadn't slept. His eyes were baggy, and he was clutching a scroll as if it were a grenade.
"Good morning, Naruto," he said, his voice grave.
"Old Man," I greeted, swinging my legs off the bed to face him.
"I have drafted the agreement based on our... discussion,” He said, placing the scroll on the bedside table. “It includes details of the trial period and financial adjustments."
I picked up the scroll.
Clause 1: Absolute Loyalty to Konoha.
Clause 2: Compliance to Commanding Officers.
Clause 3: Protection of Villagers.
Ah, hell nah.
I snorted, and tossed the scroll back down.
"Try again," I said flatly.
Hiruzen frowned. "These are standard clauses for any shinobi."
"I'm not just any shinobi,” I countered. "Besides, these stipulations are kinda wild, don’tcha think?"
I looked him dead in the eye. "You essentially want me to be a lapdog that questions nothing."
"Naruto," Hiruzen warned, his tone hardening. "You cannot be a ninja of this village if you hold hostility toward it and its people."
"I don't hold hostility," I corrected. "I set boundaries. And I want those boundaries written down. Right here. Right now."
I grabbed a pen from the bedside table and pulled the scroll open.
"We’re making amendments," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. "First: The Right to Self-Defense."
Hiruzen raised a brow. "As in?"
"If a villager initiates ill will or intent towards me of any kind," I started. "I have the right to retaliate to the amount of force exerted. Meaning, non-lethal force. Broken bones? Maybe. But I won't kill them unless they try to kill me first. And you," I pointed the pen at him, "cannot arrest me for it."
Hiruzen went quiet for a moment in contemplation.
"Non-lethal," he emphasized, finally speaking. "Agreed."
"Second," I continued. "Your ninjas."
"What about them?"
"They are trained killers. If a shinobi attacks me, I can't afford to play nice." I drew a jagged line on the paper. "Let’s go with a three-strikes rule."
I held up three fingers.
"First Strike: Defense and a verbal warning. I defend myself with non-lethal force and tell them to back off," I said, placing the first finger down. "Second Strike: Mild force. I disable them completely. Broken arm, concussion. Something that stops them as a warning," I placed the second finger down. "Third Strike," I dropped my hand, my expression turning cold. "Lethal force. If they come at me a third time, I put them in the ground. And the Village accepts it as self-defense."
Hiruzen went silent. He stared at me, calculating.
"A Three-Strike rule," he muttered. "It is... generous, actually. Most shinobi would strike to kill immediately."
"What can I say, I'm a nice guy," I shrugged. "Until I'm not."
"Very well," Hiruzen sighed. "And the loyalty clause?"
"Change it to a consultative partnership," I said. "I will follow orders. But I reserve the right to refuse missions that violate my... let's call it personal ethics."
We spent the next hour hashing out the details. I demanded a stipend adjustment (inflation-indexed, naturally), access to attainable resources, and unsupervised training hours.
Finally, the scroll was filled with red ink and amendments.
"Are we done?" Hiruzen asked, looking exhausted.
"One last thing," I said, standing up. "The handshake."
"The... handshake?"
"In business," I said, extending my hand. "A deal isn't sealed until you shake on it. It’s symbolic or whatever."
Hiruzen stood up, smoothing out his robes. He looked at my small hand, then at his own weathered one.
"Very well." he reached out and our palms made contact.
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[INITIATING SPIRITUAL CONTRACT...]
[PARTY 1: NARUTO UZUMAKI]
[PARTY 2: HIRUZEN SARUTOBI]
Huuuuuh?! Spiritual what?!
The scroll began to glow with a violent, grey light. It lifted into the air, hovering between us like it was possessed. The ink on the page began to writhe, twisting into complex sealing scripts that I had never seen before.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Naruto?!" Hiruzen barked, his eyes widening in alarm. "What’s happening?!"
"I'm not sure! This isn’t your doing?!" I shouted back, trying to pull my hand away.
But, I couldn't. Our hands were stuck together.
[BINDING CONTRACT ESTABLISHED]
A binding contract?!
I saw black markings begin to wrap around Hiruzen’s wrist, disappearing under his sleeve. I looked down and saw identical markings winding up my own arm. It wasn't painful, but the sensation was heavy and felt like chains wrapping around my very soul.
[TERMS LOCKED]
[PENALTY FOR BREACH: HEART FAILURE / SOUL ERASURE]
Soul Erasure?!
