Chapter 1
A fist cut through the air, followed by the squelching thump of flesh striking flesh. Plat! It echoed through the woods.
Naruto loved Jiraiya. He really did. He was the closest thing he had to a father, but that didn't stop him from wishing that a wild pig skewered him. He would do it himself - the skewering, but he just didn't seem to get hold of him. For someone of his bulky stature, Jiraiya was surprisingly nimble, and just as slippery and powerful.
A choked scream died in Naruto's throat as another punch hit him in the jaw with the same ferocity of the first. His brain rattled the insides of his skull; his feet lifting off the ground as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. Just as he flew his body hit the cold-hard ground - gravitation doing its job with no mercy.
He gasped, his lungs burning for fresh air and his consciousness swimming. It was touch-and-go for a moment.
"You're absolute shit at taijutsu, gaki." Jiraiya chuckled as he leaned over his fallen student, poking him with a stick, who was doing the best impression of a fish taken out of the water.
Naruto saw red, rushing through the haze of his agony, "It's not like anyone ever taught me how to do it properly."
"That's hardly an excuse, Naruto." Jiraiya snorted, not offering even a hint of pity, as he fended off the clumsy strikes of his pupil with nary a glance, "You're outside the gates of Konoha now. Here everybody is your enemy. They wouldn't care if you don't know how to fight well or make hand signs like a competent shinobi. They will rip your throat and walk their merry way. It's literally a cut-throat world out here. How do you plan to survive with a weak punch like that!?"
"My punches are not weak!" Naruto spat.
"I wouldn't know, you never quite managed to hit me with it." Jiraiya's lips twisted, dodging yet another jab with absolute ease, and then he disappeared.
Naruto blinked as a volley of heavy punches, and kicks hit him like a pile of bricks. Jiraiya's speed was so insane that his eyes couldn't even keep up with it. He was done for, even as his mind grappled to register the pain.
Darkness laid claim to his vision, as he felt his strength give out under his mentor's precise attacks, "I will never give up, ero-sennin." Naruto struggled, "I just can't... I promised so all I can do now is to become strong. The very strongest. Nothing else will do for me."
Jiraiya's instincts flared as he felt something shift in the air. A plea. A prayer. A prophecy... Nothing was ever the same.
System Awakened!
Naruto woke up, his eyes were still sluggish from the beating he received from ero-sensei. He squinted as something translucent flickered right in front of his eyes. Beeping!
You have two unread messages.
What the hell!? Naruto frowned. Was he dreaming...? Is that what this was? Did he finally lose it!? He shook his head, slapping his cheeks repeatedly to snap him out of his haze.
You have two unread messages.
Nothing changed. The thing was still floating right in front of his face - glaring. He peered around, wishing he wasn't the only one suffering through this.
Naruto took a deep breath - that's what ero-sennin always advised him to do if he was panicking. So, there were messages... maybe they were just like scrolls. He could open them with just channeling some chakra.
"KAI!" Naruto screamed, folding his finger in the tiger seal.
You have two unread messages.
It continued to flutter. Naruto sighed. That didn't work. Maybe it wasn't something that complicated.
"Open." He said. Immediately, the flickering stopped. The translucent red screen was instead replaced by a blue one.
Welcome to becoming a player! (Unread)
[Daily Quest - The Preparation to becoming Powerful] has arrived. (Unread)
Naruto's lips thinned as he read the message in front of him. What was this? It was unlike anything he had ever seen. He wasn't the brightest, but he wasn't dumb either even though many would argue against it - but this wasn't normal or right even by his standards.
He looked at the first message and said, "Open."
The System will help with the growth of the "Player"
Non-compliance with the System's instruction may lead to penalty.
Your will has been heard, and you've been rewarded.
System. Growth. Penalty. Reward.
Naruto's head spun. He did not understand what all this meant. What was hovering in front of his head... System - that's what it called itself? And this thing wanted to help him grow.
Just what is it help growing, and what is it rewarding?
Naruto shuddered as something chilling went down his spine. It was a parade of unclear meanings. He didn't think his morning would go this way when he was beat down to unconsciousness.
He shook his head, trying to ignore the words for now and then he went to the next message.
[Daily Quest - The Preparation to becoming Powerful] has arrived. (Unread)
Naruto smiles despite his strange predicament. Getting powerful, huh? That was something he could get behind.
Just like earlier, he said 'open' and his heartbeat sped up.
A beep and the message revealed itself.
Daily Quest - The Preparation to becoming Powerful
Do 500 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Pull-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10)
Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest.
Naruto moaned after confirming the message. What the hell was this quest! Only Rock Lee would enjoy something like this!
"Sigh... what is this?"
