An Inability to Help

by Spawn1079

After a young man who failed to find purpose in his old life dies, he stumbles into the Naruto-verse with one of the most broken abilities. A Gamer/SI FanFic that will try to utilize ALL characters to their fullest potential. Canon will change, and I will do my best to respect all characters and make them as interesting as possible.

Hey everyone! Here's a new Naruto Gamer FanFic that I wanted to write. There are quite a few of them, and some of the one's that I've read were really good. So, I wanted to make an attempt at this. Let me know what everyone thinks. All criticism is welcome.

Thank you and enjoy.

Naruto Gamer SI Chapter 1 – An Inability to Help

My rebirth was an unexpected but welcome surprise. You see, I had died in my previous world due to... let's say, mitigating circumstances. That was fine. I wasn't fond of how things had turned out for me. Having the option to relive my life, wherever I am, definitely left me with a feeling of determination. Motivation to do better than in my previous life. To be better. To actually be useful and not just some waste of space. But what confused me more than anything, even my second coming, was the lingering screen that appeared directly in front of my vision, prioritizing itself over everything else. I had no clue what this Gamer ability was, but I suppose I better find out.

Welcome to the game. Think Status to get a feel for things. Have fun.

Welp, that wasn't too helpful. No tutorial or explanation? I was hoping for something that would, at the very least, tell me where I was or how I got here. I was hungry, tired, and not really in the mood to do this, but I suppose I better do the one thing hinted at.

'Status.'

Name: Yagami

Age - 11

Gender – male

Lv. 10

Exp – 0/1000

CP – 500

Str – 10

Dex – 10

Vit – 10

Int – 10

Wis – 10

Lck – -5

Points - 5

Ryo – 10,000

Skills:

Gamer's mind – lv. MAX

Okay, so these are my stats. What if I think 'CP'?

CP – chakra points. Available chakra to expend

Yes, as I thought. Thinking a stat allows me to get an explanation of it. I should probably think all of my stats to see what each does in relation to Naruto abilities. Also, this is the Naruto world. Okay. I'll think about that later. Let's get through these stats.

'Str.'

Str – strength. The amount of damage physical moves do, the amount of weight you can lift, and the amount of resistance you take from damage.

So strength measures how much damage I can dish out and how much I can take.

'Dex.'

Dex – dexterity. The speed at which you move.

Speed. How fast I am. Next.

'Vit.'

Vit – vitality. Your ability to wield weapons, as well as your stamina for physical lifting and speed.

Physical endurance for strength and dexterity. As well as my proficiency in taijutsu. Extremely useful.

'Int.'

Int – intelligence. How smart you are. Your ability to learn and comprehend things.

That seems really useful. It allows me to retain what I know and my ability to learn new things more easily. So, learning the Substitution Jutsu with high intelligence would make it easier to learn.

'Wis'

Wis – wisdom. How much chakra is expended during jutsu, and how fast chakra is replenished.

'Lck'

Lck – luck. Your ability to manipulate pure RNG.

And finally, 'points.'

Points. Unused stats that can be applied to the gamer's choice.

Yep, all of that seemed about right.

*Ding! Your intelligence has risen by one. *

*Ding! For viewing all stats, you gain 100 exp. *

Huh. So, it seems that I'm in some sort of simulation, perhaps? Kind of like a simulated RPG video game. 100 EXP? I guess that means that my excessive video game playing in my previous life was preparation of sorts. I was familiar with the plot of Naruto, so that should definitely help. Unless I didn't arrive at the same time as the story took place? I mean, I could have arrived when Minato was a kid or when Itachi was a kid. I really hoped this wasn't the case, though. I needed to be in the Naruto years to make the most out of this because that was what I was most familiar with. I could prepare better. But this was really unbelievable. I mean, I could be doing Fireball Jutsu and shit like that. Pretty surreal. Of course, I actually had no idea how to do a successful Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu (which I still believe was highly under-utilized), or anything else. I was essentially a beginner. I had to become a shinobi. That much was certain. I was already enrolled in the academy, and I couldn't be just some random person. Wait, was I enrolled in the academy? I think I am, mainly because if I wasn't, then the game wouldn't have been so tailor-made for combat. I'm going to need to train hard in order for me to catch up. I was never a hard worker in my previous life, but I think the potential for me to cloak my arm in lightning and Chidori the fuck out of someone was enough motivation for training. But even more motivational than having what are basically superpowers is my realization that if I don't train exceptionally hard, I will do exceptionally quickly. The world is dangerous, and I have nothing to lose. I need to get stronger.

