Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise.
Naruto's Apartment, Konohagakure
Naruto woke to the sound of someone or something knocking on wood, the loud noise startling him from his deep sleep and sending him rolling off the bed. If the knocking hadn't fully woken him up before, his long fall sure did: "Aaaghh…shit…" Naruto moaned, rubbing his head as he stood up. He glanced at the clock: 11:03, before he was interrupted again by the knocking.
"What the hell, Naruto!" A loud feminine voice broke out, "Open the door!"
"You finally decided to wake up, boss?" A nearby clone snickered from the couch, "Sure took you long enough."
"Shaddap," Naruto snapped before returning his attention to the voice, "Who the hell's that?"
"The annoying pink haired girl from yesterday, Sakura, the grey haired guy from yesterday, Kakashi, and some weird emo," the clone informed him. "They've been knocking for like 5 minutes now."
"Hell, Naruto!" Sakura cried out, "If you're not going to open the door we're going to break it down!"
"Coming!" Naruto shouted, wading over to the door and opening it. "Whaddaya want-" The blonde's words were interrupted, sadly, by a vicious kick to the face, smacking him into the ground.
"What do we want?" The pink-haired girl shouted, "you're three hours late to our meet-up, even later than Kakashi-sensei!" At this she jabbed a finger at the sheepish looking Kakashi.
"I saw a black cat cross the road, so I had to take the long way 'round," he explained hastily while rubbing the back of his head.
Naruto got up slowly, rubbing his face this time; "I have no idea what you're talking about," He grumbled, "But first of all, why did you hit me? That was going a bit over…"
Sakura was taken aback; Naruto had never protested before. "Uh…"
"That's what I thought," Naruto muttered. "Anyway, what-" He stopped abruptly, remembering the quest he had accepted earlier. "Oh yeah, sorry bout that…I just forgot." The blonde then cast his eyes into the hallway, where he saw the 'emo', a black-haired boy leaning against the wall maintaining a nonchalant expression.
"Now that we're all here," Kakashi started before Sakura could start up again, "the reason I called you all here is because I've signed you up for the Chunin Exams."
"The Chunin Exams?" The black-haired boy in the back finally piped up, smirking, "Another chance to show my skill."
"Alright, alright, hold up," Naruto rubbed his eyes sleepily, "What the hell are the Chunin Exams?"
"Mind your language, please," Kakashi reminded him hypocritically, "and the Chunin Exams are a set of tests designed to weed out the weak from the strong and promote those with the necessary skills to become a ninja to Chunin. However, I warn you; it will be very dangerous. Deaths are actually quite common."
"Dangerous is my middle name," Naruto snorted and took an invitation out of his hands. "Whatever. Now, if you don't mind, I need my sleep." The blonde hastily shut the door in their faces.
"What the hell, baka!" The pink-haired girl screamed after him while the silver-haired man called after him: "The location's on the card!"
Naruto stood against the door until he heard the three's footsteps recede, and got dressed quickly. Contrary to what he had said, the blonde had no intention of going back to bed; he planned to take full advantage of his unique skillset.
Naruto quickly formed three clones, that fanned out from his apartment and headed towards the newly discovered training grounds before he himself leaped out the window.
Forest Outskirts, Konohagakure
Naruto grinned as he drilled another shuriken into a lizard's skull, watching its mottled green body shatter into dozens of rainbow colored shards, watching his EXP bar jump up.
It hadn't taken Naruto long to find this dungeon-of-sorts; with so many clones around the place, it had only been a matter of time. It seemed like in this world, he could even farm normal animals for EXP, albeit it made certain animals hostile towards him.
Guess I'm just not an animal person, Naruto reflected humorously. It had been an hour or so, and he had reached Level 12. All his skill points he had dumped into Speed and Strength, being his two weakest points.
It was easy going, but the grinding was tenuous and boring, even with 5 clones helping him out in other areas of the forest, Naruto reflected as he flipped over and fired off two shuriken in succession into a snake.
A rustle in a bush caught his eye, and in one fluid motion the blonde had unclasped a kunai and launched it in the bush's direction. However, there was no shatter or EXP jump, only another rustle before an unusually white rabbit darted out from behind the bush and out of the clearing.
The blonde decided to follow it; after all, what could it do to him? and in a flash, he had leapt out onto a tree branch and after the rabbit.
Just as it was unnaturally pale, it was also unnaturally fast; it took all of Naruto's recently spent Speed points and some to keep up with it. Ever so often he would lose sight of the little thing, but for some reason it would always leap back into sight, that Naruto thought it almost intended for itself to be followed.