Daily Quest - The Preparation to become powerful. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't this. Honestly, he was a little disappointed. He expected something more than these simple exercises. If getting strong was so obvious, then everybody would have done it. There was no doubt that his stamina would increase if he worked out this exercise, but would it truly be that significant? He was a stamina freak, anyway. That was the only thing that was going for him.
Was this the growth that this system talked about?
"So, you're awake, gaki? I'm going to the town to meet my informants." Jiraiya said pushing him a scroll, "Do yourself a favor and learn what's in it until you can do it without a second thought."
"What's in it? A new jutsu, a new fighting style, maybe something even more awesome than the rasengan."
"A new jutsu isn't what you need, Naruto." Jiraiya shook his head, "I don't even think you can do any jutsu, at the least not without killing yourself. What you badly need are the essentials. The so-called basics. You need to polish them before I let you anywhere near a jutsu."
Jiraiya pointed at the scroll, "That thing contains everything my sensei - The Sandaime ever taught me before he let us anywhere near a combat jutsu."
Naruto would have protested but the second ero-sennin mentioned about things taught by the Sandaime all his fight left the body.
Instead he grinned, "You got it ero-sennin! I will master this in no time and then you have to teach me more awesome ninjutsu."
Jiraiya smirked at his pupil's enthusiasm, "You perfect what's in that scroll and I will teach you whatever you need, brat."
"I am not a brat." Naruto puffed his cheeks.
"Spoken just like a brat." Jiraiya ruffled his hair, "You can keep the scroll. I don't need it back."
"Thanks..." Naruto replied.
"Well... I might not come back until tomorrow. So, you work on your basics and if you've questions, you can ask me later."
A silence settled between them.
"You know kid, I'm sorry about yesterday." Jiraiya finally said, "I didn't want to do it, but it was something that needed to be done."
"You don't have to apologize ero-sennin." Naruto shook his head, "I might not be the smartest but I don't hold grudges."
Jiraiya nodded, "I know kid... I just didn't want you to get hurt. You need to realize that some people just can't be brought back."
"And you need to realize that some people are too dumb to ever give up." Naruto replied with as much steel as his 13-year-old self could muster.
Jiraiya blinked, staring at the boy as he was looking at him for the very first time and then his lips twitched, "Never change, kid. Never."
"I won't otherwise I won't be Uzumaki Naruto anymore."
Jiraiya walked away as he gave some final pointers, but Naruto's attention wasn't on his mentor. Instead, he glared at the screen which was floating right in front of him.
Daily Quest - The Preparation to becoming Powerful
Do 500 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Do 500 Pull-ups: (Incomplete) (0/500)
Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10)
Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest.
He groaned. He just couldn't catch a break. He had no interest in doing physical exercises, which bordered on the insane. Naruto snorted and then stared at the scroll and then at the quest that floated in front of him. So, basics it is, he decided, watching the visage of his mentor disappear behind the horizon. At the least now I know that whatever this is, only I can see it. If ero-sennin had seen some weird floating screen, then he would've done something about it.
He opened the scroll and his eyes crossed over all the written jargon until he felt his soul die. It was all so fucking complicated. There must be an easier way to say all these complicated shit!? What did your sex have to do with chakra control! And what did it matter which hand he preferred to channel chakra to!? This wasn't how he learned his precious skills! He would just do things, and if he made a mistake, he would learn from them. Both kage-bunshin, and rasengan came to him this way.
He understood by doing things, not by reading them.
Naruto despaired. He would need serious help in only understanding this stuff, let alone actually implementing them in his life - and these were basics! Ero-sennin truly is amazing... to think he could do all of this perfectly before he cast a single jutsu... How young he must've been? And now people just as incredible as him were hunting him for what he contained in his gut. Fuck that furball!
Naruto growled. If he couldn't manage what was written in this scroll, then he had to find some other way to get stronger. He was about to put his scroll down and complete the exercises the system gave him when he was assaulted by a torrent of blue screens.
Would you like to learn Chakra Meditation?
Yes or No
Would you like to learn Basic Taijutsu?
Yes or No
Would you like to learn Shape Transformation?
Yes or No
Would you like to Nature Transformation?
Yes or No
Would you like to learn Advanced Stealth?
Yes or No
...
It just went on and on. By a single look, he could say that there were over ten skills right in front of his eyes. It was insane - just plain insane. Could the system really teach you skills from the scrolls just like that!? Like snapping a finger. Naruto stared at the floating screens, gaping. There was only one way to find out.
He brought the first message to the forefront.
Would you like to learn Chakra Meditation?
Yes or No
The screen flickered away and displayed more information about the skill.
Chakra Meditation - A form of intense mediation that helps with regulating chakra and gaining a better understanding of one's limits and the world around you. It increases your intelligence by 100% when active and allows for faster CP recovery.