'Just breath… focus on what needs to be done and how to do this. Typically, in video games, you talk to NPCs to figure out what to do next. They can give hints.

*Ding. Ability Gamers Mind (lv. MAX) activated*

Gamer's mind – allows the user to keep a calm and focused temperament.

So… it essentially will keep me sane even when enemies are trying to kill me or some shit? Okay, that seems very useful to have.

I throw the dirty white linen sheets off my body and, with a muted yawn, stand up, immediately taking notice of the room I was living in. To be blunt, it looked awful. The bed, if you could even call it that, was dirty and stained in what appeared to be sweat. The walls, while painted, were cracked, and that disgusting smell of filth lingered in the air. I had all the necessities for living, a bathroom, a kitchen (which was surprisingly clean) with enough kitchen supplies to survive on, and my bed. But the condition… I mean, it was obvious that I was not the wealthiest person in the world, likely a child of a lower-class family if I even had one.

I smelt like shit and felt even worse, so I decided to grab some clothes and have a quick shower. I saw the time, 5:30 AM, and noticed out of the one window in the room that it was still quite dark outside. As the warm, comforting water cleansed the dirt and sweat off my body, I thought about how I should proceed now that I was here. Obviously, I needed to get through the academy to graduate (of course, this was assuming that I was a shinobi in training). I was eleven, so this was probably my final year before graduating to become a genin (if I did graduate). My stats seemed subpar to mediocre, but I had no way to confirm that against another person yet. Though I highly doubt this Gamer ability would just throw me into a world with busted stats. So, I have to find the academy. Question is, how? Most people would assume the best way would be to ask people where it is. But on closer scrutinization, that would probably not be a good idea. See, you start at the academy at eight, and I was eleven, meaning that I had been going there for three years. If all of a sudden, I started asking people where it was, they would get suspicious. No, I needed to find it by myself. Which shouldn't be too hard, considering that it was only half-past five, meaning classes wouldn't start for at least a couple of hours.

I finish my shower and put on my clothes, plain black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Obviously, the kid whose life I just took over was some sort of fashion guru (sarcasm alert). All of my clothes are black. I grab some cereal and milk from the old-fashioned white fridge and have a quick breakfast before leaving. When I get home and have more time, I should look at what I have in the fridge. Diet is essential for maintaining and developing muscles, and in a world where every ounce of strength can be the difference between life and death, I couldn't afford to suffer from a poor diet or malnutrition. I make sure I have everything I need, including a key to get back in the apartment, then head out the front door, breathing in the fresh unpolluted air of Konoha. It felt so human to be inhaling such untainted air, untouched from the polluted and overcrowded metropolitans from my previous life. The air, the population, the size, it all seemed so natural. Taking in the sites of Konoha, I noticed the four Hokage's faces carved in the stone. Four. That meant that Minato had become hokage. Taking in the sites around me, I saw a middle-aged woman, likely in her forties, approaching me. She had long brown auburn hair that drooped behind her shoulders and stood at an average height. Her dress, albeit classy, I could tell was decently made, meaning she likely had a decent amount of wealth. The soft expression on her face meant that she was a kinder woman, likely knowing of my orphanage status (I could almost guarantee I was one now) and pitying me.

"Good morning, Yagami. You're up early. Excited to be going back to the ninja academy this year?

