"We bore fruit and the lady partook in't. A piece of our soul wast bestowed upon that lady and through her: her children and their children too. They spread the word; others too, joined in communion."
- The Book of Log
C7: Graduation Day
Beta Reader: Izaranna
"Settle down everyone!"
Most were walking the fine line between determination and mental breakdowns; the rest were giggling madly in their corners, rocking back and forth.
Today was the day that would decide their destinies.
The entire class sat down with trepidation for what was to come.
"Each and every single one of you has worked hard all these years, all for this day. Graduation day. You will be getting all your results tomorrow."
Iruka paused and swept his gaze across the classroom, noticing the fear and resolve on every student's visage.
"The first test will be on the history of Konoha, a two and a half hour long test. "
All the students became quiet as Umino Iruka and Mizuki handed out the test papers. It would be inaccurate to call them papers as there were enough pages to give a textbook a run for its money.
"The test will begin at 9:00 AM and end at 11:30 AM," said Iruka, he glanced at the clock and waited until the minute hand struck twelve.
"You can begin now. Good luck with the test."
Naruto opened his booklet and cast a glance at the other students. No student sat next to one another, an empty chair between them.
Having maxed out his writing skill, he managed to finish the entire paper in forty-five minutes. It was mostly multiple choice questions, with only the last ten pages requiring actual writing.
The blond went to sleep, making sure to prop himself in a position which made it look like as if he was writing on the paper. He didn't want to get disturbed unnecessarily, after all.
The Uzumaki was alone when he woke up. He looked down the aisle and saw Iruka-sensei approaching him.
"Naruto! I've been calling you since lunch began. I can't let you have any more time."
The man grabbed the test paper from the table and looked at it, horror evident in his eyes.
"This is…"
The chunin gave Naruto an annoyed look. "You slept through the second test, didn't you?"
The blond gulped.
"You won't be having a retest, Naruto," said an exasperated Iruka-sensei with a sigh. "Sleeping on the job is a bad idea, especially in our profession. Have your lunch—the next test will be held outside."
As Naruto walked off, he heard Iruka-sensei mutter, "I mean, I thought he might, but I never thought he actually would…"
The next test was an obstacle course, but not just any obstacle course.
It was one that, not only increased in difficulty the further you went through it, but it also replicated various conditions and climates all across the Elemental Nations.
Every single person had to find a scroll and carry it all the way to the finishing line. People were ranked by how many scrolls they had; the highest would be the winner, while the lowest would fail.
Naruto decided to go straight to the finish line after finding his scroll but was interrupted thrice by kids who had decided to team up to give themselves an advantage. It seemed to be the norm.
He managed to take all of their scrolls, which gave him a total of six scrolls when he reached the finishing line. The person with the most number of scrolls was Sasuke, who held ten of them, which only left a total of eighteen for the rest of the class.
It was on this cheerful note that the class of twenty-four dispersed for the rest of the day. Well, except Kato, who'd failed miserably and had to be scraped off the ceiling with Iruka-sensei's crowbar—some people just don't know how to let go.
Sasuke smirked.
The next day started with the ninja theory examination, which went on for three hours. It covered Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Bukijutsu, Ninjutsu and Field Preparation, the latter covering emergency first aid and trap setting/evasion.
After the test, everyone had an hour long well-deserved break, after which began their practical ninja skills assessment.
It began with Taijutsu; everyone had to demonstrate the academy kata. Naruto was happy that there was no sparring—his strength stats were atrocious. He barely levelled up as is and he tried dumping all his stats into strength, but sadly, two level ups don't yield many points.
After that came the Bukijutsu assessment: kunai and shuriken were thrown at targets that started large and then started to move and then began shrinking and then started moving more erratically and quickly—by the end of it, Ruruka lost her left pinky toe.
Much screaming ensued.
With every single skill maxed out—the Academy was boring, and Naruto had a lot of time on his hands—the Bukijutsu, Field Preparation and Ninjutsu assessment were a piece of cake.
Which Akimichi Chouji had deigned to eat too.
The blond woke up the next day with a stinging head-ache. He was greeted with a message that would change his life.
SYSTEM UPDATE 42.0 HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED ONTO YOUR SYSTEM. 50% INSTALLED.