The scroll dropped back down, the glow fading instantly. The markings on our skin vanished, sinking into our flesh.
Hiruzen stumbled back, clutching his chest. He looked terrified. For the first time, the Professor looked like he was out of his depth.
"That..." Hiruzen wheezed, staring at his hand. "That looked like a Blood-Binding Seal. High-level fūinjutsu. No... something older."
He looked at me, his eyes searching for something. “You don’t know what that was?”
I rubbed my wrist. I could still feel the phantom weight of the chains.
"No," I said honestly, even though I knew it was the System’s doing. "But I think it means that we literally can't break the deal."
Hiruzen swallowed hard. He straightened his posture, regaining his composure with significant effort.
"It seems... that the stakes have been raised."
"Nothing too different from shinobi matters I suppose," I replied.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, mentally filing the terrifying magical event for later study. "Right, regarding your medical check-ups."
He gestured to the door.
"I have assigned a specific medic to monitor your condition. She is very trustworthy, and knows how to keep silent on important matters."
"Who?" I asked, eyebrow raised.
"Dr. Honaka," he responded. "She is the best diagnostician we have for unique chakra networks."
"And the teachers?" I asked. "Who’s lucky enough to be blessed with me?"
"For your general knowledge," Hiruzen listed. "Special Jōnin Ebisu. He is entirely by-the-book. He is exactly what you need to fix your fundamentals."
The closet pervert that was actually really good at his job, I thought. And someone I think the original Naruto should have had when he started the Academy.
“Okay,” I acknowledged.
"And for your combat and survival training, Special Jōnin Anko Mitarashi," Hiruzen said.
My eyes widened.
Anko? The chaotic, dango-eating maniac? I pondered. Ebisu would have been more than enough, but this is a huge upgrade too. The Old Man really wants me to be a shinobi, huh?
"In the past she was often ostracized by the village due to her connection with a certain rogue ninja. I thought you two might find common ground."
Ah ha, there it is. The real reason for adding her on, I thought. Trying to get me to build ties to the village that would make betraying it hard. Smart. No wonder they call him the professor.
"I guess I'll see. Thanks, Old Man."
Hiruzen nodded, turning to the door. "I will leave you to prepare. Your discharge papers are processed."
He walked out, the door clicking shut.
I sat there for a moment, listening to the silence. I looked at what was left of the scroll on the table.
Then, I looked at my hand. That was crazy. But very informative.
I stood up and stretched. The hospital room felt too small, now.
[DAILY QUEST: FORGING THE VESSEL]
[STATUS: ACTIVE]
"I guess it’s time to grind," I said as I grabbed my orange jumpsuit jacket.
I checked the discharge papers Hiruzen left behind, grinned, and walked right out the front door.
Two hours later, near the abandoned section of training ground 43, I was drenched.
"Ninety... eight..."
My knuckles were raw. I was punching a wooden post that had clearly seen better days. Sweat was pouring off me, soaking my jumpsuit.
"Ninety... nine..."
THWACK.
"One... hundred!"
I dropped my hands, letting out a long, controlled breath. My arms felt heavy, like lead weights were strapped to my wrists.
I crushed the 10km run in forty minutes. And the push-ups and squats were tedious but manageable thanks to my body.
Having a ninja’s body is weird. I feel super-human, but at the same time, I feel limited or grounded in some areas.
The real nightmare had been the Leaf Concentration exercise. Trying to balance a leaf on my forehead for thirty minutes with lousy control felt like trying to thread a needle while riding a rollercoaster.
When I asked the System about the Fox's natural chakra disruption hinder my control. It replied that the seal was integrated into system storage upon the completion of the downloads, which allowed it to automatically filter out all negative effects.
So, my chakra control being ass now is because I suck, rather than something I can't control.
I’ll have to get my INT stat up if I don't wanna suck any more.
After finishing the exercise, a chime rang out—the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.
[DAILY QUEST COMPLETE]
[REWARDS GRANTED]:
-
1000 Ryo (Added to Wallet)
-
Full Recovery
-
+3 Stat Points
-
Random Loot Box
I accepted the [Full Recovery] and a wave of warm energy washed over me. The heaviness in my limbs vanished instantly. The raw skin on my knuckles knitted back together in seconds.
"Oh my god," I sighed, rolling my neck. "That’s going to be very addictive."
I went from exhausted to ready to fight a war in zero point five seconds.