She was likely some sort of apartment manager. By her tone of voice, I could tell that she had at least a shred of positive feelings towards me, albeit perhaps it was pity for my situation.

Meno

Lv. 1

CP – 100

Rep - +10

Your landlord. A kind-hearted lady that has looked after you ever since becoming an orphan. She helps you out and gives you special consideration.

Okay then. She does like me. It was helpful that this Gamerability gave me her name. Now I can address her without sounding like a fucking moron. She also seemed to confirm the fact that I was training to become a shinobi. At least that much was clear.

"Good morning Meno. Yeah, hopefully I do alright though. Training to become a shinobi is tough."

Play it safe. As an orphan, I was likely a more reserved kid and didn't talk too much. I was also probably quite modest. I can replicate this personality quite easily as I acted a lot like this back in my world.

She frowned slightly, concerned over my self-deprecatory attitude, and approached me, putting an arm on my shoulder.

"Oh, Yagami. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thank you."

There was a brief pause before I continued.

"I should get going to school. Thank you for the kind words."

I give the slightest of bows and then take in the sites around me. My apartment was on the second story, and looking over the edge, I saw the Leaf Village in all of its glory. Relatively unimpressive compared to major metropolitan sites on Earth, but where it lacks in size, it makes up for beauty. People underestimate how glorious it truly is to have a village built in a forest. More importantly, I spotted the shinobi academy. So now I know where the academy is. I should head over there and familiarize myself with landmarks.

Walking through the Hidden Leaf Village was absolutely crazy. I came from a big city, so the size aspect was underwhelming, but everything just seemed so… real. I could definitely tell it wasn't a simulation. It was way too complex. These were real-life people, not just some programmable AI NPC that would just stand around and repeat the same thing to you over and over again. People who had thoughts and feelings were made of blood and skin. This meant that, while my newfound ability presented itself as a game, it was the real thing. There were rewards for succeeding but also consequences for failure. One opportunity, that's all I get. There's no saving and resetting to do something differently, like in a video game.

This is a dangerous world. A world where even looking at someone slightly wrong could result in a misinterpretation and death. I would need to grind my painstakingly subpar stats so that I could survive and not just as cannon fodder.

Upon wandering through the streets, I noticed a couple things. I had walked by Ichiraku Ramen and noticed Naruto was there eating food. This immediately confirmed that I was in the main Naruto timeline, where and when the story unfolded. That brought a small smile to my face, as it meant that I would be able to, at the very least, keep up with major events that unfolded and I would be able to respond to questions with appropriate answers. For example, mentioning the Fourth shinobi World right now would give me looks, but I knew that it was definitely a possible future. But also, there is the concern of my presence. I shouldn't technically exist, and my presence has likely had some sort of effect on canonical events that would transpire. Assuming I graduate and become a genin, I would be put on a team. If, for example, I'm put on team seven, then I would be taking the place of another person. That could definitely have some sort of effect on canon events. I would have to play this carefully, as changing too much could leave me clueless about the future.

Another thing I had taken notice of was an abandoned park which no one around. There were trees surrounding it and a wide-open area with a lake nearby. This was quite isolated and far away from the main Konoha area and was quite a large area, so I decided that this would be an excellent place for me to train. It was about a ten-minute walk from my apartment too, so it was conveniently close. They didn't have watches, so I had to keep track of time myself. I had been walking for about an hour, so it was probably about seven in the morning.

I didn't know when classes started, and arriving late on the first day would be unwise. The walk over to the academy, while uneventful, gave me ample time to mentally comprehend the situation I was in. While looking over my stats, something by the name of Observe had levelled up to level two. I figured out that Observe lets me analyze people, their strengths, what level they are at, and their opinion of me. An extremely useful ability that serves multiple purposes. I could use it to gauge strength and chakra reserves and determine if an enemy is weakened, but I can also use it for casual discussions and seeing my reputation with other people in the city. This is definitely something that I could see maxing out, especially considering it didn't come with any downside. I could just analyze everyone in my path.