"What…?" Naruto's eyes narrowed in confusion.
Has my ability…changed?
"Status," muttered the blond, intent on getting to the bottom of this situation.
A screen appeared in front of him.
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Class: The Gamer
Title: Academy Student (+ 50% EXP gain until level 5, then 25% until level 10; Max Scroll Ranking: Low D)
Level: 4
Affiliation: Konoha
Health Points: 40,050/40,050
Chakra Points: 35,090/35,090
Chakra Control: 95%
Vitality: 5
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 4
Wisdom: 5
Intelligence: 8
Faith: 1
Luck: 100
Stat Points: 0
Ryo: 800
No! My strength has halved. I put all my points into it too…
Naruto looked at his intellect.
And my intelligence has dropped.
He looked at his other stats.
It's now more evenly distributed, so they have all been… reallocated? And what is 'Faith'? I mean, I know what it is, but it's new! Dattebayo! What about my status effects and skills?
The blond called them out one by one. The update seemed to be purely aesthetics.
"Inventory."
Although the strange voodoo-doll-like figurine of Naruto was still present, surrounding it were boxes arranged organically and sensibly, a far cry from the previous arrangement. He could even see what they were supposed to contain if he tapped them.
The blond sighed in relief, happy that, at long last he could actually make sense of what before had been a muddle of unlabelled boxes. Something else stood out though, at the top of the window was something new.
Equipment Load: 10.5/31.25
Equipment load?
He tapped it.
It restricts the amount I can carry in my inventory and in real…life. This is actually pretty bad. If I reach the maximum, I have to drop the items that are increasing the weight. This is not good, not good at all.
Naruto looked at the time.
I'm running late.
Briskly, the blond walked to school, fearful of what was to come. Missing an entire test would not be easy on his overall grade.
He opened the classroom door and was greeted with the laughter and crying of children.
Looking past them, he saw the scoreboard and a list of the people who had passed the exam, in alphabetical order. The blond only had eyes for the highest scorers and the clan children.
Uchiha Sasuke: 93.5%
Theory: 94% Physical: 93%
Nara Shikamaru: 89%
Theory: 100% Physical: 78%
Hyuuga Hinata: 88%
Theory: 80% Physical: 96%
Aburame Shino: 84%
Theory: 80%, Physical: 88%
Uzumaki Naruto: 79.5%
Theory: 65% Physical: 94%
Haruno Sakura: 79%
Theory: 98% Physical: 60%
Akimichi Chouji: 75.5%
Theory: 68%, Physical: 83%
Inuzuka Kiba: 74.5%
Theory: 64% Physical: 85%
Yamanaka Ino: 62.5%
Theory: 70% Physical: 55%
His blunder had cost him 35% from his theory. The blond felt neutral, but he could see himself being angry for having lost so many points, even if it was compensated for by his physical portion. He had lost marks for not having enough strength to back-up his technique, but they were judging technique, not its applicability in battle.
Naruto looked at Sasuke. He couldn't see his face, but his mugshot which was to the left of his HUD was angry at himself. He hadn't come first in any test and being the perfectionist, he was, it made him feel like his scores weren't good enough.
Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Level: 7
Health: 100%
Chakra: 100%
Rank: Academy Student (+ 50% EXP gain until level 5, then 25% until level 10; Max Scroll Ranking: Low D)
Affiliation: Konoha (Medium); Uchiha (Strong)
(?): Lightning Nature (First); Fire Nature (Second); Sharingan (Dormant)
Two elemental natures and a dormant bloodline limit…
He had already come to the conclusion that the reason Sasuke had two was simply because of the amount he'd practiced Fire Jutsu.
The Uchiha noticed Naruto and gestured to him.
"I can't believe you actually slept through the exam, Naruto."
His eyes widened a fraction. "How do you know that?"
"Everyone's talking about it," Sasuke smirked.
The blond sighed.
"It's not too bad. At least you didn't get the bottom mark," Sasuke unhelpfully consoled.
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but just then, the door slammed open.
"Hello, kids!" began Mizuki who had just entered the class. "You can all go home now. Come back tomorrow to be sorted into teams."
All the kids started filtering out.
"Let's go Naruto," muttered Sasuke. "To my place? Or do you want to do something else?"