I sat down on the grass and opened my inventory. There, sitting in a slot, was a small, ornate box with a question mark on it.
"Come on," I said, tapping the box. "Papa needs a new pair of shoes. Or a sword. A sword would be nice."
The box shook and burst open in a shower of digital confetti.
[ITEM OBTAINED]:
-
E-RANK GATE KEY: A rusted iron key that summons a Gate to a specific ranked Dungeon.
[NOTICE]: Gates act as access points and are invisible and inaccessible to non-Players.
[WARNING]: Death inside a Dungeon is permanent.
No re-dos or re-tries, huh? I pondered. So I gotta be really careful.
I stared at the key. It was bulky, but surprisingly light, and it had a unique design to it; looking almost like a small dagger.
"I really got this on the first daily quest? Crazy."
Suddenly, a notification flashed, explaining the mechanic.
[TUTORIAL TIP: GATE SYSTEM]:
-
Activating Keys, summons Gates for the Player.
-
Completing Gates yields loot, experience points, and keys for other Gates.
[CAUTION]: Time dilation effects in Gates may apply.
Time dilation. That might be a big problem, I thought. Let’s say I spend a week inside, how much time passes out here? An hour? A month? I can't risk disappearing from the village without knowing that information.
“Is there anything else I need to know about these Gates?” I asked. “Are there different types? Is E the lowest? How are they different from the ones from Solo Leveling?”
[LISTENING…]
[ANSWER]:
There are different dungeon types. Gate Dungeons, that can be accessed by Keys earned from completing other Gates. And Instant Dungeons, that are activated by specific keys, items, quests, or events.
Notice: When Player activates a Gate Key, the Player may be teleported to an appropriate place to enter Gate or the Gate may come to the Player.
Gate Keys are assigned from E (the lowest rank) to S (the highest rank). To achieve higher ranked Gate Keys, Player must meet a specific quota for each Gate rank.
Next Quota: Must defeat 50 monsters to unlock D-Rank Gates.
Gates have three distinct classifications: Standard Dungeons, Castles, & Towers.
Standard Dungeons consist of maze-like environments filled with traps and monsters. The Player must either clear the environment or defeat the Boss Monster to earn rewards.
Notice: Player must unlock access to other classifications to get informational access.
Gates garner currency upon completion:
E: 5,000 ryo
D: 20,000 ryo
C: 75,000 ryo
B: 250,000 ryo
A: 1,000,000 ryo
S: 10,000,000 ryo
“Wow, that’s a lot, but extremely insightful," I said. "And those ryo amount for completing Gates is ridiculous."
As I steered my attention back to the Key, a notification that said [AVAILAIBLE FOR USE], appeared above it.
I rested a hand on my chin as I began to contemplate my decision.
Permanent death.
I was a Level 1 degenerate with no taijutsu style, no ninjutsu to rely on, and no gear on hand. All I had was a jumpsuit and a bad attitude.
Going in there now would be a gamble, and gambling with my life right now doesn't sound too appealing.
"Nah, not yet," I decided, storing the key back into my inventory. "Gotta get a few more points first before tackling that."
I looked at the blue window still hovering in front of me. I thought about Hiruzen. I thought about the villagers. I thought about the threats from the Earth and threats from the sky that I knew were coming for this world in a few years.
Survival wasn't enough. Just being strong wasn't enough.
"System," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet afternoon air. "I want to set a primary objective. A long-term goal."
The blue window shimmered, awaiting input.
[LISTENING...]
"I really want is to be stronger than anything in this world. And beyond it. Beyond the monsters in the gates, beyond the aliens that were coming, and beyond the gods that oversee them," I stated. "I want absolute dominance. Unlimited, terrifying power."
The System paused. For a moment, the window flickered rapidly, processing the sheer scale of the request. Then, the text turned gold.
[AMBITION ACKNOWLEDGED.]
[GENERATING MYTHIC QUEST CHAIN...]
[MAIN QUEST: PATH TO OMNIPOTENCE]: The Player seeks to transcend the limits of mortality and the constraints of this reality. Becoming the apex of existence.
[FIRST MAJOR OBJECTIVE GOAL: REACH LEVEL 100]: Progress: 1/100
[REWARDS PER MILESTONE]:
-
+10 Stat Points To All Stats (Every 100 Levels)
-
Legacy Title Evolution
I grinned, a sharp, feral expression that felt right at home on my new face.
"Now we're talking."