In another five minutes or so, the rabbit stopped in front of a cave, and Naruto landed on the ground, twirling a glinting kunai in between his fingers. He was about ready to suck the life out of this little critter when it seemed to nod-no, point with its head-at the cave entrance.
"What, you want me to enter the cave?" Naruto asked, grinning at the absurdity of it all-so he was taken aback when the rabbit itself seemed to nod intelligently. The blonde stepped in, somewhat curiously; look at me; talking to a rabbit. If it weren't for my situation, I wouldn't be caught dead doing this.
Naruto was slightly startled when a window popped up:
You have entered a No-Damage Zone.
Huh. So they have those too? Naruto thought curiously, right before the ground under him gave way. "What the-?!"
The blonde had landed on a dusty stone floor, and when he looked up, he estimated that he had fallen around 30 something feet. However, his health was none for the worse-so it really is a 0-damage zone, Naruto reflected as he took a glance around. The lower cavern seemed to be relatively empty, but it was substantially larger. But...this can't all be a coincidence. Someone planned this.
The gamer got to his feet, dusting off his horrendously orange pants as he did. If someone did want me here, the worst thing to do right now would be to alert him to my presence. So if I can just find somewhere to hide- His planning was interrupted when a bright flash of light invaded the room, prompting him to attempt to shield himself. "What the hell?!"
The light dimmed to an acceptable amount, revealing a woman standing there, barefoot, a silvery kimono and sash covering her body. Her skin was unnaturally bright, but such that instead of seeming like a defect of nature, it had an ethereal quality to it. Luscious black hair fell from her head, and her piercing gold eyes shined brightly.
She was beautiful.
I apologize if I surprised you, a calm feeling washed over Naruto, as the woman's speech filled the room. It wasn't a voice-no, it was more than a voice; it felt like a song, a melody, that the universe had joined in making.
"N-no, it's alright," Naruto choked out, somewhat shocked by the aura that this woman radiated and trying to fight it off. Stop. Don't let her take you over.
A laugh penetrated the room-but instead of the melody her voice was it was a little harsh, and quite amused. This time, her speak didn't seem as beautiful, but a little edged, a little cold. A fighter on my hands? Quite amusing.
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto fought against the calming feeling, "And why the hell am I here?"
The woman laughed again, and her aura receded a little. Mortals-always so peculiar, yet us beings need them to do our bidding. No matter. I am Kami, sister of the Rabbit Goddess, and the one who brought you here. As for why you are here-it's quite simple really. You are here to defeat my sister yet again, to avoid the Eternal Tsukuyomi.
"What are you saying?" Naruto wanted to shout, his frustration quite overwhelming-something he normally would never have allowed to happen. "What world is this? Why am only I in a game? How come these people know me?"
Patience, boy. I will tell you what I think is necessary to tell you, nothing more. The woman's form suddenly began to flicker, and the light dimmed yet again. My time in this space seems to be over, she observed, for my sister's power stretches far, even when sealed. However, before I go, I shall leave a parting gift… At this time, she reached out, and Naruto, paralyzed by the prospect of it all (despite his normally calm demeanor), felt a warm finger tap his forehead.
"What the heck was that supposed to do-" Naruto began, but suddenly, images began to flick through his head rapidly. Even with his brain capacity, it wasn't long before he was overwhelmed, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Beware my sister's minions when you awake, boy…
"Naruto…be sure to make us proud…"
"We don't serve your kind here."
"…to protect my precious one."
It was a while before Naruto woke up.
As soon as the so-called Kami had left, the cave had returned to its normal state-that is to say, dark and wet.
Naruto opened his eyes with a groan, clutching his head as he got up. "Jesus Christ my head hurts…so much…data…"
After a few more minutes of groaning in pain, the blonde finally decided to get back up and take stock of his surroundings, and it was when he did so that he finally noticed the pile of items on the ground, apparently left there for him. Naruto strode over quickly as the items were absorbed into his inventory, which he opened to check out. It turned out to be several items of clothing.
"Finally!" Naruto cried happily, "Some better clothes!" He hastily equipped the items, revealing grey gauntlets, shinobi pants, shin guards, and black sandals. The orange jacket, meanwhile, had been unequipped to reveal a black T-shirt with an orange spiral on the back.
"That only leaves the last item," Naruto said, referring to the scroll he had picked up, which he tapped for a full description of.
