A/N: I have made some minor adjustments (no Gamer's Mind/Body, no temporal distortion ID creates) to make Naruto not completely steamroll the competition, but it's still a Gamer!Naruto fic - he's meant to be strong, he's meant to win often and hard, and mostly, it's a story meant for vicarious escapism.
Naruto's behavioural changes are related to how the INT and WIS stats work in The Gamer.
Naruto's Thoughts
Game Text
On with the story!
Naruto's brain slowly returned to wakefulness from the realm of blissful sleep. It always took him a moment or two to orient himself when he awoke, but the crick in his neck told him exactly where he was. Yawning, he reached up with one cramping hand to rub at his crusty eyes, dropping the controller that was in his hand in the process. Yup, he'd fallen asleep playing games on the couch again, instead of going to bed. Ugh, morning training at the academy was going to suck.
He stretched his arms above his head, trying to work away some of the stiffness that had set in from sleeping on his lumpy old couch. As much as he loved the thing for enabling his video game addiction, it was possibly the worst place to fall asleep.
You have slept on an uncomfortable couch. 25% of missing HP and chakra has been restored.
It took his brain a moment to catch up to what his eyes were seeing in front of him. "What the actual fuck?" He blinked his eyes in rapid succession and rubbed at them a few times again for good measure, trying to will away what was clearly an ethereal game window smack bang in the middle of his vision.
No such luck.
Failing that, he tried putting his hands together in a ram seal and pulsing his chakra, trying to dispel a genjutsu. That didn't do the trick either. Not that I'm any good at dispelling genjutsu. Left with no other choice that he could think of, he tried poking at the window and dragging it around. To his surprise, he could actually interact with the thing. Holy shit that feels weird. It was clearly not solid and not quite there, but he could touch it and feel it and interact with it. His finger stopped when he tried to push into it, but the texture was more liquid than solid or gas.
"What is this thing?" he asked the air, dragging the window to and fro, as if that would give him the answer. "Can I make it go away? Shoo, vanish, close, dismiss," at that last word, as if by magic, the window disappeared as if it was never there in the first place. Naruto jumped a little in alarm at how suddenly it went away. So it reacts to voice commands?
All thoughts of tiredness, picking up his controller or going to the academy fled his mind in favour of trying to figure out whatever the hell that was about.
"Menu, options, character screen," Naruto started listing off typical game interface lingo in the middle of his room, feeling progressively more insane as nothing happened. He was starting to lose hope that anything would happen, until finally the command of "status" brought up a pale blue screen.
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Occupation: Academy Student
Title: N/A
Level: 8 (48.7%)
HP: 3050/3150
Chakra: 2020/2020
Ryo: 3200
Gold: 0
Well, I'm not level 1, that's an interesting start. Is that because I've been training at the academy for so long? Something about the appearance of the panel and the command it had reacted to tickled the back of Naruto's brain, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Everything here makes sense … gold? What does that do?
"Dismiss," at that, the pale blue window disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. If this is a game system, there has to be a way to figure out a list of commands. "Help?" he said into the stale air of his small apartment, voice small and hopeful.
As if some divine entity was amusing themselves at his expense, nothing happened.
And then, without prompt, a panel with a list of commands came to life in front of him. Naruto may have been imagining it, but he swore this panel was a brighter shade of blue, almost as if it was designed to flashbang him.
Status
Stats
Skills
Traits
Inventory
Map
Shop
Active Quests
Settings
"Now we're cooking with fire!" Naruto rubbed his hands together in anticipation. The first place to visit when starting a new game is always, "Settings." Truly, if the first thing you did wasn't personalise a game's settings to your liking, were you even a real gamer?
Overhead HP Bars: Off
Overhead Status: Off
Privacy Mode: Off
Nonverbal Commands: Off
Nonspecific Commands: Off
Hardcore Mode: On
Random Quests: Off
Minimap: Off
Let's see here … Overhead bars, those can stay off, don't want visual clutter, privacy mode … wait can other people see what I'm seeing right now? Turn that on, don't want people thinking I'm even more insane than they already do. At that, the box floating in front of him changed to a much paler and less opaque shade of blue, almost to signify that it had gone incognito.