Naruto got up glumly. The Uchiha looked at the boy and smirked.
"You really have changed. I remember a couple of years back, I'd have a better chance of getting a Nekomata's paw print than make you show any emotion. Now look at you! Sulking." Sasuke laughed triumphantly. "I'm such a good teacher!"
As the boys made their way to the door, they were intercepted by Mizuki.
"Sasuke, you can run along. I need to talk with Naruto. It might… take a while."
The black-haired boy looked at Naruto for confirmation. After Naruto nodded, Sasuke left them with a curious backwards glance.
The classroom was empty.
The only thing that could be heard was the muted rustling of the wind and the distant sounds of footsteps and children.
"I take it that you aren't happy with your score?" drawled Mizuki. The blond just nodded, he couldn't feel negative emotions even if he wanted to, but it seemed like the right response.
"Well, it's a good thing then that we have a special test just for students like you, who've had extenuating circumstances affect their grades. In fact, it's a test for the…gifted," divulged the instructor.
The blond repeated, "The gifted?"
"Yes, all you need to do is to infiltrate the Hokage residence and get the 'Scroll of Sealing'. It's a dummy scroll containing the weaker versions of the Forbidden Jutsu, of course, but it'll be guarded like the real thing."
Naruto hesitated. "What do I get out of it, besides a better ranking?"
Mizuki smirked slyly. "Cool jutsu, placement on the best team, a cool story to tell your grandchildren…the whole deal."
Naruto swallowed every single word he said, "Cool Jutsu, huh?"
It sounds perfectly reasonable—it is a secret test after all, so it's only natural I've never heard about it.
"Do you accept the mission?"
Just before Naruto could reply, a screen appeared.
[B] Graduation Day? :
Is this too good to be true? A test for the best! If it's given to you by a superior, surely it can't be wrong? After all, you always have to follow those above you in rank, no matter what! That's the law, isn't it?
Objectives:
Steal the [Scroll of Sealing] from the Hokage's residence
Escape Safely
Reach the secret location
Learn Forbidden Jutsu
Give the scroll to Mizuki
Completion Award:
Title [Rogue Nin]
10,000 EXP
Completion Failure:
If obj.1, obj.2, obj.3 and obj.4 is complete, -40 REP with Clan [Sarutobi] and probation for three months.
Else: Dependant on situation
Accept?
Yes or No
Naruto did a double take at the completion award and failure.
He's trying to trick me!
The blond, for the first time in his life, tapped 'No'. Immediately after, he was greeted with another screen.
[B] Graduation day? :
Looks like you have wised up to Mizuki's evil plans. Be a good little ninja and inform the Hokage about it.
Objectives:
Escape Mizuki's suspicion
Inform and convince the Hokage about Mizuki's defection
Convince the Hokage to let you deal with it
Reach the secret location
Directly/Indirectly incapacitate Mizuki
Completion Award:
5,000 XP
Rank [B] mission added to portfolio
Completion Failure:
If obj.1 is failed, possible death and dismemberment
If obj.2 is failed, -10 REP with Sarutobi Hiruzen
If obj.3 and or obj.4 are failed, instant quest failure with no penalties.
If obj.5 is failed, possible death, dismemberment, [?] extraction and experimentation.
Accept?
Yes or No
Naruto glared at the screen. Being forced into accepting such a deadly mission wasn't something he was happy with, but the consequences of not accepting were too dire.
"I accept," the blond tapped the screen and answered Mizuki's question.
"Right…" The man looked at him strangely, "You'll need to infiltrate the Hokage's Office to get the keys to the residence too."
Mizuki grabbed Naruto's shoulder and shunshin'd away with him in tow.
"This is where we'll meet up." He pointed at the floor in the middle of the forest. "I'll be right here."
Naruto nodded and started walking away. He heard a pinging noise a couple of minutes later, signalling the completion of an objective. The boy smiled and continued walking towards the Hokage's office.
No one stopped him. Why would they? He frequently visited the Hokage after all. Naruto knocked on the door and heard the familiar voice of his grandfather figure allowing him to enter.
"Ah, Naru-chan! I was expecting-", the Hokage suddenly paused before continuing, "What can I do for you? You seem to be tense. Is something wrong?"
The blond quickly sat down on the chair in front of the old man.
