As far as things went, Alice considered herself fairly lucky. Her job basically composed of her sitting at an elaborate monitor for twelve hours straight, and as long as nothing changed (which it never did) then she was free to do whatever she wanted. Of course, she couldn't any technology, as the monitor might blow up if it encountered any interference of any kind, which was why it was encased, along with her, in an underground fortress several stories underground, both to prevent anyone from interfering with it or knowing of its existence in general.
So Alice was free to kick back with a book, drink her coffee, and wait until Jefferson came to relieve her so she could get some well-deserved rest. But until then, she was perfectly willing to kick back and read.
Beep! Beep!
Alice's brow crinkled in irritation. She checked her watch, confused, but remembered she had to take off her Opti-Watch before she began her shift. Where was that beeping coming from?
The more she thought on it, the more she thought that she had probably imagined it. She had a late night last night, stayed up far too late even for her schedule.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
But she couldn't just ignore that. Her eyes flickered to the monitor that had never before displayed any signs of unusual activity, and noticed that everything was blinking with the furious red light that never indicated anything good.
Panic welled up in her, but then she remembered that this was the only thing that she had been trained for in this job. She dropped her book and bolted to the door. She slammed her hand into a metal button that she knew would directly alert the proper authorities. She heard the clicks and whirs as an enormous mechanical machine behind the wall raced through the fortress, all the while the beeps from the monitor increased.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!
The door slammed open beside her and in strode a full battalion of uniformed men and women, quickly filling up the fairly large room and squishing Alice against the wall.
"My word, these readings are far worse than anything I've witnessed, even from T-157. So many loose elements churning around, it's unbelievable." One of the bespectacled women murmured.
"It's only getting worse, the energy spike is only growing and it's…resonating? How is it resonating? What else is there?" Alice vaguely recognized the man complaining as the acting Head of Interdimensional Resources. What was he doing here?
"We're not sure, we haven't been able to monitor the goings on of the Shifting Dimension for hundreds of years."
"We know that intelligent life has been evolved for quite a while in the Shifting Dimension but none that would qualify on this level. This is almost an Omega-7 energy output."
"Dear Lord, this could destabilize the whole Dimension and a good majority of its offshoots." Someone murmured. Their voice was choked, and Alice couldn't comprehend why someone would be concerned with the destabilization of a few universes.
Why was it even "-called the Shifting Dimension?" Alice accidently finished her thought out loud, so used to solitude as she was.
Her voice was far too loud for the tense atmosphere, and all eyes suddenly turned on her. These were some of the most powerful men and women in the multiverse, and she found herself wilting under the sheer power they seemed to exude. She was sure only a few of them had actual powers, but they were intimidating nonetheless.
"It's called that because things don't tend to say the same." A new voice filled the room. Several people stiffened and stepped away from the terminal. Alice would have taken a step back as well if she could. The new person coming in was the same man who had interviewed her for this job in the first place, before she had known what exactly it was to be, just that it required someone trustworthy.
Han Jee-Han moved over to the terminal and began intensely studying the screens while still talking. For once, his expression matched his stiff style of dressing.
"The Shifting Dimension is one of the oldest Dimensions on record and like most of them, have eventually developed life capable of supernatural acts. Unfortunately, like in most other Dimensions, these powers saw fit to meddle not only with other lifeforms, but also the fabric of their reality, which could cause a Dimension to naturally destabilize and collapse in on itself. This might not be a problem if it only happened once or twice, but they've done this dozens of times."
"Aaaaand now it's happening again." Han finished, still fiddling with the various controls at the monitor, taking in the changing information faster than it seemed possible to process.
"We cannot afford to let Dimension A-853 destabilize." One of the scientists insisted. Alice wanted to inquire why, but it wasn't her place. She shrunk back on herself and wished she hadn't dropped her book, or that she could edge her way out of the room.
"Well what do you suggest we do? We can't send anyone in there, no agent can handle the amount of shifting that they'd undergo. The only thing we can afford to do is terminate the Dimension and its offshoots. Otherwise it may pose a threat to the Core Universes." A man with a heavy square jaw stated, his expression resigned but firm.
Horror began churning in Alice's chest. Termination was only ever used in the worst of cases, had only happened a bare handful of times in the past...forever. It just couldn't happen, not when there could be billions of lives inside that Dimension alone!
"Hmmmm…" Han hummed contemplatively. "No. We're not going to do that."
There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to find their words.
"With all due respect sure, we're not even sure how much time we have until this turns critical. We can't risk countless Dimensions just for the sake of this one!" A particularly bold scientist spoke up, looking torn but grimly sure of herself.
"Oh, calm down." Han dismissed the woman, eyes still glued to the screen, but he looked contemplative, despite the fact that even Alice could tell that things in the Shifting Dimension were getting worse. "I think I have a plan to not only fix this, but give us some much needed information on the Shifting Dimension as well."
Han moved to the other end of the enormous machine that monitored the Shifting Dimension.
"Hey, Alice, you want to know why this is here in the first place?" Han asked seemingly out of the blue.
"Uh…sure?" Alice replied hesitantly.
"Well, it was always too dangerous to go into this particular Dimension, what with the constantly changing rules and whatnot, but we thought that we might be able to use this to mimic those elements we liked, but unfortunately that got patched. So all this machine can do is manipulate things a little bit, which isn't very useful most of the time. Unless you've got at least an Omega-10 energy output going on, so things are a bit more malleable."
The machine gave an audible whirring sound, and a tube emerged. Han grinned at the tense crowd and pulled a vial of viscous liquid from…somewhere.
"I had this prepared, just in case." Everyone seemed to be just as confused as Alice was, except for one man, who tensed at Han's words.
"You can't be serious! You cannot possibly be thinking of gifting your powers to inhabitants of a Dimension known for abusing their own already massive power!" He shouted. Alice vaguely recognized the man as one of the head scientists of the Interdimensional Supernatural Faculties.
"Of course not." Han said flippantly. He waved a hand over the vial, and it was engulfed in a dark light. For a moment, Han's face became grim, but it lightened as soon as the glow died. "It's been modified accordingly. And if this happens to fail…"
Han inserted the vial and pushed several buttons, and the machine hummed with power. "Then we'll go ahead and terminate the Shifting Dimension."
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Deep within the Shifting Dimension, past countless galaxies, stars and trillions of other lifeforms, a rouge element was suddenly inserted into the fabric of a warping reality. This element, only barely sentient by the magic of its originator and creator Han Jee-Han, sensed the enormous power surge and slipped through the bonds of space-time to get there quicker.
Had the element been more conscious, it would have noted that the planet it arrived at bore several striking resemblances to the home planet of its very own magic, but without the guiding presence of Gaia to help things along.
For just a moment, the rouge element paused, almost in hesitation. There wasn't just one source on this planet, there were several. Which one to bond to first?
That decision was resolved quickly. The biggest source of power, and the most malevolent one. But the others might pose a threat as well. The element didn't know what it would risk by not bonding quick enough, but it was bad, that much was certain.
So, with the limited amount of free will the element had, it split according to the source's power, and raced off to find their hosts.
There were Gamers to create. And if they didn't bond properly, then it would just have to kill them.
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Naruto Uzumaki woke up grumpy and irritated. Normally he would tried his hardest to act like the world was constant sunshine, even while he was alone, but he just didn't have the energy, so wrapped up in his own bad mood as he was.