[Ancient Scroll]
A scroll containing ninja techniques long forgotten.
Requirements: None (Admin Edit)
My head hurts enough as it is-I'll get onto this when I get back… Naruto thought, and walked over to the space beneath the hole. Now…how do I get out?
That problem was solved when the ground began to rumble, and the ground beneath him shifted again to rise up, as if on queue. "Dang…as if it could read my thoughts."
A foreign chuckle reached his ears. "Oh, no. Merely for my own convenience."
Naruto looked up to see a white humanoid standing at the cave entrance. Well, he was sort of humanoid. With his green hair, round yellow eyes, and enlarged legs, Naruto wasn't sure if he qualified.
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto growled, "If you're working with Kami, tell her to-"
The humanoid chuckled again. "Oh, no. If anything, I'm working against Kami-is that what she calls herself now? Quite egocentric, if you ask me. Anyway, I'm here to kill you."
"Should you be telling be that up front?" Naruto shot back.
"It doesn't really matter, seeing as you're going to die right now." As he said this, the humanoid extended his hand, and a green energy shot towards the blonde. Naruto raised his hands as if to fend it off, but the energy pierced him anyway.
The blonde felt at his chest, and was surprised-there was no visible damage. The humanoid was puzzled too, and lowered his hand. "Hmmm?"
It's a no-damage zone! Naruto thought in relief, So I'm fine for the moment, and if I stay here, he shouldn't be able to damage me!
The white creature laughed after a moment: "So another one of her tricks, eh? No matter." He raised both hands again, and blue cracks began to stretch across the cave.
Shit! He's taking down the zone! Naruto inferred, correctly. In a second the cave began to crumble. I've got to get out of here!
The blonde leapt at the humanoid, attempting to knock him down, but he somehow managed to dodge at the last second. Naruto rolled on the ground and leapt onto a tree as the cave crumbled behind him with a rumble.
"Don't be thinking you've gotten away so easily, child," the humanoid's voice reached him, and he was revealed to be on the tree next to him. "You're still dead." As if on queue (again), two other humanoids emerged from the trees. "After him!"
Naruto groaned inwardly, before leaping onto another tree to dodge a sharp vine one of them had shot. Shit! Shit! Shit! I've got to get back to the village! He took off, leaping from tree to tree as the humanoids began to pursue him.
"What the hell do you want?!" Naruto screamed over his shoulder, the winds tearing the words from his mouth. They didn't reply, but they began to pick up their pace.
Let me test them, Naruto thought as ducked another vine. He began to charge up his chakra in his legs, and he activated his [Kyuubi Initial Jinchuuriki Form]. Red chakra began to flow through his coils-elongating his nails, turning his eyes red, defining the whisker marks further-and with it all, a surge of strength. Naruto grinned.
With a mighty chakra-powered leap, the blonde flipped up into the air before planting his feet squarely on one of the humanoids' chest, sending him crashing into a nearby trunk. Naruto wasted no time before delivering another powerful roundhouse kick straight onto another humanoid (where it should have had a reproductive organ) before blocking a blow from the third one. The blonde tripped the last humanoid and pushed him over the edge, just as branches began to wrap around his body. He whipped his head around to find a humanoid with his hand planted on the tree trunk-like it had been absorbed.
So they can manipulate nature, to an extent, Naruto observed as he barely dodged a round of thorns another humanoid had fired off. This isn't going to work-I can't take all of them. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, as five clones popped into existence.
"Help me out, #2," Naruto directed one of his clones, who quickly karate chopped his bonds, as the others moved to defend their boss. As soon as the blonde had freed himself, he was assaulted by a numbing headache that sent him to his knees. "Ahhh…"
"Boss?" #1 asked in concern as he launched a flurry of shuriken at the enemy. "You OK?"
"I'm fine…" Naruto groaned out painfully, "but we can't hold them off with me like this…" True to his word, another clone had popped out of existence. #1 nodded to #2, who formed several more clones, all of them taking up a defensive array around the original.
"I'll get you out of here!" #1 shouted over, "you five, escort us back!" The five nearest clones moved soundlessly to their positions as #1 hoisted Naruto over his shoulder and took off. The humanoids noticed this, nodding to each other, before one took off as the two other held the seven clones off.
#1 cursed inwardly as he noticed the pursuer. Shit…but he's only one. We can hold him off, as two clones peeled off to launch kunai & shuriken at the humanoid. The projectiles dug into his skin, but he shook it off as the damaged parts fell off and new ones regrew.