"Jiji, I need to tell you something. Today, I was approached by Mizuki-sensei, who told me that he wanted me to help him get a forbidden scroll."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded sagely.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "You knew?"
"No, but I had my suspicions. If I remember correctly, when you were younger, probably on one of the days you weren't in my office, we'd heard about him suffocating one of his teammates to death. If that isn't a sign of a messed up mind, then I'll eat my hat."
The man sighed and then continued speaking. "So what do you want to do, Naruto? Do you want any help in incapacitating him, or do you think you can do it?"
The shock was evident on Naruto's face. "How did you….?"
He chuckled. "I have known you since you were born. You have that determined face, the same kind you made after I told you that children can't fly, and you decided to jump out of the window to prove me wrong."
Naruto blushed.
"I trust you to do this correctly, Naruto. Consider it a mission, a low-risk B-rank mission. You may use whatever resources you can gather, however, I think you already have a path that you know you need to follow."
The boy nodded.
"Go, and good luck."
Naruto was moved by the Hokage's faith in him. "Thanks, Jiji! You're the best! I need the keys to your mansion, by the way, to get the scroll."
The Hokage opened one of his drawers and took out a key.
"I presume you remember where that room is?"
"Yes."
"Don't lose it and try your best to not let anyone else know about this. Asuma's at home and will probably be a bit testy after the meeting we just had." Hiruzen smirked, "I'd rather not see you in a body bag."
Naruto chuckled as he left.
The blond stealthily infiltrated the Hokage Mansion and approached the room that held the scroll—or at least he thought it did; he'd been prevented from entering it when he was younger. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and quickly, with little to no wasted time, entered the room.
It was ordinary and filled with beige boxes.
One of them must hold the secret scroll. I just have to find it.
He dug through all the boxes until he found, at last, one which had something.
He opened it and found a magazine filled with lewd pictures.
The boy deadpanned and put it back, turning around to leave, mentally going through all the other possible rooms the scroll may have been relocated to. Just as he reached the door, he tripped over a loose floorboard, hitting his funny bone hard and stifling a moan of agony.
When he bent over to get a good look at his abuser, he noticed that the floorboard looked different to the rest of the boards; the wood was more pressurised, the patterns more defined. It was newer. Naruto yanked it loose and unearthed a scroll.
It had two lines written on it.
You thought it would be easy, Naru-chan? I'm actually testing you to see whether you've got what it takes to be a good shinobi. Have fun! I'll give you a clue, though:
Fig, Friendship and Flight.
The blond was stumped.
What kind of clue is that? The alliteration is nice though…
The boy decided to escape the place, but the sound of approaching footsteps gave him pause.
No, no, no. I can't be found! Think, think…think! What do I do? I need to hide!
The boy looked around.
Ah, perfect.
Naruto picked up one of the larger boxes and folded it apart with a deft hand. He muttered [Disguise] which made the box gain the appearance of his surroundings.
He lifted it up to hide himself and stuck himself to a spot right behind the door. That very door slammed open, injuring Naruto and making him loose a chunk of his health. He was glad that if he received an injury to any one part of his body, the pain was evenly spread throughout the whole; he'd probably have gotten a concussion otherwise.
He made a quick note never to hide behind a door again.
The man entered. The stench of smoke lingered on him, more pungent than his father's. The man looked around and noticed all the boxes had collapsed. With a cursory glance around the room, he left.
Naruto quickly got out, barely able to hold in the blood that had welled up in his mouth.
The moment he had reached a safe place, he spat it all out.
"That was awful."
The boy massaged his stomach. He felt awful all over his body. It was a very close call, he realised. He needed to think. Figure out how to get the scroll and fast—for some reason, he felt that it was imperative he found the scroll sooner rather than later.
The blond tried to focus. This came naturally to him due to his [Gamer's Mind] skill.
Where would anyone keep such an important scroll? Where would I keep an important scroll?
At the bottom of a river! Wait no, the village would never do that, so it probably is in… An abandoned place—no the village has a special place for keeping forbidden things, for whatever reason 'ttebayo.
The boy had somehow ended up near a seat and so, decided to sit on it.
Do I even know where it is? It's probably hidden. Maybe it's in an area that is purposely blanked out in the Konoha maps so, to find its location out, I would have to…
Yes! I see.