Nonverbal commands on, don't wanna have to say everything out loud in public. Nonspecific commands? Does that mean I didn't actually need to make an idiot of myself for the past 15 minutes? Turn that on. Hardcore mode? Can I turn off permanent death in real life? Much to his disappointment, that setting refused to change to his preferred one. Seems not. That would have been way too good. Random quests seem fun, minimap seems useful - turn those both on. At that, a miniature map of his small apartment and the immediate area around it appeared contained within a circle in the bottom right corner of his vision. "Wait, all it shows is the area and icons for shops. There's nothing actually useful here. Nevermind turn off the minimap."
Right, next order of business. What am I working with, character-wise? Stats.
Stats
HP: 3150
Chakra: 2020
Strength: 15
Vitality: 321
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 202
Wisdom: 201
Luck: 30
Unspent Points: 0
The heck is this completely unbalanced stat distribution 'ttebayo? Somethin' ain't right, I love myself and even I know I ain't that smart. He had no reference point to go off of in terms of stats, but he did know that he was pretty strong compared to the rest of the kids in his academy class. His INT and WIS stats being this much higher than his STR made no sense. What do the stats even do, anyway?
Strength: how hard you can hit, how much you can lift and how much force you can produce.
Vitality: how much HP you have and how fast you regenerate it.
Dexterity: how quickly and accurately you can move.
Intelligence: how much chakra you have, memory retention and recall.
Wisdom: how fast you regenerate chakra.
Luck: how lucky you are!
Are nonspecific commands making the game come up with answers to my questions? How smart is this system? Well, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If the system being omnipotent and taking over his life made it easier to get what he wanted, he'd take it.
Well most of the stats do exactly what they do in most RPG games … the hell is that description of luck 'ttebayo? Naruto compared the descriptors of the stats to the numbers shown on his own character sheet. So my character is supposed to be a tank that spams a lot of ninjutsu, judging by the completely unbalanced VIT, INT and WIS stats. Can't neglect my DEX and STR if I'm gonna be a ninja though, no point being able to spam all the ninjutsu in the world if I can't hit anythin'.
That still left the question of where the hell he was getting such unbalanced stats. Traits, maybe? What are traits?
Traits are characteristics inherent to a character that provide various modifiers to stats, skills and skill acquisition.
That must be where I'm getting the stat boosts from, then. Traits.
?: +200 to VIT, +175 to INT, +175 to WIS, ?, ?
?: +100 to VIT, +25 to INT, +25 to WIS, ?, ?
Uhhh, what? That definitively answered where he was getting the stat boosts from, but what the heck was up with the question marks? Uhhh, game? Why can't I see everything about my traits? For a moment, nothing happened, almost as if the game was trying to formulate a response.
Full information about traits are locked until the character finds the information from the world.
Well that was annoying. He was sort of hoping, now that the game was cooperating with him and being forthcoming with information, he would get all of his questions answered in full. Well whatever, no use crying over it. What's next? Ah, skills.
Skills: Name (Proficiency) (Exp)
Clone Jutsu (1/5) (3.7%)
Substitution Jutsu (3/5) (54.8%)
Transformation Jutsu (MAX) (MAX)
Genjutsu Mastery (1/100) (4.2%)
Taijutsu Mastery (3/100) (92.7%)
Ninjutsu Mastery (4/100) (77.6%)
Ranged Weapon Mastery (3/100) (43.9%)
Melee Weapon Mastery (2/100) (28.1%)
Chakra Control (2/70) (11.4%)
Miscellaneous
HP Regeneration: 31.5/minute
Chakra Regeneration: 20.1/minute
You fucking with me game? Ain't no way I suck that bad. And where's my Sexy Jutsu? The game did not dignify him with a response. Whatever, there's an EXP system, so that means he could always just grind and get better. Wait, what the hell is that regeneration rate? Does that mean I can completely empty myself and as long as I'm not dead, I'll be good as new in a hundred minutes? That's not balanced at all. Gotta keep an eye on that. Why is my maximum Chakra Control lower than 100? Do traits have downsides?
Traits are characteristics inherent to a character that provide various modifiers to stats, skills and skill acquisition.
The repeated message made it seem as if the game was telling him to read more carefully. Various modifiers, not increases, got it. So, traits can give you a mix of upsides and downsides, and some traits are more powerful than others, since the stat boosts from the second trait is way lower than the first one. Naruto's energetic nature started protesting from him having stood still for so long, but he ignored it in favour of figuring out this fascinating new system that was unfolding in front of him.
How do skills work in this game?
Skills are broken down into passive and active skills.
Active skills cost chakra to use and can be activated by using the correct hand seals.
Passive skills provide a persistent boost to corresponding active skills.