Ping!
And to add to his current bad mood, now something was making noises, and he wasn't sure what it was. Sure, it could be that blue screen that was floating just in front of him, but he was mostly sure it was just some sort of early morning hallucination.
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
Naruto's eye twitched. The screen kept following him as he went through his morning routine and seemed oblivious to his attempts to deny its existence. In fact, it sounded almost indignant in its frequent beeping.
Naruto's stomach rumbled, even more upset than he himself was, and he once again put aside the matter of his hallucinations in favor of solving a more easily remedied problem.
But when Naruto was on his tenth cup of instant ramen, he was a bit more placated, and his eyes drifted to the persistent hallucination. It had a page of words on it, looking almost like they were begging to be read.
So Naruto did.
Naruto Uzumaki, Player 1, Level 5 (0%)
Race: Shinobi Class: None Title: Demon Child of the Hidden Leaf
HP: 500/500 MP: 350/350 SP: 350/350
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Intellect: 2
Willpower: 2
Charisma: 5
Luck: 5
Traits: Ambitious, Mischievous, Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-, Gamer (Player 1), Limitless
Naruto is a prospective ninja-in-training, and his goal is to eventually be Hokage, as he will tell anyone with ears. Naruto is lonely, but covers it well with a happy go lucky façade. He likes ramen and pranks. He dislikes being beaten at anything and vegetables.
Points: 0
Trait Gained: Gamer(Player 1)
All the world is a game, and now you can play it!
Notice: Due to unique circumstances, Player 1's genetic and spiritual bonuses have been negated, which has drastically reduced Player 1's abilities. As such, certain bonuses have been awarded, most of which can be discovered at a later date.
Trait Lost: Uzumaki Vitality
Trait Lost: Luck of the Irish
Trait Lost: Uzumaki Reserves-Enhanced-
Trait Lost: Uzumaki Regeneration-Enhanced-
Trait Lost: Reincarnation
Trait Gained: Limitless
Not even the sky is the limit for you!
Trait Modified: Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-
Some people have to grow up quickly. You have no choice.
It took Naruto quite a while to get through the lengthy (for him) amount of text, and his confusion only mounted as he read. Player 1? Limitless? Levels?
Luckily, Naruto at his smartest was when he was full of ramen, so he set to the problem with the full might of his intelligence.
So there was no surprise that Naruto found himself at a dead end almost immediately. He just didn't have enough information, and he had never been prepared for this sort of situation.
Most children would go to some adult important enough in their life to discuss events of a possibly supernatural force meddling with them, but Naruto didn't even consider it as a possibility. Iruka-sensei liked to enjoy his free time on Sundays, the Old Man was always busy, and it was unlikely Teuchi would know what to do in this situation.
So when Naruto had an odd gut feeling to touch the floating screen, he followed it, as he had never been instilled with a healthy fear of avoiding possibly dangerous supernatural objects. So he pressed his finger to the first thing that caught his focus, the title that seemed to have been given to him by both this game thing as well as the whole of the Hidden Leaf.
When his finger came into contact with his Title, the text expanded.
Title: Demon Child of the Hidden Leaf
Through a series of unfortunate events, the people of the Hidden Leaf have come to blame you for the destruction wreaked eleven years ago, and now project their fear and anger onto you.
-20 REP with most civilians and some ninja in the Leaf Village
+50 REP with the Folk of the Nine
Naruto's hand trembled. This…this was far clearer than anything that anyone else had ever told him about why he was so hated, but it was still so frustratingly vague! What happened eleven years ago? Who the hell were the Cult of the Nine?
He wracked his brain to come up with anything that happened eleven years ago, but couldn't think of anything. Perhaps if his brain had been less full of ways to prank the populace, and filled with a bit more history, then he would have connected it with the defeat of the demonic Nine-Tails, but he didn't, so he was left in confusion.
Perhaps this…thing could provide him with more information! He clicked on the next thing that stuck out, Shinobi, which was basically just a fancy way of saying ninja.
Race: Shinobi
Although at base you are human, through a series of near-world-ending catastrophes most of your kind has the potential become sturdier, stronger and smarter. Not that a lot of them will reach that potential…
You gain the ability to manipulate an internal energy known to many as chakra
Natural limiters decreased
Accelerated Growth Trait gained
Naruto's brow furrowed. That was not very encouraging. But it did lead him to the next issue he needed to figure out.
Trait: Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-
Some people have to grow up quickly. You have no choice.
Thanks to your Shinobi physiology, you will age to your prime physical maturity in a shorter amount of time than any other human, and stay there for longer. Thanks to your Gamer powers, this will extend to your mental maturity as well.
Well…that was good? Naruto didn't feel like he was growing any faster, in his brain or otherwise, but there was no reason to suspect the…Gamer thing?...was lying to him.
Speaking of which, apparently, his Gamer power had given him another ability as well…
Trait: Limitless
Not even the sky is the limit for you!
You are not limited by things such as genes or race, and as such, can gain any and all skills and Traits…as long as you meet the requirement for them first.
Naruto groaned and thumped his head on his table. This whole thing was giving him a headache. He had to just… get away. The screen seemed to sense his will and, now that it had been read, blinked out of existence.
Naruto gave a relieved sigh. Hopefully its lack of presence would help him get over this weirdness. He grabbed his favorite orange jacket and made his way out into the crisp morning air.
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Scratch that. It seemed the weirdness was going to continue even if it wasn't just one big screen in front of him. Because now there were floating letters and numbers above everyone he saw.
Hitori Masuki, Civilian
Level 2
REP: -21/100
Mitori Matarasu, Civilian
Level 1
REP:-24/100
Cora Alara, Civilian
Level 2
REP:-6/100
As dim as Naruto was often accused of being, he could notice a trend. Those with more negative numbers were those that reacted worse when they saw him, from looks of distaste to outright sneering. That seemed to imply that REP was for…how much people liked him? He supposed?
His headache was building. This was more thinking then he'd had to do in as long as he could remember.
Ping!
Another window opened up in front of him, and he jumped back in surprise. He looked quickly from side to side, but people were still just glaring at him, not having noticed the floating screen opened in front of him.
Due to intensive thinking (for you anyway) you have gained +1 Intellect!
As soon as he was finished reading it, the screen disappeared, and Naruto was still confused. Intellect... that was one of the things on his description. It had been rather low from what he had remembered. Had it really changed just from some hard thinking?
When the desire to see that description again popped up in his brain, so did the window again, but it had some very slight changes to it.
Naruto Uzumaki, Player 1, Level 5 (0%)
Race: Shinobi Class: None Title: Demon Child of the Hidden Leaf
HP: 500/500 MP: 355/355 SP: 350/350
Strength: 5
Vitality: 2
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Intellect: 3
Willpower: 2
Charisma: 5
Luck: 5
Traits: Ambitious, Mischievous, Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-, Gamer (Player 1), Limitless
Naruto is a prospective ninja-in-training, though his goal is to eventually be Hokage, as he will tell anyone with ears. Naruto is lonely, but covers it well with a happy go lucky façade. He likes ramen and pranks. He dislikes being beaten and vegetables.
Points: 0
Holy shit. It had changed. It had changed! In the course of only an hour with this mysterious power and he was already smarter. He was smarter!
If this thing could help him with his biggest flaw, then it could probably help him become Hokage too!