The boy mentally ran through every map of Konoha he had ever glanced at and began to compare them.
Maps 1 to 5 depicts the Land of Fire with Konoha since its inception, around a hundred years ago. Their scales need to be adjusted as they are from the twenty-year series…
The Uzumaki mentally adjusted the scales.
None of them have any discrepancies…or do they?
Naruto sat up straight.
The scales, yes the village should be… around 5% larger on the left according to this map. The past maps and annexed land during the wars from treaties and missions and what not point to that being the case.
Yes! In that map, that area is all farms! It would make sense if they disguised the place as farms… might as well check it out.
Naruto tightened his fists in a gesture of determination and stood up.
He ran all the way, stopping every once in a while to catch his breath. He reached the outskirts of the village—the farmland, a place he had never really visited because, while they were a part of Konoha, it was implicitly understood to be private.
As he walked through the dirt path, a screen materialised.
[Genjutsu] Detected and Neutralised
The blond smiled as the air shimmered and gave way to a seemingly inconspicuous hut.
Hmm, a hut? To distract people probably, even if they managed to break through the genjutsu.
Naruto tried to enter the hut but was blocked by a door which had a keypad on it. The door, walls and roof were very hard and strong, Naruto knew that he would not be able to break it down—the force required would probably destroy all the scrolls inside.
The door was password protected.
Naruto was stumped. He went through everything he could think of and then decided to ponder the clue that the Hokage had given him. Fig, friendship and flight.
The boy went through his memories, trying to find anything that he associated with these words.
Jiji mentioned me trying to fly when I was younger… and the password only takes numbers. Perhaps… maybe.
The blond typed in the dates that he had first encountered those three words. The first day he ate a fig, the first time he made a friend and the first time he tried to fly.
The keypad shone green and the door slid open to reveal a veritable treasure trove of scrolls. However, the scroll he was looking for was nowhere to be found. Luckily, his HUD did not fail him; it indicated the presence of another genjutsu and neutralised it.
Without hesitation, the Uzumaki held the [Scroll of Sealing] which had shimmered into view. His eyes widened as a screen appeared. There were hundreds of Jutsu in that scroll!
I have to learn one of these at the very least—this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
"What to choose, what to choose? There are too many…and they're probably dangerous too, but so many of these could be useful…I can't decide!"
The boy tried to think but was interrupted by a voice.
"I can help you."
The voice was deep. It belied an age that the blond couldn't even fathom, like lava coursing through the veins of the earth…soothing, pulsating, deadly.
A figure materialised next to Naruto, an almost exact replica of himself, with a few key differences. For one, the apparition had long crimson hair and deep red eyes, haunting and old. More than that, there was something…wrong with its face, like as if it was a mask hiding something rawer, more frightening, more primal.
With a reverent whisper, Naruto asked, "Who are you?"
"Me?" The figure pointed to himself. "I…"
It paused, letting the letter linger in the air.
"… am known by many names, but for your purposes, I am The Guide and, as my name suggests, my purpose is to guide you through the inner workings of the Gamer ability, among other things."
"Where were you before, when I actually needed it?"
The Guide laughed mockingly. "You presume to blame me for my predecessor's shortcomings, mortal? I am far superior to that worthless artificial monkey. I am, I believe the human term is, more proactive. It was, for the lack of a better word, contemptible, the defence mechanisms were paltry and frankly insulting. Only a hairless ape would gain a modicum of stimulation breaking into this system."
The blond's face steeled, he didn't really like 'The Guide' and the context-less dialogue it issued.
"Explain yourself or I will dismiss you."
"This world is breathtakingly backwards. Anything I say will sit on your head like a hat. It'd linger in your pea-sized brain, but comprehension will be beyond you; it would forever mock your pathetic intellect. My words would make more sense to a cockroach."
Perhaps this requires a more complex approach.
"Your insults only betray your… how do I put it? Insecurity…" Naruto said unsure of whether this was the best way to tackle this new obstacle.
"You dare insult me? I who am a being of unbridled energy. I who walked-"
"I get it, you sound special, but why are you even here? What do you want to offer me?"
"You forgetful mortal. I will regurgitate what I said earlier. I am the Guide. I am here to-"
"You sound like you're being forced to do this, after all, why would you insult me and want to help me? Unless, you're a…. what was the word? Yandere?"