I reached the academy and immediately noticed the lack of people. Not many students or teachers were around, but the few that I saw were engaged in their own activities, talking with friends or getting ready for classes. There were sheets of paper left on the counter with all of the students' names arranged alphabetically, so I could just reach out and grab my schedule without asking. Seems like an efficient way to do things, but couldn't students just take a person's schedule and remove it? Kind of like a prank? Eh, doesn't matter anymore. But what was important to note was that I could read the writing flawlessly. I guess the Gamer ability automatically translates the language.

I head to my classroom to notice that no one is there except Sasuke. He's sitting near the back of the room, looking out the window to his left. He glances at me briefly, and I give him a courteous smile. He ignores it and continues looking out the window, giving me time to look around the room. It was a typical classroom, with wooden desks and chairs neatly arranged spaciously throughout the room. A blackboard was at the front of the room, with a more oversized desk, likely where the teacher would be. Above the blackboard was a clock, reading about seven-thirty. I look at my schedule and frown, seeing that classes start at eight. There are still thirty minutes to get to class, but does everyone arrive so late? Only one other student decided to come early? More importantly than that is Sasuke.

'Observe'

Sasuke Uchiha

Lv. 23

CP – 2,400

Rep - -5

Sasuke Uchiha, one of two remaining in his clan. He vows to get stronger so he can avenge his family. He thinks nothing of you.

As expected, Sasuke is powerful. Or I'm exceptionally weak. I think it is the former. Sasuke took his training pretty intensely, so naturally, he would be quite strong. I would like to help Sasuke if possible and ensure that he doesn't go to Orochimaru and train under his tutelage.

Iruka sensei walked in, and I immediately 'observed' him.

Iruka Umino

Lv. 35

CP – 5,600

Rep – 10

Iruka Umino is a teacher at the academy. Kind and patient, he has taught you for three years. He doesn't know you too well.

Damn, even the teacher doesn't really know me. I guess my predecessor was really shy. As expected from a Chunin, he is relatively strong and has decent enough stats. More than double Sasuke's chakra was especially interesting.

Time went by, and I noticed other students coming into the classroom. Familiar names, such as Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sakura, walked through the classroom door, all chatting idly.

I ignored them and their occasional glances over towards me. I have to think about my stats and how I can maximize my training.

Alternating between weightlifting and chakra-based exercises on one day with anaerobic and aerobic exercises such as sparring and sprinting on the other days would be, in my opinion, the most logical way to conduct my training. Of course, intelligence training is something that can be done during both days, but I should incorporate studying into my training schedule as well as going to the library for additional readings on the more mundane aspects of this world. An underrated aspect of training life is rest, which is absolutely pivotal for muscle reparation and recovery. As such, it is a good idea to invest in a higher quality bed than the one I currently have. Diet is crucial as well and I will immediately throw out any and all food that doesn't have an adequate supply of nutritional value.

All of this contemplation aside, I noticed that Naruto had entered the room.

Naruto Uzumaki

Lv. 11

CP – 10,000

Rep - 0

Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki of Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox. He has lived a life of isolation and depression due to inheriting the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit from unforeseen circumstances. He holds no opinion of you.

Holy shit, look at the chakra reserves. I mean, I know he's the jinchuriki of Kurama, but not even a genin and he has almost double a chunin's reserves? Wow. As with Sasuke, I would like to train with Naruto and ensure that he gets up to par with the rest of his classmates. Mizuki telling Naruto about the scroll was arguably the best thing to happen to Naruto, so I would like to keep that aspect alive. What was concerning in my eyes was that his level was eleven, one higher than mine. Naruto, during the academy years, was essentially the worst at every aspect of shinobi training. But now, I'm worse than him. I will have to train a lot to even catch up to Naruto, let alone pass with a decent score.

"Alright class, listen up. For many of you, this will be the final year of training before you become genin. As such, it's important that you actually understand what it is you're going to become. So tell me, would anyone like to tell me what it means to be a shinobi?"