Ping!
Legendary Quest Alert: Become the Hokage!
Requirements: Become the Hokage
Rewards: Being the Hokage, Possible Happiness, 1,000,000 XP, Hokage Artifacts, ?, ?
Accept/Decline
A wild grin grew on Naruto's face. He immediately pressed a finger to the Accept button. The screen disappeared and blinked away, but Naruto's excitement soon died. Even though this screen had helped him slightly with his smarts, and made his goal more tangible, it didn't give him anything he didn't have already, namely a near impossible goal.
What he needed was something a little bit more easily achievable.
Ping!
Quest Alert: Self-Discovery I
Requirements: Learn about the miseries eleven years ago!
Rewards: 1,000 EXP
Accept/Decline
Now that was a bit more like it! Naruto may not know what EXP was, but just finding out why people hated him so much was a reward in of itself. He pressed Accept and the screen flitted away.
Naruto broke out into a sprint, a grin on his face. He would need to talk to someone really smart to help him with this and that meant one person.
Sakura-chan.
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Gaara of the Dessert was not someone that people wanted to cross when he was angry. Considering that he was an angsty eleven year old that never slept and constantly was sent on missions to kill people meant that it was pretty much never a good idea to get anywhere near him.
For most children this would be something sad, as you couldn't exactly make any friends if no one would come near you, but Gaara actually preferred it that way. It meant he would actively have to seek someone out when his Mother's bloodlust set in, but the chase was part of the fun.
It was particularly good right now, as Gaara was losing his fucking mind. At some point during the night, when Gaara was normally up on the roofs watching the moon, he had fallen asleep.
He had slept.
And given that he was not soaked in blood bound in gold dust, it was safe to say that, for some reason, he had not gone into a murderous rage like he always did when he slept. He actually felt rested, calmer, almost saner.
He took a deep breath of the cold morning air, just before the sun was to rise, and felt what might have been a smile tug at his lips.
Then he noticed he was lying on something quite uncomfortable. He looked down and found himself covered in sand. Frowning, he called it to himself, as it appeared his Sand Armor had fallen off during the night.
The sand refused to move.
With mounting terror, Gaara commanded the sand to move, but nothing happened. He reached for his gourd, where his offensive supply of sand was always kept, but it had dissolved into sand as well, and refused to move.
Mother, my sand! It won't move!
Despite the fact that he was only speaking in his own head, Gaara's mental voice seemed to echo in his own skull. He waited several minutes, but the voice of his mother refused to make itself known inside his mind.
That's about when Gaara broke down. His voice cracked several octaves above where it normally sat, and his fingers pressed into his skull as his chakra went wild, lashing out in every direction. Normally this would kick up a storm of sand around him, but now it simply cracked the roof underneath him, and even barely that.
MOTHER! WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT'S HAPENNING?
Normally such fluctuations in his mental state would bring the full might of his father's fury on him, but no such thing happened now. It was almost as if he couldn't sense the pitiful amount of chakra Gaara was now exuding.
Gaara collapsed on the roof, breathing heavily. That had taken far more out of him than he had expected. He felt scared, vulnerable. Weak.
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Naruto paused from his running to double over and wheeze. His lungs and legs were both burning, and hurt beyond anything they had ever done before. They had never done that before. Sure, after several hours of sustained running Naruto would feel uncomfortable, but never this bad, he felt like he was going to pass out!
And he had only been running for like twenty minutes!
Naruto took a moment to lean against the wall of a fence and took a deep breathe through his nose, filling his head with the scent of well-maintained lawns and wood. It was much better than the smell his neighborhood had. Well, most things would smell better than rotting plaster and shit, but it was still more pleasant.
After a few more breaths his head felt clearer and he tried to think this new issue through.
Did this have something to do with his Gamer power? He called up the screen again as he leaned against the wall and studied it for differences.
SP: 20/350
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he furiously tried to solve this new problem. He had never had trouble running before, in fact Iruka had always said he had lots of…Bitality? Hitality? Something that meant energetic.
Then his eyes focused on one of the words on his screen, as well as on the list of Traits he had lost. Vitality.
Naruto gulped and pressed on the Uzumaki Vitality trait.
Trait: Uzumaki Vitality
Lots of stamina can come in handy, if you know what I mean…
+100 base Vitality, +2 Vitality per Level
-15% Stamina Consumption
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. His Vitality would have been…like, fifty times higher if he still had this Trait! Why had he lost it?
But no amount of gnashing his teeth would bring such a useful Trait back, no matter how badly he wanted it. And as he waited, he saw his amount of SP tick back into higher digits as his body cooled down and recovered. It might have been his increased intelligence, but he rather easily figured out that aspect of his power, and was off as soon as his SP refilled.
He kept his eye on the still open window, and watched as his SP decreased slightly as he kept running. He sped up a touch and watched as the numbers took a much sharper downturn. He would really have to work on getting his Vitality up to par again…
Bam!
"Owwww…" Naruto muttered. He had slammed right into someone, so absorbed in his experiment as he was. However, his pain disappeared when he saw the rash of pink hair of the person he was looking for.
"Sakura-chan!" He started boisterously, quickly getting up and offering his hand. Sakura glared at him and pointedly got up without his help, brushing off her dress. Her pink hair was pulled away from her face, revealing intelligent green eyes that bored into him. A heavy frown marred her otherwise pretty face.
"What do you want, Naruto? I'm busy." She said bluntly.
But Naruto didn't respond. His eyes were fixed above her head, where her information was displayed above her just like everyone else.
Sakura Haruno, Scholar
Level 5
REP:-30/100
Sakura…didn't like him? No, she didn't just dislike him, she hated him. Even more so than a good majority of the villagers he had seen today!
"Well, Naruto? I don't have all day." Sakura tapped her foot and clearly wanted to be somewhere else, but given that this was her neighborhood she probably didn't want to make a scene.
"I…just wanted to ask you something." Naruto muttered, forcing his eyes back down onto her face, and pushed down an unpleasant choking emotion in his chest.
"For the last time, I don't want to go out with you Naruto!" She pinched her nose in irritation, and her tone was exhausted. It was the weekend, for Kami's sake, didn't he ever take a break?
Naruto waved his arms frantically, trying to dispel the idea he had accidently given her. "No, no I just…uh…"
Why would she help him? Ugly thoughts began to stir in his brain, and anger surged up in him. If she hated him even more than others did, why would she give him the information he was looking for? She might tell him the wrong thing just to hurt him.
"I just…wanted to know how you got so smart." Naruto finished lamely. Sakura blinked in surprise. This was new. Was Naruto actually trying to improve himself, rather than just boasting?
Well, anything that kept him away from her was a good thing.
"Well, most of it was reading." Sakura finally said. "Lots of it. You aren't just born with intelligence, Naruto, you have to work for it, and books and scrolls are a good start. Iruka-sensei probably has some for you to read on some basic ninja techniques."
"No, I was looking more into history." Naruto said shortly, trying to keep his emotions off his face. Was she really helping him? This was more than Sakura had ever said to him on a normal day, and she didn't look angry anymore either.
"Oh." Sakura gave him a closer look, but didn't comment on Naruto's sudden fascination with the ground. "Well then, the local library is good for that sort of thing. It's actually really close to here, just take a left and then a right; it's across the street from Yuhi's Merchendise."