"Damn…he can regenerate?" #6 cursed, backpedaling furiously. "We'll have to take out his head then, so his brain won't be able to send signals."
"If he even has a brain," #4 noted drily. "Kyuubi Initial Jinchuuriki Form!" The two growled in unison, red chakra leaking from their bodies before they launched themselves at their opponent.
System Warning:
[Kyuubi Chakra] levels have reached [low].
Meanwhile, on #1's end, Naruto had passed out, unfortunately for him. However his EXP bar had jumped up and he was now Level 13, meaning he had taken out at least one of the humanoids. Furthermore, none of them were within sight, so it was all good on his end.
The blonde grinned as he came within sight of the gate, where there were two guards chatting. The humanoids wouldn't dare come within sight here. Or so he thought.
So #1 was definitely surprised when a humanoid leapt out of nowhere and slammed a foot into his gut, causing him to poof out of existence.
"Alpha!" #2 shouted, shocked, "#5, get Boss! #3, help me out here!"
The two clones surrounded the humanoid as #5 struggled to pick Naruto up. "How the hell did you get past all those clones?"
"I didn't," the humanoid shrugged, "My 2 companions stayed back to fend them off. And the 2 clones you sent after me ran out of the fuel they were juiced up on, so here I am, and-"
#2, not waiting for him to finish, leapt into action immediately as he slashed downwards with a kunai, which the humanoid dodged by flipping onto a nearby branch. "3! Get him!"
#3 responded immediately, bounding over two trees and attempting to perform a spin kick that his opponent blocked. "I notice you're not making any more clones," the humanoid observed as he held #3's leg. "Out of normal chakra too, eh?" He moved to deliver a punch, but was stopped short when #2 landed a crushing punch on his face. #3 took the chance to escape onto a nearby branch, panting.
"Don't get cocky again, #3," #2 reminded him, "Now, together." #3 merely nodded before the two launched themselves at their opponent, delivering a combo of kicks and punches that the humanoid barely fended off. The humanoid growled, before flipping off the branch to give himself some space.
"Take this!" A row of vines leapt out to meet the two clones, a vine piercing #2 and sending him to back wherever he came from.
"#2!" #3 cried, himself also tangled up.
"Out of options, now, eh?" the humanoid grinned, showing a row of something that looked vaguely like teeth. "Well, let me just go get your boss now-Aaaagh!" There was a flash, a thud, and the humanoid's left arm detached itself.
#3 grinned, and a kunai connected to ninja wire revealed itself, having sliced through the humanoid's arm. "Hah! Take tha-..." His voice trailed off as the humanoid grinned, holding up his left arm as the arm regrew itself. "Shit..."
"Now you're done," the humanoid grinned cockily as he moved in for the killing blow-and stopped. "What...the..." He felt around his head and found a kunai embedded in it. "How..?" He managed to choke out.
#5 revealed himself, leaping down and landing next to the humanoid. "Us clones share memories, mate," He tapped his head, "and remember those two clones you down beforehand? Well, we always have a plan, and we never make the same mistake."
#3 smirked. "Easy pickings."
The humanoid cursed them inwardly before he died, his body losing balance and falling off the tree branch.
#5 watched him go. "Hmmm...brain death is delayed longer for them too."
Naruto's Apartment, Konohagakure
"Hey, Boss. Wassup?"
Naruto shot up in bed, looking around wildly. "Trying to-what?!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, Boss," a clone laughed, "The incident's over-we managed to get you back here. Besides we're Level 15 now-eh?"
"Pretty nice," Naruto agreed, "but what's this?" He asked, indicating a box that had popped up.
4 new notifications
"That's been there since we got back," a clone cut in, "and it looks like only you can read them. Believe me, we've tried."
Naruto nodded as he tapped the box, and three boxes expanded from the one.
Quest Complete: Alternate Universe Memories
People you don't know seem to know you…why?
Objectives:
Reach the checkpoint [Complete]
Talk to Kami [Complete]
Receive Memories [Complete]
Meet Zetsu [Complete]
Escape/Defeat 3 Advanced Zetsu [Complete]
Rewards:
[Alternate Universe Memories]
[Uzushiogakure Souvenir T-shirt]
[ANBU Grade Gauntlets]
[Shinobi Pants]
[Worn-Out Shin Guards]
[Ancient Scroll]
Rewards Received.
Naruto whistled appreciatively. "Damn. This is some good loot." He materialized the scroll in his hand, which shimmered into existence, and tossed it over to a clone "Here, bro, check this out after a lunch break."