"The turn this has taken disgusts me. To help alleviate the strain this conversation is having on your neural networking, I will get straight to the point."
"Why are you helping me? I need to know this if you want me to even listen to you. If you are indeed, part of this ability, I'll dismiss you if you do not answer my questions."
"I know you humans. You insects will pick at any weakness in anyone, even your most favoured compatriots, but I have ascended beyond such mundane thoughts. I simply do not care, so I will be direct."
Naruto sat down on the dirt ground, beginning to realise that this conversation will take some time.
"You see, mantling the Guide enables me to escape a state of being where I am in constant torment. I would liken it to perdition, but this spatial and temporal plane of existence has lost such knowledge and-"
"Actually, your knowledge is slightly inaccurate. Last year, some civilians managed to decode more of the Old Language and I can, in fact, comprehend that one word you just said."
"I see… This lack of knowledge is due to the fact that I am still processing your memories. I managed to recalibrate the spatial plane I resided in only recently allowing me to return. My reward was unending pain."
Silence permeated the room. The Guide was still hovering above the ground ever so slightly and the blond was still sitting down, contemplative.
"So you are a Bijuu, then?"
"I am beginning to realise how careful I need to be around you. Breaking that wall in your classroom is really some-"
Why can't anyone ever forget that?! It was one time…
"That might be because the Uchiha finds it humorous to see you squirm."
Naruto was not impressed. Not.
"Why should I trust you? Answer me this and we can finally get back on topic. I am certain that there is a time-limit to this quest."
The Guide looked like it'd swallowed a lemon, it hadn't expected such a direct question, but nonetheless, it grumpily admitted, "I can't lie, while I'm the Guide."
The Uzumaki's suspicion still hadn't left his face. "That is convenient. How about I ask you a few questions?"
Naruto decided to ask it a few more questions. "Do you mean me harm?"
"Within the foreseeable future, no."
"And after that?"
"That is heavily dependent on my mood at the time."
The blond looked at him and sighed.
"I have no intention of learning every single Jutsu. Seeing them is enough for me to actually learn it if I become so inclined in the future, after all, burning a national treasure would ensure a lovely stint in prison."
"The Uchiha has really rubbed off on you."
"Good for you."
Naruto got up and made to touch the scroll, but stopped. It had a simple seal on it, a tag which would break if he tried to open it. It may be linked to the Hokage's office and even though he was doing this with permission, it was a stealth operation. Kinda. Luckily, a screen appeared detailing all its contents.
"Any advice?"
The figure grinned. "As I'm sure your feeble human brain must have comprehended, the more you learn, the greater the difficulty level of the Game."
Naruto stared at him. In confusion or disbelief, it didn't know so it elaborated.
"Why?"
Kurama looked at the heavens in askance, before muttering a few cuss words and explaining impatiently. "Blame the Creator. The Gamer ability is constantly being updated. Too many psychopaths, idiots, and grumpy cat-ladies for the system manager's liking, so to make his job a bit more interesting for the Creator, he made your life harder-"
The blond tried to interrupt, but the almost-clone counter-interrupted. "Before you ask, yes. I enjoy your pain, puny mortal. Much more than you can ever comprehend."
Naruto ignored Kurama's leer. "So my life gets harder if I do something to make it easier, to maintain equilibrium? Like the narrative structure of a novel?"
Kurama rolled his eyes. "Sure, brat. Make it sound stupider. Who am I to stop the degeneration of human intellect?"
If Naruto was anyone, but himself, they'd probably start hyperventilating in shock, but well… he wasn't. "That sucks."
The Guide looked at him with barely hidden contempt. "You suck."
"My life is just like a novel. My life. A novel. A book. So by the end of it, I could very possibly be worthy of a biography about my escapades?"
"Perhaps-"
"So I'll have epic adventures? Save damsels in distress like in my own novels? Go on amazing journeys? Meet cool people? That sort of novel? Or more like a horror or tragedy novel where I go into a downward spiral of depression constantly faced with impossible questions, beings insanely stronger than me and scenarios threatening to break my sanity?"