Seems simple enough. Since active skills just look like jutsu, I'm guessing you get EXP by using them and get better at them. Naruto violently scratched at an itch that popped up behind his left shoulder. How do you get passive skill EXP?
Passive skills gain EXP as a corresponding active skill is used.
Naruto's intention to further question the system was rudely interrupted by the sharp and incessant ringing of his alarm clock. One glance at the time had him hastily closing his game windows, slamming the clock to shut off the alarm and sprinting for his door. Why the hell did I set my alarm so late? Crap, crap, crap, I can't miss class again this week, Iruka-sensei is gonna murder me if I do.
A feeling of awkward lightness on his hip had him sprinting back towards his bedroom in search of his weapons pouch. Where did I leave the damn thing? Glancing around his room revealed that it wasn't on any surface, so he promptly started rifling through his drawers, finding only hastily folded clothing. Where is it? I don't have the time, dammit. He was starting to enter a mild state of panic when a swipe at his bed revealed the beige little bag. Hurriedly snatching it up, the blond took off running again, attaching the pouch to his hip as he went.
Naruto skidded to a stop just inside the doors of his academy classroom, spreading his arms beside him in relief. His eyes were immediately drawn to the teacher's desk at the front of the class, which was conspicuously vacant. "Safe! No Iruka-sensei to bitch me out!" His celebrations were painfully cut short by a duster to the noggin.
"What are you celebrating, you little delinquent?" In his hurry to get to class on time and excitement at spotting no teacher to berate his tardiness, Naruto had failed to spot Iruka coming in right behind him. "Don't bother finding a seat," Iruka turned his head to address the rest of the class. "To the training ground everyone, we're starting off with taijutsu practice today and it's sparring day."
The students let off a collective cheer before all rushing outside.
Sparring day happened once a week and was almost unanimously loved. Ninja-in-training they may have been, but they were still mostly hyperactive 10-year olds that hated being cooped up indoors all day. Information was the backbone of staying alive as a shinobi, but good luck getting that through the thick skulls of children that wanted to run around and fling ninjutsu all day long.
Iruka followed behind his students at a much more sedate pace befitting of his station. Despite his outward demeanour, he was almost as happy as his charges. The academy instructor was caring and passionate about his craft - teaching the children in a manner that was enjoyable for them was one of his life's greatest joys.
"Alright, pipe down and gather 'round," Iruka shouted over the din of the conversing students. "You guys all know how this goes. 1 versus 1, no weapons, no jutsu - straight taijutsu only. You make the Seal of Confrontation to start, stop when one person leaves the circle or I say so and finish off with the Seal of Reconciliation. Ino and Megumi, you're up first."
The crowd cheered loudly in anticipation of a good fistfight. Both girls stepped into the circular ring at the same time, their faces speaking of equal parts confidence and condescension.
Naruto tuned it all out in favour of the game window that popped up in front of him.
Quest Alert!
Win a spar!
Friendly competition is the backbone of improvement as a ninja, but nobody wants to be a loser. Go win your spar.
Rewards: +10% EXP, +1 to level of Taijutsu Mastery.
Failure penalty: potential physical injury, humiliation.
Would you like to accept?
I'm guessing that's from random quests. That's a pretty hefty reward for a measly old spar. He accepted the quest with a mental command without second thought. Not like I can avoid the penalty anyway even if I decline. Gotta spar, quest or no quest - this way I just get some extra goodies for kicking someone's ass.
In the time it took him to consider the quest, the spar between the girls had evidently finished up. Ino looked like she hadn't even been touched while Megumi had a bloody lip and a dirty behind. There appeared to be some juicy taunting that Naruto had missed, judging by the jeering of the students and the smug look on the blonde girl's face.
"Okay, okay, okay, that's enough," Iruka's stern glare stopped the noise. "Make the Seal of Reconciliation and vacate the ring please." Despite their grievances, the girls complied easily. "Okay, next up is Naruto and Kenji."
Naruto gave a feral grin towards his mousy haired opponent. Kenji was a strange one. Give the boy a sharp object of any kind and he was a complete menace, but the moment he was empty-handed he turned into an absolute klutz. You'd think a kenjutsu specialist would at least be passable at taijutsu, considering both were arts of the body.
"I'm gonna kick your ass Ken. No hard feelings though," the familiar nickname made it seem as if they were closer than they really were. Naruto and Kenji talked about video game strategy once in a while between classes, but that was about as far as their relationship went.