"Thanks, Sakura-chan." Naruto said. He put as much enthusiasm in his voice as he could, but his words sounded sickly. He walked right past her, and only glanced back once to see her headed in the opposite direction. But he did see one thing extra.
REP: -29/100
Naruto turned his gaze back to the street and began plodding towards his destination
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Gaara breathed through his nose slowly and tried to calm down.
It didn't work, but he kept trying.
After he found out about his lack of protection, he had hightailed it to his hideout. If his father found out that he no longer had any power…
A shiver went through him and panic rose up in his chest, but he tamped it back down. That was not a good line of thought.
His hideout was a hollow space deep underground just outside the village, the walls made of compact sandstone. There were rations here, and an extra gourd of special chakra sand that also didn't react to his attempts to control it. He was lucky that he made an entrance that didn't require his sand manipulation to get to; otherwise he would have been stuck in the dessert dunes all day.
Ping!
Gaara's eyes flew open and he stood up violently, instinctively trying to force his sand to protect him, but nothing happened. He waited for a few moments, but nothing changed other than an odd blue square, unsupported by anything, appearing in front of him.
Gaara probably still should've been cautious, but he wasn't exactly in a good place right now, and was desperate for answers, so he read the words displayed.
Gaara of the Desert, Player 9, Level 10
Race: Shinobi Class: None Title: Demon of the Hidden Sand
HP: 500/500 MP: 600/600 SP: 350/350
Strength: 5
Vitality: 1
Agility: 2
Endurance: 1
Intellect: 5
Willpower: 2
Charisma: 1
Luck: 1
Traits: Weak, Broken, Wroth, Lost, Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-, Gamer(Player 9)
Gaara is a formerly psychotic Genin of the Sand Village, and is known by a lot of names in his home village, most of them negative, but not unearned. He is lonely and wants to have someone to be close to, not that he'll admit it. He likes playing with his sand and being left alone. He dislikes the One Tails and his father.
Points: 0
Trait Gained: Gamer(Player 9)
All the world is a game, and now you can play it!
Notice: Due to unique circumstances, Player 9's genetic and spiritual bonuses have been negated, as well as all Traits associated with them, which has drastically reduced Player 9's abilities. As such, certain bonuses have been awarded, most of which can be discovered at a later date.
Trait Lost: Insane
Trait Lost: Mother's Blanket-Corrupted-
Trait Lost: Sacrifice's Reserves
Trait Lost: Blood-Lust
Gaara's body was tense, and he trembled as he took in the information. This…thing had caused these changes.
"YOU TOOK MY MOTHER AWAY!" He screamed at the screen. It seemed utterly unaffected. Gaara reached out for his sand again, this time not just with his will, but with his chakra as well. It was a pitiful amount compared to what he normally possessed, but it connected to the sand, which absorbed the energy like a man dying of thirst.
Gaara lashed out at the screen with the slight amount of sand at his command, but his weapon phased through it like a desert mirage.
"I HATE YOU!" Gaara's MP began dropping rapidly as more sand was brought under his control once more.
"BRING HER BACK!" His reserves dropped into single digits and Gaara tried to reach for the familiar burning chakra that lurked within him that always accompanied his mother's voice.
"GIVE ME BACK MY MOTHER!" Gaara screamed. His MP bottomed out, and his sand refused to respond to his commands once more. Gaara fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Hot tears blurred his vision, and Gaara didn't bother to wipe them away. But then another screen popped up, and Gaara hastily wiped aside the obstructive moisture.
Sub-Skill Gained: Sand Manipulation
Due to gaining a Sub-Skill, you have unlocked the main Skill as well!
Skill Gained: Earth Manipulation
Earth Manipulation, Level 1(32%)
Who needs a lever? I can move the earth on my own
-No Techniques known-
Sub-Skill: Sand Manipulation, Level 1 (64%)
A mother's love never leaves.
Once the Trait: Mother's Blanket, which was then Corrupted by the One Tails' chakra, this skill has been reborn through anger and love. Try and use it wisely this time.
Basic Sand Manipulation: 50 MP/min
Once again, hot emotion rose up in Gaara, but he didn't feel like lashing out at something. His nose itched and he found it hard to swallow. So confused was he by these recent developments, he obeyed an odd impulse to touch the screen, and he tapped on Mother's Blanket.
Trait: Mother's Blanket
On her deathbed, your mother imbued your chakra with her love and hope for you before she died, so that you might protect yourself and others. Make her proud.
Grants Skill: Sand Manipulation
Grants Passive Skill: Sand Shield
His mother had been the one to give him his power before he died? Then…who had he been talking to all this time? Who had been whispering in his ear the desire to kill and prove himself? These questions churned in his mind, but they were all drowned out by one overarching thought.
His mother had loved him.
Gaara reached out with his very little chakra, and wrapped his controlled sand around himself like a blanket. For a moment, he could almost feel something warm. It wasn't the boiling, oppressive heat of the chakra he had been using these long years, but soothing and comforting.
As he fell asleep for the second time in several years, there was a gentle smile on his face.
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Naruto loitered outside of the library for some time, garnering several looks of distaste from the people milling about outside, but he didn't rush. In all likelihood, no one would allow him in anyway. He didn't have the ability to run indefinitely now, so if they began chasing him they just might catch him, and he wasn't sure what would happen then.
But never let it be said that Naruto Uzumaki was a coward! Just…cautious. So he did something he normally didn't do, and traced out a path of escape should someone chase him out of the library. It was…difficult, and very taxing on his still limited mental resources. He would have given up very quickly if it wasn't his own ass on the line.
When he finally came up with a plan that seemed halfway decent, he received another welcome surprise.
Due to using your brain in a way you haven't before, you have gained +1 Intellect!
Well, that was as good of a go ahead as he was going to get. He summoned up as much courage as he could, and marched in the front doors of the library. His eyes quickly snapped to the young woman with dark hair behind the desk, who hadn't even noticed his presence yet.
Sanji Asuka, Librarian
Level 2
REP: 50/100
Holy. Shit. She was one of those people! The…Folk of the Nine. It was the only explanation for why her REP was so high. Naruto wasn't exactly sure how to deal with that, so he just quietly went deeper into the library and took off his coat, turning it inside out and tying it around his waist to cover his orange pants. Orange was still the most amazing color ever, but he didn't want to get spotted.
Ping!
Naruto pulled out a random book off the shelves and held it in front of him as he read the screen that popped up, so that no one would notice him just staring off into space.
Skill Gained: Disguise, Level 1 (5%)
Your ability to pretend to be someone you're not. Most people are pretty good at this skill.
-1% detection when in disguise
Wait, not only did the Game measure his actual physical and mental abilities, but his actual skills too? Sweet! Going with the theme that seemed to have been established, Naruto focused on the thought of his own skills, and a screen popped up.
Skills:
Reading, Level 1(98%)
Chakra Mastery, Level 2(17%)
Transformation, Level 5(12%)
Substitution, Level 3(23%)
Clone, Level 1(1%)[Unusable]
Stealth, Level 2(54%)
Shinobi Running, Level 6(74%)
Brawling, Level 4(3%)
Knife Throwing, Level 2(82%)
Traps, Level 2(33%)
Disguise, Level 1(5%)
That was…it? Those were all his skills? Nothing on the list other than Traps and Brawling were unique among his class in all likelihood. And why was his Clone technique unusable? His heart sunk, and he dismissed the window.