Regulating chakra? Does that mean chakra control? Thought Naruto.
Your intelligence has increased by 1
Naruto's brow twitched. What. The. Hell!? The description mentioned nothing about chakra control, at the least not explicitly. Did it mean that he had to figure everything by himself? Fuck this! He will deal with this later. For now, only the skills mattered. He clicked on 'Yes'...
Nothing could have prepared for the sudden barrage of information that assaulted his being. From the position of the tenketsus to the eight chakra points. From the redirecting of chakra to the expelling of it. Everything that was in the scroll now he understood. It was like snapping a finger. Now it was only a matter of doing it. Perfecting it. Grinding it. That was something he was best at.
Your intelligence has increased by 2
Dazed, he looked at the other screens that were hovering right in front of his eyes. All those skills were ripe for the taking... Naruto grinned through his splitting headache.
Basic Taijutsu has reached level 4
Agility and Strength has increased by 2
Chakra Meditation has reached level 5
Chakra Control has reached to 30% proficiency.
Naruto closed his eyes, his body sitting in a lotus position as he activated his new skill - Chakra Meditation.
The system was truly something... it was difficult to find the right words. It helped him achieve the results that would've taken him months in mere hours, but Naruto couldn't help but be apprehensive. Powers like these always had a catch. He of all knew that. So what was the catch here?
Kyubi's power - the more he used it the more he lost his mind over time until the demon took over. So what was the price of this power? What was he exchanging in return for this amazing power? His body? His soul? His being? All of it and beyond?
Naruto was never one for such introspection. He never thought deeply about his or other's actions. So why now? Was it because the last few months with his sensei were tumultuous and torturous? He had seen a side of the shinobi life which he could've lived without. He now knew for a fact that the shinobi's weren't heroes. They weren't even a decent human being - they killed, stole, fought, blackmailed and did every questionable thing under the sun. They didn't save princesses, Jiraiya made sure he knew that.
You think you're anything special!? You think Tsunade will exempt you from missions like these! Someday you will also have to do things that you aren't proud of but you do it so that others don't have to!
He remembers the major argument they had. But the question remained why? Why would his sensei go this far? Knowing that he would hate him for this.
Despite his sensei's tomfoolery, he was not a madman. He did nothing without a reason.
Chakra Meditation has reached level 6
Your intelligence has increased by 3
Even after mere hours, he could feel the system changing him. Just by using the Chakra Meditation skill, his intelligence doubled for a short period - allowing him to ponder and analyze things which he never would've before.
Naruto opened his eyes and ended the skill and said, "Stats."
Level - 19
HP - 35,000
CP - 90,000
Strength - 82
Agility - 62
Sense - 35
Vitality - 150
Intelligence - 30
They weren't anything impressive, but just knowing where he exactly stood was an advantage other shinobi's would kill for. Until now he could only learn few skills from the scroll. Some he couldn't learn like Nature Transformation Skill because of his lack of intelligence and chakra proficiency. But those he could increase over time especially with the help of the system they weren't even a major hurdle. In time, even those skills would be within his hands.
As of now, Naruto couldn't find any drawbacks to the system and that didn't sit well with him. No power was free in this world. You either attained power by giving sweat, blood, and tears or you exchanged it for something that was far more precious.
A chill went down his spine as a red translucent box appeared in front of him.
You failed to complete the 'Daily Quest'. You will be penalized.
Naruto felt his throat go dry, "Oi Oi Oi, wait a minute here! I was going to do it. I swear I was going to do it later." He waved his hands in front of the floating box. Hoping that the system would reconsider.
Penalty is being activated. You are being headed towards the penalty zone.
It didn't. Naruto felt as if somebody punched him in the gut, as he felt himself being sucked into a wormhole. He heaved and then vomited before he stood back on his feet. He could already tell he was nowhere near close to Konoha. The bristling heat which wafted of his skin and the dry sand which moved in the wind proved as much.
Something moved, and Naruto was immediately alert. He looked behind him and he wished he hadn't. He felt his knees give out under him and the shadow of the eldritch creature which was part vine, part lion, and part fish descended on him. It was the most terrifying and the ugliest thing he had ever seen. And he had met Kyubi face-to-face.
The eldritch horror snarled at him barring all his sharp teeth and roared. A roar that rattled his very bones. He was fucked.
Penalty Quest - Survive.
Goal - Survive until time runs out.
Time Remaining - 3H 59MIN 57SEC.
Now he knew what was the catch! The system had given him no choice in the matter of being powerful. The simple catch was he better did what the system wanted or it would do his level best to kill him or force him to use the system. There would be no negotiation on that matter.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, glaring at the quest and then at the monster that looked ready to lunge at him.
"You're kidding me, right?"