Iruka was standing in front of the blackboard when he asked that question, and as expected, no one lifted a hand. Odd. I thought Naruto would for sure blurt out some silly comment about becoming hokage or something, but it seems that the unexpected question took even Naruto by surprise.

I raise my hand for a brief moment before speaking my opinion.

"I don't think there is a definition for shinobi. Shinobi adjust to the mission and are flexible and fluid. They are babysitters, and teachers, but they can also be killers and thieves. They are murderers, but they can also be friends. To be a shinobi is to be adaptable to the circumstances of your client."

*Ding! Your intelligence has risen by one *

After speaking my piece, the rest of the classroom stared at me, Iruka included. He smiled gently.

"Yes. All of that is true. Shinobi take on certain missions and play certain roles. These can change depending on the mission."

Iruka glanced back over to me with an analytical expression before directing his attention back to the rest of the class. Nothing eventful happened after that, merely an explanation of what was going to happen for the remainder of the year. It turns out that while I was essentially going to have to learn four years of material in one. If I dedicate, essentially, all of my free time to training, I could maybe come out with middle of the class marks. But it would require an absolutely colossal amount of work. At least, I think it would. I would need a miracle to get out of this with good grades.

The hours went by, and after completing my first day at shinobi school, I achieved a stat boost to every stat and an additional two hundred experience points. The game was quite stingy in its details, preferring me to figure out everything independently rather than hold my hand and walk me through everything. That was fine by me. I had a plan for training, a great place for training, and I'm sticking with it. After school finished, I immediately headed over to the training area. I passed by a store and bought one of those dummies for fighting and some energy bars, which were apparently made with chakra and very good for you. That put me back about 3,000 Ryo, but I deemed it a necessary sacrifice.

I plopped the dummy right in the middle of the training grounds and proceeded to throw various punches and kicks. I did martial arts training in my previous life, so I knew how to throw proper technique kicks and strikes, but I needed my new body to get used to the movement.

Hours passed by, and after a relentless combination of hard sprinting and taijutsu conditioning with the dummy, I was exhausted. During my suicidal attempt to increase stats, the sun had dropped over the horizon, leaving the pale bright moon and a cool breeze offset by the hard exercise. Yes, things are definitely beautiful here. I couldn't even take two steps until I passed out, the brilliant green grass comforting my fall.

*Ding! Your CP has been restored. *

*Ding! Your dexterity has risen by six. *

*Ding! Your vitality has risen by six. *

*Ding! You have gained 1,200 exp. *

*Ding! You have reached level 11. Note – upon levelling up, you get a 5% increase in all stats except luck (rounded down). Furthermore, you get one extra point for stat usage.*

Holy fuck. My training seems to have massively paid off. To be fair, I did work myself to absolute exhaustion and if I –

Wait. What time is it? I lift myself from the grass and realize I have woken up to the sound of natural ambience. No evidence of any life around me, as if I was in the abyss of solitude. The sparkling rays of moonlight attacked my sweat-filled face, and the occasional noise from an animal would remind me that I was still outside in a forest. It was still nighttime or early morning. Oh, thank God. The last thing I needed was to be late on my second day. I was going to go home and check on my food supply after training, but I suppose now is as good a time as any.

I start walking back to my apartment, the already worn-out punching dummy cradled in my two arms. I was absolutely drenched in sweat, causing the few people out at this time to stray away from me like a leper. I didn't mind. The sleep had replenished my mind, and the stats had invigorated my drive for further success. My strength, dexterity, vitality, intelligence, and wisdom were too low to benefit from the five percent increase, but my chakra points had gone up a good amount.

Once I arrived home, I glanced over everything in the fridge. Eggs, milk, cheeses, bread, and some other fresh vegetables, meant that my predecessor had a relatively healthy diet. I was starving, and the eggs would go bad, so I made a healthier version of an Egg McMuffin for breakfast, then hopped in the shower. The melted cheese drizzled on the egg was delicious and definitely needed. If I'm going to work myself this hard constantly, then I'm going to need to make sure I'm eating enough food as well.