"That took a-"
"I need to know! Tell me, please!" the blond hadn't been this excited in a long time, the very idea that his life could be as eventful as any of the novels he read captivated him like nothing else could.
"Silence!"
The boy tried to reign in his excitement and let the figure speak.
"The Creator has installed some protocols to ensure an eventful life after the last few Gamers merely wasted away living in a sandbox of their own creation. This ebb and flow novel-like life structure catalysed by the skills you learn is one such instance of the protocol manifesting itself."
"So basically, I need to choose very wisely. Something with too much potential and power can completely wreck my world, while something too weak would be a waste of this unique opportunity offered to me by the quest."
The blond looked back at the screen.
Which Jutsu do you want to learn?
(Warning: There are Jutsu in this scroll which can lead to the manifestation of negative status effects.)
Shadow Clone Jutsu – Create a solid clone of yourself! Bonus: when it is dispersed, sends back any information it has learned to you. Versatile applications. Side-effects: may explode a non-Gamer's brain from information overload, if used liberally.
Eight Trigrams Seal – Seal a [Biiju] into a human – Symbiotic relationship with container created. Requires Master Sealing [Max Level].
Ninja Art: Soul Drain – Steal souls of animals – Gain their abilities and genes. Side-effects: Brain damage, schizophrenia, loose bowel movement.
Jiongu – Permanently transforms the user into a [Jiongu], a being made of thick black threads, capable of sewing body parts and nerves together and even stealing other people's hearts thereby learning their Jutsu and, if levelled up enough, their [?]. Side-effects: Permanent body change, no functioning reproductive system, chances of getting laid reduced by 98%, your face might frighten children.
Body Switch – Switches the soul in the user's body with the targets…permanently. Side-effects: Out of body experiences.
Suicide – The Jutsu forces all of the user's chakra out of his body, killing him instantly! Side-effects: Death… that's it, what did you want? To poop butterflies and fart rainbows? That's another jutsu in this scroll!
Reverse Summoning Technique – Transports user into a different species' personal habitat. May be hostile, may be friendly. It's a 50-50 really. Side-effects: diarrhoea, athlete's foot, being chewed to death, bitten to death, swallowed to death, tickled to death, punned to death, just…just death. All the death. Praise the good death.
The scroll seemed to go on endlessly.
Naruto could easily see why most of the jutsu were forbidden; permanent disfigurement and/or death wasn't the best way to survive. Also, whoever wrote this was clearly familiar with the drugs some of his classmates were taking. He would never forget the squirrel incident, it'd scarred him for life… and probably everyone else too, except for Shino because he was Shino.
"Seriously, who would want to become a ghost? They're so scary!" he said to no one in particular.
Now, what to pick?
The blond was in a pickle; from the jutsu he had checked out, only the Shadow Clone didn't cause any major problems, but he wouldn't be able to even use it until he got more chakra.
"I call upon thee, Guide! Which jutsu can I use without causing myself permanent damage?"
Silence reigned for a few minutes. The apparition muttered, "None, you simpleton," before saying, "Although, this one may work."
The Uzumaki looked at the one he was pointing at. "Eight Gates Release? I said without causing me permanent damage."
"All things in moderation, dimwit. If you're sensible about it…actually, on second thoughts, that's asking for too much. This one then."
Naruto looked at the jutsu almost three-quarters of the way down the scroll. "Elemental Mastery? Six years of contemplation with a 20% chance of success and a 40% chance of turning female halfway through… or a frog. I'm not even sure which one is worse."
"Actually, it says toad, but it's not like I can read. Idiot. Your Gamer ability fixes that problem."
Naruto waited for it to elaborate, but The Guide just stared at him with boredom. "How?" asked Naruto finally.
The red-haired figure pinched the bridge of its nose. "Fine, don't use your brain. Ahem, this jutsu is similar enough to another skill set that the system manager won't notice, so you won't turn into a girl. Or a toad. Although, maybe then you might be more bearable."
"So…what's the catch?"
"You live?" The Bijuu somewhat bitterly reminded himself. "It will make you learning any elemental ninjutsu redundant. You could learn them, but it would be redundant as it would be a sub-division of the element it falls under instead of its own unique skill.
"Would I be correct in saying that I'd have to level up the actual element instead of, say, the Fireball Jutsu? So it'd take longer I'd assume, but the end result is complete mastery over the element itself rather than just a single Jutsu I'd otherwise have to contend with?"