Naruto tried to read through the book, but it contained much more complex words than he was used to seeing. He actively tried to decipher them, but no such luck. Or rather, intelligence. It was just too hard. But it did yield one positive result.
Skill Level Up!
Reading, Level 2(1%)
The written word, the most powerful weapon known to man
Reading Speed: Bad
Reading Comprehension: Bad
Vocabulary: Bad
Well. That was a bit of a kick to the pants. But it did show that he could level up that particular skill. He just needed to read something a little less… Complex.
So he shelved that book and went to what he came for, history. He thumbed through several books before he came on the recent history of the Leaf Village. He set to it with enthusiasm, devouring the words as fast as he could.
It was several hours later when Naruto closed the book again, and he leaned back in his chair to rub his eyes. There had been nothing he could glean from the history of alliances, trade negotiations and local laws enacted. It was all rather boring, but his goal had helped him power through it, even if he hadn't found what he had been looking for.
Luckily, the game helped soothe his irritation.
For actually reading of your own violation for once, you have gained +1 Intellect!
Skill Level Up!
Reading, Level 3(1%)
The written word, the most powerful weapon known to man
Reading Speed: Bad
Reading Comprehension: Bad
Vocabulary: Poor
That was better. His mind felt tired, but more powerful, like a long day of exercise. It actually felt nice to use his brain. Not as good as it would feel to give Sasuke a nice right hook, but it was still a pleasant feeling. He could get used to it.
"Excuse me sir, may I help…you…." Naruto turned around and came face to face with Sanji, the same woman he had been avoiding earlier. Her features displayed open shock and…something else. It almost seemed like the look people had when they saw the Old Man walking down the street. Respect and awe.
"Oh, don't worry I was just leaving." Naruto stretched his face in a wide grin and quickly returned his book to where he thought it had been earlier. Sanji smiled back at him, but her eyes seemed intent on taking in all of his appearance as quickly as possible. It was a little off putting.
"Well then…goodbye!" He said awkwardly, and slipped past her to the front.
He could feel her eyes staring a hole in his back as he walked out, but put the feeling out of his head. He might have to come back sometime and there was no point making enemies with the one person who seemed to like him.
Ah, and that thought brought back the bad mood. It settled like a dark cloud around him, but Naruto forced himself to look around and appreciate the day. It was one of the few days he could do whatever he wanted without incurring the wrath of Iruka for skipping class, and taking a walk seemed like a nice thing to do after several hours of reading.
Now if only people would stop glaring at him…
Naruto quickly took to not looking at people's faces as he walked past and rather focused on their REP scores and trying to remember if he had ever affected them personally. Quite a few of them had scores more negative than -10, so they had probably been affected by that event eleven years ago, but some had -2's or -3's. Those were probably the people who he just annoyed with his pranks.
However, sometimes he got the rare treat of seeing a 0/100 REP score and, for one man, a 1/100 REP. He had indeed seen some 50/100 but the 1/100 felt more special since it hadn't been influenced by his Demon Child of the Leaf title. He found himself memorizing their faces, promising himself to do something special for the neutrals and lower negatives to help change their opinions of him.
But what would that be?
Almost before the thought flitted away, Naruto caught sight of a burly man lifting an enormous crate out of a horse-drawn carriage in the middle of the street in front of a closed shop. The man seemed to be seriously struggling despite his healthy musculature, and Naruto's feet carried him over before he could process what exactly he was doing.
Taji Moto, Merchant
REP: 0/100
"Hey, do you want some help with that?" Naruto asked. Taji peered over the box down at the boy and expelled a great deal of air almost like a laugh, but more pained.
"Sorry kid, I think this is too big a job for you." The man wheezed, struggling over to the storefront, only to be obstructed by the closed door.
"Though I wouldn't say no to help with the door." He amended. Naruto obliged easily and, before the man could object, grasped the other end of the crate. His Strength stat wasn't fantastic, and while his muscles began to scream in pain at him, he managed to pretend all was well as the duo maneuvered the crate onto an empty spot of the floor that was otherwise covered with similarly sized crates.
Naruto straightened up and gave Taji a grin, despite the fact his back made more snapping sounds than it should have when he stood up.
"All in a day's work for Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" He declared, giving the burly man a thumbs-up. The man considered him with a light in his eyes for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, so you're one of those ninjas around here, eh? Well, if there's one thing I know about ninjas, it's that they never say no to a reward. Just give me a moment…" The man went to an open crate and went through them for a moment before pulling out an odd L-shaped object.
"Here you go, Uzumaki. Don't know how much use a ninja'll get out of it, but my nephews love 'em. Be careful though, this one's made of a tougher wood than normal." Taji warned with a grin on his face.
Naruto accepted the gift with numb fingers and quickly went to work examining his new toy. It wasn't like a lot of others weapons he had seen, with no sharp points or ends. Just as he was going to ask Tanji what it was, a new window popped up.
Wooden Boomerang
A simple children's toy made more dangerous by incorporating hard maple wood for hard hits.
Attack: Blunt (5-25)
Durability: 30/30
Quality: C
Special Trait: Boomerang Come Back! This weapon will return to its thrower when thrown properly.
Ping!
Skill Gained: Observe, Level 1(1%)
Seeing underneath the underneath is a useful skill…
You can see the basic information of people and items that don't have special protection.
Person Limit: 2 meters, direct eye contact, maximum 20 Level difference
Objects: Touch required
Cost: 50 MP
As much as the new toy delighted the boy who had never been given anything, Naruto was drawn to this new aspect of his powers. It wasn't a skill he had heard of ninjas having. In fact it seemed almost…magical.
Naruto looked up directly into Taji's eyes and smiled with his whole heart. "Thank you, sir." He gave a deep bow and took that moment to read the window that popped up after his new skill activated.
Taji Moto, Merchant, Level 2
Race: Human Class: None Title: None
HP: 150/150 MP: 101/101 SP: 150/150
Strength: 14
Vitality: 7
Agility: 4
Endurance: 6
Intellect: 5
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 10
Luck: 4
Taji Moto was and is a fairly well off merchant with a bad case of wanderlust, but has lately found himself lonely and decided to settle down in the Leaf Village for protection, prosperity, and for the opportunity to find a family of his own. He likes haggling and barbeque. He dislikes Gato Shipping and the color pink.
Traits: Charismatic, Kind, Wily
Well, he had no idea what Wily meant, but Kind and Charismatic was good. Naruto made a mental note to do something kind in return for the man. Technically he already had, but he had gotten rewarded for it, so it didn't really count.
Naruto quickly made his goodbyes while clutching his new Boomerang to his chest and grinning like a loon both at his new weapon and the visual representation of his relationship with Taji.
REP:5/100
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Gaara had never considered himself a particularly smart boy. He had never really needed it when all he cared about was blood and his own pain, but without that lust for violence clouding his vision, he could see that he was not very well received, and that made something in his chest twist sideways.
He had not left his little cave until he had sufficient enough control of his sand to maintain his Sand Shield around himself, for fear he might be attacked, but from the way people held their children closer and people ran when he walked down the street, they felt they were in much greater danger than he was.
An uncomfortable flush covered his chest. It wasn't the scorch of the desert, the warmth of a mother's embrace, or even the toxic burn of the chakra of the One Tails. It took him several minutes to realize it was shame.