"Boss, have you seen the memories?" A clone asked, sifting through the recently acquired experiences. "This is some pretty deep shit."
"Yeah…this kid has the same name as us, but he's had to go through a lot," Naruto replied, referring to the cold and indifferent treatment he had suffered. "I wouldn't wish that on anybody."
"Hey, Boss?" A clone piped up, "How do you know this guy isn't supposed to be us?"
"It's no use thinking about that now," Naruto said, turning away, "we might as well check out the rest of the notifications."
[Entry Acquired]
You have unlocked the [Naruto Online Character Guide]! Now you can read about the characters you know and love!
Admin's Note: A supplement to the People section of your game; however, it will only contain basic info on the characters you meet.
Another box popped up in front of Naruto, showing a guide with the words "NARUTO ONLINE CHARACTER GUIDE" in bold orange letters, before flipping open to a certain page. "What's this?" Naruto leaned in to read the entry.
Advanced Zetsu:
An advanced form of the typical Zetsu, they can manipulate nature in small amounts. Still, they are weaker than the average ninja.
Difficulty: [Medium]
Next to the entry was a picture of an identical humanoid to the one Naruto had encountered. "So those guys are called Zetsu, aye?" Naruto grinned. "This book will be useful…but to think they considered me weaker than the average ninja…"
Level 1 Cleared
+500 EXP
+3 Strength
+3 Speed
+3 Intelligence
+5 Merit Points
+1 Avatar
Checkpoint acquired!
Congratulations!
"Sweet!" Naruto cheered, bowing to a round of applause from his clones. "That makes us level 18!"
"Hey, mate," one interrupted, "stop being so cock-bull full of yourself; do us a favor and check out the character switch section, aye?"
Naruto gave the clone the evil eye, muttering: "Since when was I Australian?"
"You're a lot of things now, boss," the above clone returned, "ever since we got here."
"But still, Australian?" Naruto shot back, "I wanted to be Russian. At least they have cool mustaches!"
You have received 5 merit points!
"5 merit points?" Naruto grinned, bringing up the merit section and scrolling down the lists. "Let's see what we can get…"
[Hurricane Manifest]
0/2 Merit Points
Create a massive hurricane at your will in exchange for a large amount of chakra.
[Fūton: Harikēn Meiku]
"I'll pass on the hurricane for now," Naruto muttered, "I couldn't use it in this village, anyway."
[Born Leader]
0/2 Merit Points
People are naturally inclined to follow you.
+5 Charisma every level
"That sounds nice…" Naruto tapped confirm and took the merit, "after all, one man can't defeat an army."
"Technically, we can, boss."
"You know what I mean."
[Master-at-arms]
0/3 Merit Points
You have completely mastered the skill of Bukijutsu.
[Master Level: Bukijutsu]
"I'll pass on that one too for now."
[Extrasensory Perception]
0/1 Merit Points
A technique granting extrasensory perception to the user in a given range.
[Maruchi Kōkei]
[Heaven Release]
0/2 Merit Points
A unique Kekkei Genkai granting the wielder the attributes of a holy being. Excessive use may damage the wielder's body due to the concentration of the holy magic.
"These three are all pretty cool…" Naruto said indecisively. "Which one should I get?"
"How 'bout you get that extrasensory perception, which is one merit point, and then save the remaining two for later?" A clone remarked, "they don't come by often, so use them when you need them."
"Good idea," Naruto selected the [Extrasensory Perception] option before closing the tabs. "So, how does this work?"
[Maruchi Kōkei] activated.
Chakra Drain: 0
"Holy shit!" Naruto yelped, spinning around on his heel, "this shit's amazing!"
"Tell me about it," one clone grinned, also spinning around. The Maruchi Kōkei (Multi-Sight) didn't just enhance your vision, despite its name; it granted you extra sensory perception, meaning you could sense something to an extent even if you weren't looking at it.
Naruto stopped spinning and settled down. "This'll give us an advantage, eh?"
Suddenly, the alarm began to ring. "Crap," Naruto looked around wildly, "I'm late!"
"Late for what?"
"The Chunin Exams, smart one!"
And…cut! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, guys. I know I've been neglecting this story lately, so I made a chapter quickly to let you guys know I'm back in business!
Sorry if this chapter's kind of sloppy…it definitely isn't my best work. I did this in a hurry. Anyway, no matter; I'll be updating soon after this, so don't worry.
On an afterthought, the poll's up. Go vote on it if you want to decide on the pairing ;)