"Yes."
This is a no brainer. Someone knows the Eight Gates... Maito Gai knows it. If I really wanted to learn it, then I could always ask Jiji to arrange something. The others… I guess I'll never know if I don't open the scroll and since that would make me feel like a failure at stealth, I'll have to stick with the only other Jutsu that is safe and I know no one actually has.
"I feel like how others treat you has gone to your head. Your inner-monologue was pathetic at best. I rate it a 5/10."
The blond ignored The Guide and decided to tap on learning the single Jutsu. If memory served, it would be erased from the scroll forever. It physically pained him to click the button.
Sacrifices have to be made sometimes, but the knowledge! The sweet sweet data!
…I will need to repent for this, somehow.
Tapping it prompted another message to appear asking him whether he would like to transfer the data onto a sheet of paper and burn that instead. It seemed like the update was actually good for something.
Problem solved. No rubber duck sacrifice to Tenjin-sama will be needed.
Reaching into his inventory, which was almost at its breaking point, he took out a scroll, wrote it down quick as a flash, and burnt it.
(?)[Elemental Mastery] has been added to the user database. Level: 1/100
Naruto then placed the [Scroll of Sealing], in his inventory, realising that he literally had no space left for even a thimble anymore. He really needed to get rid of the things he'd been collecting all these years...starting with this pocky stick…
The boy happily munched on it as he walked out of the hut. If only they made ramen sticks…pocky doesn't taste nearly as amazing.
Somewhere in the Land of Wind, Uchiha Itachi had the sudden urge to kill a blond twelve-year-old for insulting his favourite snack. He looked around and realised that the closest one was the Kazekage's daughter and so, he schooled his emotions. It wouldn't do to cause an international incident. The Hokage wouldn't be pleased.
But then, Lady Amaterasu would be.
To kill or not to kill, that is the question...
Naruto had to think of a way to incapacitate Mizuki.
As he walked through the main street, he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye.
By the time he reached the bend, he saw the Anbu and grinned.
As he crossed the bridge, he pulsed his chakra and signalled his predicament to them—Mizuki wouldn't know what hit him.
Naruto arrived at the clearing and took out the scroll, moving out into the open so that Mizuki could see him.
Mizuki could barely contain his glee at the sight of the defenceless student in front of him, and revelled in the weak child's trust in him. "Well done Naruto! Now, give me the scroll and your mission will be complete. We'll go over to Hokage-sama after this, and he won't be able to deny that you deserve better!"
The blond handed him the scroll, while scratching his back.
Kids these days have no respect for their betters! Scratching his back, when he should be paying full attention to me…!
As the man took the scroll from Naruto, he felt his arm stop mid-way. He couldn't control his body.
The Anbu appeared. Mizuki was surrounded and paralysed.
He had underestimated the boy, thinking that since he was a stickler for the rules, he must be gullible.
The masked ninja looked at the blond, almost in unison and one of them spoke.
"Naruto-sama? May we take the scroll back to Hokage-sama?"
Naruto nodded back and gestured his thanks. He was the only Anbu the blond couldn't recognise.
"You're new, I take it?"
The Anbu looked taken aback. He had heard about the boy's prowess since he had joined the Anbu corps, but being able to recognise a new recruit on sight wasn't something he was expecting.
"Hai!"
The boy handed him the scroll, "Here, take it."
Naruto looked at everyone. "I thank all of you for helping me with this mission and I hope I haven't given you too much trouble."
All the Anbu nodded and then disappeared. All except for one—Yugao-nee-chan.
"Yugao-nee?"
She nodded and said, "You've grown up so much." Underneath her mask, she grinned. "You even used a contraction!"
The blond smiled.
"I don't have long, but let me tell you something real quick. I think you'll like your new sensei!"
Naruto asked her to tell him who it was, but she kept mum about it. "Let's just say that he's someone you know very well."
The blond prepared himself to wheedle answers out of her, but was interrupted by a quick 'see you around' and a puff of smoke.
The blond coughed out blood. Ah, it seemed that the door had done more damage than he'd previously assumed…looks like my ability doesn't tell me everything…
R&R (Suggestions and advice are always welcome!)