Gaara shifted uncomfortably under the layer of sand that covered him, but the image that the Sand Shield covered him with kept his normal stoic look.
Ping!
Due to continuous mana expenditure, Willpower has increased by 1!
Skill: Sand Shield has Levelled Up!
Well, that was both good and bad. Luckily, Gaara was nearing the Kazekage Manor. Like his hideout, it was underground and cool, made of compressed sandstone, but had ornate carvings and hangings along the walls. Gaara's was deepest in the earth, furthest from the others, and he suspected there were multiple layers of Sealing Arrays around his room in case he went berserk, which is why he stayed there so little.
But for now it worked. Gaara had just pulled the cover over his doorway when his mana stores gave out and his sand crumbled into a heap around him. Gaara sank to his knees among his mound of sand, taking deep breaths as he opened his Skill and Character sheet.
Gaara of the Desert, Player 9, Level 10
Race: Shinobi Class: None Title: Demon of the Hidden Sand
HP: 500/500 MP: 645/645 SP: 350/350
Strength: 5
Vitality: 1
Agility: 2
Endurance: 1
Intellect: 8
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 1
Luck: 1
Traits: Weak, Broken, Wroth, Lost, Accelerated Growth-Enhanced-, Gamer(Player 9)
Gaara is a formerly psychotic Genin of the Sand Village, and is known by a lot of names in his home village, most of them negative, but not unearned. He is lonely and wants to have someone to be close to, not that he'll admit it. He likes playing with his sand and being left alone. He dislikes the One Tails and his father.
Points: 0
Skills:
Earth Manipulation, Level 3
Sand Manipulation, Level 7
Sand Shield, Level 10
Chakra Mastery, Level 7
Well, relentlessly levelling his skills for most of the day had bought him quite a few Intellect points and brought him back to the level he could maintain his Sand Shield for several minutes, but Gaara couldn't help but feel that his Skill list was rather…well, short. He had never really needed anything other than his sand, but now that he had to do with that skill being devastatingly low compared to it before, he realized he probably should have picked up some other skills.
Gaara laid in his sand for several minutes as his mana regenerated. Despite his exhaustion, he felt better than he had in years. He was fully rested, and didn't have the venomous words of his faux mother dripping hatred in his ear. It was that good mood that allowed him to push down the shame he felt. He needed to build up his skills before he could start piecing through his emotions. His father had kept him around only for his skill at killing his enemies, if he didn't have that his father would put him down.
He just needed a few days to relax and recuperate, to build up his Sand Manipulation. Hopefully he could have that at least…
Gaara heard someone enter the Manor through the vibrations in the ground.
"Temari! Kankuro! Round up your stuff, and build up your courage, we've got a mission!" Gaara heard Baki announce. He heard the unenthusiastic cheers of the two mentioned, but Gaara muffled his groans in his sand pile.
Every once in a while, his father sent them out as a team rather than just Gaara alone, to give Temari and Kankuro experience. Gaara normally went just for the promise of blood, but now he rather do anything else than go with his family, just like a normal boy.
But he couldn't go to his father and request(demand) that he not go. His father might be able to sense his sudden lack of chakra and take the opportunity to kill him. He needed to avoid the man as much as possible for as long as possible. Which only meant one thing.
He needed to go along with the mission. And pretend that nothing was wrong the whole while. He needed to pretend to be a maniac who heard voices again.
Gaara quickly went to work. He put his sand to work and ground away a great deal of the stone under his feet and compressed the resulting sand into a passable approximation of his gourd. He filled his chakra-enhanced sand into the gourd and slung the container over his shoulder. He schooled his face into a neutral expression and went out to meet his family.
Temari, always the professional, was already ready. Her blonde hair was pulled out of her face into four tails to reveal impassive, bored green eyes. She fiddled with her enormous war fan that was slung around her loose fitting clothing and stared off into the distance, probably working through some concept Gaara couldn't possibly understand.
Kankuro was eating, as he normally did at home. Somehow the activity didn't interfere with the face paint that covered what was visible on his face, and flecks of food covered his black body suit from his untidy consumption. He sat down on his bandage wrapped puppet as if it were a stool, but Gaara knew that if anyone else messed with it he could attack.
Normally the sight of them brought up only lesser bloodlust in him than others, but now the void that was left behind was filled with confusion and guilt. They were his family, but it was clear to anyone who saw that they were deathly afraid of him, even more afraid than the civilians, even though they were fairly skilled in their own right.
Baki was the first to notice his presence. Only half his face was visible underneath the turban-like headgear and it's face-obscuring cloth, but even he, a jonin, went white as a sheet when he saw the boy, the curved red markings under his eye becoming even more prominent. He quickly schooled his features and nodded to Gaara respectfully, though his eye was on the gourd, not his face.
"Gaara. We would request you come with us for a C-Ranked mission." He said tersely. Temari and Kankuro's movements halted, their shoulders becoming tense, but they refused to look back at their brother.
Gaara did not allow his face to show any of the emotions that he suddenly had, instead simply nodding.
"What is the mission?" He asked, his voice hoarse as normal.
"We are to eradicate a group of bandits that have taken residence in an oasis a day's journey from here. You will, of course, be allowed to kill as many as you like, but I request that you allow Kankuro and Temari to engage them first, to allow them to train."
A bead of sweat not obscured by his headgear ran down Baki's face. Gaara narrowed his eyes as he considered the new information. Perhaps this could work in his favor. All he needed to do was let his siblings soften them up and then he could use his sand to kill them. It was possible, even with his somewhat limited stores of sand. And it would further cement the idea that nothing was wrong.
Ping!
Quest Alert: Bury the Bandits!
Requirements: Kill all of the Horoichi Bandits
Optional: Keep anyone in your team from dying
Rewards: 8,000 ryo, 3,000 EXP, +1 level of Sand Manipulation
Accept/Decline
"I accept. When do we leave?" He asked. The screen flickered away. All three others in the room relaxed by a miniscule amount, but were still ready to flee if needed.
"It would be best to leave in the next twenty minutes, and it is advisable to bring several days' worth of supplies. We will be able to re-stock on water at the oasis, but it is still a wise precaution." Baki said diplomatically.
Gaara took a moment to appreciate the careful wording the man used. It was carefully crafted to convey the most amount of deference to Gaara as possible while still retaining control of the situation.
He nodded. "I will be ready." He said, turning his back to them and retreating to his room.
Baki and Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief. Kankuro resumed reading and Baki withdrew a scroll from his pouch to read. But Temari stared at the last spot she had seen her youngest brother, an odd look in her eyes.
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Alice didn't consider herself very lucky at the moment. She stood outside the thick metal door at the end of several series of checkpoints, her nervousness making it hard to swallow. All she needed to do was go in and begin her new job.
Hopefully it wouldn't involve her dying.
Things had been hectic all day yesterday, and she had been quite happy to get away from all the scientists and government officials that were flocking around her former work station, and just return to her book.
She never really got visitors, so it was a surprise when someone had knocked on her door in the dead of night. Even more surprising was that, while no one had been there, there was a package with no address sitting innocently on the ground.
Her curiosity wouldn't let her rest until she opened the package to find a small device barely as big as her fingernail. As soon as she had taken it out, her Opti-Watch had begun to beep, as did the device. She quickly realized what needed to be done and stuck the small device into the slot on her Opti-Watch. There were several seconds of feedback until understandable words began come through.