After exiting the shower and changing into my customary black pants and shirt, I hear a knock on the door.

"Hello, Yagami are you in there?"

I approach the door and slowly open it. Her visit was a surprise, but I didn't mind.

"Oh. Yagami. I just stopped by to make sure you were okay. I didn't see you come home last night."

The tone in her voice was considerate, but I could tell that she was slightly on edge from something else.

"I decided to train after school. I found a nice and quiet spot, so I'm using it to get stronger."

She looked at me studiously, determining the validity of my claim. After being satisfied with what I had said, she smiled happily and nodded.

"That's great to hear! I'm glad that you're taking it seriously. Final year is apparently the toughest, and this year has a lot of great candidates."

Competition. While she used the word candidates, I interpreted it as competition due to the tone of her voice. Which meant that I would probably have to maintain the same intensity as last night throughout the rest of the year.

"But I'm worried Yagami. Try not to push yourself too hard. Please?"

"I'm sorry Meno, but I have to be honest with you. I'm worried that I… I'm not exactly at the same level as the other students. I've never been as good as the other students. Which is why I have to train harder. And push myself so that I can prove myself."

I wanted to say more. I wanted to explain that I was a failure and that I needed to not become one. To have a reason to be. But I deemed it inappropriate to confess so much to someone. I was training to become a shinobi, and a shinobi cannot trust anyone with such personal information.

I walked off shortly after that conversation, leaving Meno with a worried expression and a concerned heart. I had classes in an hour, and I wanted to see if I could find the library.

The library was a no-go. I couldn't find it in time, so I had to rush back to the academy for my second day of classes. Priorities were set, and right now, my physical training was more important than additional intelligence training. The immediate results motivated me immeasurably. Looking at my results from a logical perspective, my strength increased a total of twenty percent, my dexterity increased a total of thirty percent, and my vitality increased a whopping forty percent. Results like these were impossible to achieve in one day.

However, I think going to the library after school today would be of benefit. Later down the line, after I got my physical stats a bit higher, then I could read while doing the leaf concentration act. Increase both intelligence, wisdom, and potentially my chakra reserves at the same. Work hard and smart. That's the motto I have to live by now. Otherwise, I'll never catch up.

I enter the worn-down building, booming with life and activity and immediately make my way to my seat. People seem to not notice me. I suppose the previous 'Yagami' was invisible.

During last class, I heard Iruka mentioning that classes for the first couple of weeks were going to be theory only, giving me some time to practice. This was welcome, as I was still inferior in my stats and level that any sight of physical activity would likely warrant suspicion. I didn't want to risk any sort of confrontation, not over something so mundane, so knowing that I had at least a little bit of time to catch up was welcome. In two weeks, I could definitely increase my stats enough that I would be passable. What even is 'average?'

'Observe.'

Sakura Haruno

Lv. 13

CP – 560

Rep – 0

Sakura Haruno is an aspiring kunoichi. Absolutely infatuated with Sasuke, she would do anything to get his attention. She has no opinion of you.

Interesting. Sakura's only level thirteen. She's what I would consider, during her first little while as a Genin, average. I also observed a couple other 'no-name' students and realized that they were also between the thirteen to fifteen level threshold. It appears that I completely overestimated how long I would have to train. If the average is between thirteen and fifteen is average then I can definitely achieve that by the end of the year. I'm already quite close to it right now. There is also the consideration that while I'm levelling up, other students will level up to. But I highly doubt that many of the students were working as hard as me. Maybe Sasuke was, but even that's a stretch.

During all of my contemplation and my 'observing', I failed to notice the most important thing. Life. While salvation and true purpose were in my grasp, I failed to capture the essence of what it means to exist. And I wouldn't realize this until it was too late.