"-Takes care of that. But what about the girl we had monitoring Dimension A-853? She was there all day, she must have heard something she shouldn't have."
Alice's mind reeled as she took in this new development. That…that was the fucking Minister of New Britain. She was one of the most powerful women in the world, what was she doing discussing Alice?
"How much could she have understood anyway? We all know how difficult Dimensional Paradigms are to understand even if you've studied them for years."
"Well Mr. Jee-Han insisted on explaining what Dimension A-853 is, and we all know how good he is at helping people understand things. Plus, we didn't exactly hire a bum off the street, that girl is smart. Chances are she'll have some idea of what's happening, even if she doesn't know the specifics."
"Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit." She had not signed up for this. Do not get noticed by people who can blink you out of existence whenever they want, that was the rule, and now that rule was fucked to high heaven!
"Then we can release her from her post and wipe her memories, it'll be fine." Someone said dismissively. Cold terror ran through Alice's body at the though. Memory wiping was notoriously tricky, and all it took was one miscalculation to completely wipe her mind of any and everything.
"What, and just hope none of her friends and family question her about the job she can suddenly no longer remember having? She was allowed to tell people she worked for the Galactic Government, just not what she did. It'll look very suspicious if she turns up with no memories."
"And odds are that killing her isn't the best option either… She may not be too social but like you said, if someone in the GG just turned up dead or went missing without us finding out who or why it would out us as the ones who did it."
"We can still spin it. Accidental evaporation. Sucked into a Dimension with no air. Maybe even control a former villain to attack her in public and take the fall." Someone who sounded all too eager to have her dead said.
"Let's not jump right to that. It's unlikely she's a spy…. But should she retain her knowledge of this, its possible Undesirable #1 could contact her and extract the information, whether she wants to or not."
"..."
Silence. Alice couldn't tell if that was good or bad.
"Today has been a day of excitement and we're all tired. We will decide this in the morning. If her risk outweighs her usefulness, then we will have no choice but to eliminate her."
There were a chorus of agreement, and the device went dead. Alice sat at her table for the next hour in silence, staring at the device, before she went to bed and dreamt of faceless monsters killing her in every imaginable way.
Now she stood in front of the door that might lead to her death. She couldn't run from this, she didn't even entertain the idea. Running from the Galactic Government was like trying to outrun a cheetah injected with cocaine and red bull.
Alice steeled herself and opened the door.
The room had undergone a shocking transformation. It had multiplied in size multiple times and there were now several scientists at multiple different stations, watching what apparently what video feed with a myriad of other information provided by Han Jee-Han's power. No one paid her any mind.
"Alice Carrington, reporting for duty." She announced. Her voice was loud, but no one seemed willing to move from their station. One of the scientists glanced up and saw her and waved her over, most of his attention still on a first person point of view of someone traversing a desert.
"You've been promoted." He said without preamble. He pointed at a station almost identical to hers that was already active, showing the backs of several children's heads as the person read a book.
"It's been running on auto for a while, generating Quests basically on the whims of the Gamer, but that needs to be closely monitored so he doesn't get too powerful too quickly. For the original Gamer, Gaia filled this role, but you'll have to do it for her. You'll monitor the Gamer's experience gain, Quests and loot, and just generally make sure that things go smoothly so we can observe the most amount of data possible."
This was… not what she had expected. But better than she had hoped. She may not be able to read on the job, but at least she was alive, right? She went over to the monitor and took a seat in the plush chair. She cracked her fingers and went to work familiarizing herself with the controls.
"And make sure to balance risk and reward properly. We want to keep the Gamers to follow what we want for as long as possible, after all." Alice nodded even as she pushed down a surge of uneasiness. It was fine as long as she was alive.
She quickly became so absorbed in her job that she didn't notice a small chip that was implanted at the back of her neck activate. Not that she would have noticed had she not been focused, but still. She didn't notice the chip that had been a part of her longer than she would ever know begin to transmit information across dimensions right under the nose of the Galactic Government.
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Iruka Umino was torn between being outraged and being ecstatic. He kept it all under wraps and continued to teach his class, but kept sneaking glances at the blond boy in the back of the class who was absorbed in reading a book.
To be brutally honest, Iruka had mostly been sure that Naruto didn't even know how to read. And now the boy was actually reading in class, something that not even the book-obsessed Sakura would do. And Iruka wasn't going to put an end to it for fear that Naruto would quit altogether.
Naruto didn't know the effect his reading was having on his teacher. He was more focused on reading the book as quickly as possible. He had gained a point in Intelligence from reading a simple history book, so he had found the thickest book that he could buy at a second-hand bookstore that was going out of business. Luckily the owner was near blind; otherwise he would never have gotten it so cheap.
It was complicated, so incredibly complicated. Naruto wasn't sure what the subject was half the time, and the other half the time he was having trouble just processing the words. On the upside, his acknowledgment that he didn't understand made it go by faster, much faster.
The day was almost done by the time that he finished the book. If someone had asked him to sum up the book, he would not have been able to tell them anything. Then he waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But no screen popped up to alert him to an influx of Intelligence. So for the next few hours his frustration mounted, and he instead dedicated himself to moodily stabbing at a piece of paper with his pencil.
Iruka could sense his student's anger, and just before class ended he spoke up.
"…and Naruto Uzumaki, if you would stay behind after class." The boy's head jerked up and he stared with dismay at his teacher as the class jeered. They hadn't seen what Naruto had been up to, but they were sure it was something that Iruka would chew him out for.
Naruto shuffled up to Iruka's desk with his hands in his pockets as the class left. Iruka put his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him a comforting smile.
"So, Naruto, may I ask what you thought was important enough to read in class?" He asked jokingly.
Naruto flushed and looked down at his feet. "I don't know. It was too complicated." He muttered. Iruka raised an eyebrow and retrieved the book, pulling open the cover.
"Naruto, this is an advanced physics book on the theoretical concept of the multiverse theory. This is probably too advanced for the Hokage himself. Why did you try reading this?"
Naruto did a passable impression of his classmate Hinata with the color he was turning. "I thought it would make me smarter."
Iruka sighed and closed the book. "Naruto, you don't just get smarter by toughing your way through things you don't understand. You get smarter by actually learning to understand those things."
This was certainly never a conversation that Iruka thought he would ever be having with Naruto of all people. But he definitely wanted his student to continue on this path of learning. So he went over to his desk and pulled out several scrolls.
"Now, I know you want some 'totally awesome techniques' but as I just told you, the basics are essential." He plopped down three scrolls in Naruto's hands. "These are the Academy Three, the Substitution, the Clone, and the Replacement. I know we've gone over these in class, but truly understanding these are the pathway to greater and greater Techniques." Iruka lectured.
He didn't notice that Naruto had stopped giving his whole attention to his teacher after those scrolls had come into contact with his hands and several new windows popped up.
Do you want to Gain the Skill: Replacement Technique? Accept/Decline
Do you want to Gain the Skill: Clone Technique? Accept/Decline
Do you want to Gain the Skill: Substitution Technique? Accept/Decline
Naruto made sure to give lots of gratitude to Iruka for the gift, but internally he was very confused. He had already learned these Skills, right? Why was he being given the option of learning them then? This required further investigation.
So when he had secreted himself away back in his apartment, he clicked Accept on all of them in sequence. All of the scrolls glowed for a moment and then promptly crumbled into dust. Naruto gasped as suddenly the proper knowledge on the Academy Three blossomed in his mind.
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
Skill: Substitution Technique has been updated. Skill Level Up!
Substitution, Level 4(0%)
Praise be the Log and all his miracles!
You can open up holes in space-time to replace yourself with an object or person, normally in a puff of smoke.
96 MP base cost, can vary with object size
Skill: Clone Technique has been updated. Skill is now useable
Clone, Level 1(1%)
Which one of us is the evil clone? Well, both of us!
The most basic of all illusions, creating an illusion of oneself as a distraction. It can only run of pre-programmed instructions as of now.
10 MP per clone
Skill: Transformation has been updated. Skill Level Up!
Transformation, Level 6(0%)
I can be anyone, anywhere.
You can construct a thin skin of chakra over yourself that can take on the shape of anyone you know. It can be easily penetrated and does not copy any skills or physical abilities.
44 MP/min
That was good, but it made him realize something rather embarrassing. He had been doing everything wrong this whole time.
The Substitution Technique was far more complex than he had initially realized. It created a brief tear in space-time, actually two, one on the user and one on the object one wanted to swap with. The puff of smoke was often caused by differing amounts of mass between the two, which caused a lot of air displacement. Despite how complex it was, it carried surprisingly little risk, mainly due to the fact that it was pounded into every ninja's head before they could learn to overthink it. Clearly Iruka had thought that actually thinking for once would help him a little bit.
And it did.
"Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake, Substitution!" The hand signs came with slightly more fluidity, likely because of
The tear opened simultaneously on Naruto and one of his potted plants outside on the fire-escape. Before he had time to process anything, he felt his chakra drop and then he was could breathe the sweet afternoon air of the Leaf Village. A wolfish grin captured his face and he turned to the window separated him from him apartment, though it fell when he found his plant had fallen over and soil was all over the floor.
"Aw, shit. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake, Substitution!"
And he was back inside. But his chair was outside. That could be solved later, but now he had a potted plant to clean up.
Or he could play with his new skills.
Ping!
Quest Alert: Test of Skill I
Requirements: Prove to someone that you have skill!
Optional: Prove to 10 people you have skill!
Optional 2: Prove to 20 people you have skill!
Rewards: 1,500 EXP, ?
Optional Reward: 1,000 EXP
Optional Reward 2: 1,000 EXP
Accept/Decline
Once again, a grin formed on Naruto's face. This whole Gamer thing was really weird, but this was something that he could finally understand. He was going to make people see how skilled he was.
Believe it!
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Several billion universes away, on a planet that was the epicenter of more conflict than any in multi-verse history, there was a single household that had more potential for chaos than almost any place else in any timeline. Something about having an sociopathic genius with the power to destroy worlds on drunken gambits will have that effect.
It was roughly 2:23 in the morning, and no sane person would be awake at that hour. So it was no big surprise that the garage was a flurry of activity.
A man in a lab coat was hunched over his latest creation. To the unsophisticated mind it was a torture machine. To the sophisticated mind it was a god damn abbarition upon humanity to even think of creation.
High pitched screams echoes through the make-shift lab as the gerbil that was held prisoner within the machine finally gave out and it's head exploded, splattering the inside of its glass prison with blood. The scientist frowned and took mental notes, already preparing for his next experiment in how pain might be used as a possible energy source. Now if only he could find a human subject.
"I like big butts and I cannot lie! You other brothers can't deny-" The man flipped open his phone and took a sip from his personal flask at the same time. That turned out to not be the smartest move in the world, as he spewed the nearly acidic liquid all over his latest invention, most surely melting it beyond any repair, but he simply didn't care.
The next few moments were a blur as he ran over his lab grabbing any and everything he might need, putting it all within the veritable storehouse within his coat. He had never thought he would get to visit that long locked up dimension, even he would have his troubles, but now it was possible.
But he still needed…assistance.
He ran through the house, not caring that his footsteps were probably waking up his daughter and her idiot husband. He made his way to the one room that mattered other than his lab. He burst in and his grandson shrieked as he was suddenly pulled from the bed by his overly entergetic grandfather.
"C-come on Mo-Oo-rty" He burbed in the middle of his sentence, spraying his own chin with spittle, but he didn't care, a manic grin still on his face. "We've gotta go, come on!"
"Rick, god, just let me get dressed!"
"There's no time Morty, we're going, you don't need any of that shit."
Morty struggled just for long enough for Rick to drag him to the stairs, but then settled into sullen silence, like a typical teenager.
"Fine…just promise me that there won't be anything crazy, I've got a book report in a week."
"Wh-whadda you mean crazy, Morty? Th-there's always crazy shit."
"I don't know, magic ninjas from space, just promise me there won't be anything weird." Morty whined.
"Promises ain't worth shit in the Shifting Dimension, Morty."
"Yeah, yeah…wait, what?"
Rick pulled out an odd gun-like weapon with a glowing green attachment on in, still dragging his pajama-clad grandson under his arm.
"Rick, what's the Shifting Dimension?"
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"We'll be back in a week, don't go in the lab and if anyone comes to the house looking for me I died in Vietnam."
"Rick what's the Shifting Dimension?"
"Well, Morty, you're about to find out!"
Rick shot the wall with his Portal Gun, opening a viscous, constantly changing portal. Then, he leaped through the portal and into the Shifting Dimension.
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It's me again, and for those of you who were awaiting an update for Harry Potter and the Death Note, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I've been reading a lot of LitRPGs and was inspired.
For those of you who don't know the LitRPG genre, it's a recent uprising of stories about video-game concepts, or characters who live life like the Gamer. A lot of them are good! Quite a lot more are really shitty.
So I decided to write this, as I've been thinking of doing for a long time, but I can tell I need to provide some explanation.
Yes, the intro is weird, it's meant to be, but it won't have a lot of impact on the plot. Well, it will, but not for a while. I just thought that something a bit more sci-fi and a little less fantasy would be interesting compared to the other Gamer fics that are out there.
Oh yeah, taking away all of Naruto and Gaara's Jinchuriki and Genetic abilities. I don't like those very much because they're too useful, and they pigeonhole the characters a bit too much for my tastes. So neither Naruto nor Gaara will have god-like chakra reserves. They can build them up again, but they'll actually have to develop some Skills.
Also, Naruto's stats are so low because he's been operating at a higher level than he really was thanks to his Traits, so his base stats would have been quite low, as he never would've needed to work on things like stamina or reserves. Same for Gaara.
Now, though I'm generally not into polls, I'm genuinely curious. What stats do you think would be best for both Naruto and Gaara to level up?
This is going to be more of a side-project to Harry Potter and the Death Note, but will probably be updated more than Whirlpool.
Also, the stats are different from either Harry Potter and the Game or Percy Jackson and the Game. So here's how it is.
Strength- Strength
Agility- Speed. This replaces Dexterity, which normally dictates accuracy and speed, but accuracy will depend on skills.
Endurance- HP and such. Each point increases HP by 10
Vitality- SP and such. Each point increases SP by 10
Intellect- Each point increases MP by 5 and MP Regen By 0.75 per second
Willpower- Each point increases MP by 10 and MP Regen by 0.5 per second
Luck- Literally just Luck
Charisma- How charismatic someone is. Who would've thought?
Alright, go on and review!