"You know I'd cut you to pieces in a real fight," Kenji wasn't as brash as some of the other boys in class, but he wouldn't take insults lying down, not in front of everyone.
Both boys made the Seal of Confrontation without being prompted by Iruka.
"Begin," the teacher-turned-referee dropped his hand between the two combatants.
Instantly Naruto was on the attack. He charged guilelessly at his opponent, leading with a telegraphed overhand right. His shoulders were squared, his feet staggered and spread as he tried to knock Kenji's lights out till next week.
As sloppy as the punch was, the swordsboy had a hell of a time getting out of the way, baulking at the sheer aggression he was faced with. He sidestepped to his left, moving his head out of the way as he went, but tripped over his own heel.
The blond moved to follow, chasing the brown haired boy with a left hook. He was rewarded for his zeal with a solid connection with the other boy's cheek, but in his haste to take advantage of his opponent's lack of balance, he reached too far and left his ribs open to attack, which was promptly punished with a sharp knee.
-32 HP.
Ignoring the pain with the practised ease, he mentally dismissed the damage notification. Taking the first hit in a fight always loosened him up. Alright, warmups are done. Time for business. Naruto charged again. This time, his movements were noticeably more fluid, though his technique was no less sloppy.
Kenji hadn't even recovered from the punch to the face or pulled back his knee before he was met with the onslaught. The follow up punch caught him on the shoulder before he'd turned his head back from being hit the first time, and it was all he could do to try to avoid the barrage. Dazed and bruised, he still had the wherewithal to circle away from the punches rather than step backwards in a straight line - he was aware of the edge of the ring getting far too close for comfort.
Riding on his initial success, Naruto was in the zone. Lead right overhand. Missed the nose by a hair. Left hook, barely grazed a brow. Circle around to the right, left roundhouse kick. Kenji ducked under. Fell over and avoided the kick, more like. Right axe kick. Rolled away from. A barrage of alternating punches all barely missed over the shoulders. Another left hook drew blood from the eyebrow that started leaking into the eye.
"What's the matter, Kenji? You ain't gonna fight back today?" Naruto taunted between throwing a right hand and a left. He hadn't managed to land anything cleanly since the punch to the shoulder, but he could see that his opponent was starting to tire. Kenji's breathing was coming shorter and his already clumsy footwork was getting slower.
"Shut up Naruto, you both suck!" The reply came not from his opponent, but the crowd. Naruto outwardly ignored it in favour of delivering a crushing kick to the other boy's ribs, but mentally filed away the voice for later pranking. Pretty sure that was Kiba. Fuck it, even if it wasn't, dog boy's overdue some stinkbombs.
Seeing Kenji panting and clutching his ribs, the Uzumaki drew back his hand to deliver his favourite knockout shot. The right overhand was headed in a perfect arc towards his opponent's face when it was met with the solid barrier that was his sensei's hand.
"That's enough for today, Naruto. You win," Iruka had moved his body in the way to intercept the punch and was holding the blond's fist with the look of a proud father.
Quest Complete!
Win a spar!
Rewards: +10% EXP, +1 to level of Taijutsu Mastery.
Level: 8 (48.7%) - Level 8 (58.7%)
Skill Level Up!
Taijutsu Mastery (4/100) (92.7%)
Perfect EXP overflow? You're far too kind, game.
The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time Naruto finished his classes for the day. After the sparring, Iruka had sent all of the injured students to the hospital wing of the academy to be treated by the resident med-nin and gathered everyone else for taijutsu practice.
They were to pair off and take turns dodging and throwing straight punches while Iruka walked around, correcting everyone's technique and offering advice.
Naruto was paired with Sakura. He barely managed to imitate something resembling a punch towards his crush while the pinkette seemed to take inordinate amounts of pleasure in trying to bash his skull in. By the end of the session, he was sporting a black eye, a busted lip and several bruises on his abused cheeks.
He'd had to spend an extra hour after they were done to get treated by the med-nin. Something about there being too many kids to treat from the earlier sparring.
With that taken care of and nothing better to do for the day, the gamer headed for the public training ground near his apartment to experiment with his new powers some more.
What was I even doing before I had to run off to the academy? It took him more than a minute of scratching his head and wracking his brain to remember everything from the morning. Ah, that's right. I just finished figuring out how skills and traits work.
What's next? Naruto paced circles in the training ground while rubbing his chin. The quest from earlier was random and the rewards were completely bonkers. I wonder if there is a way to trigger them on purpose? I could totally farm the crap out of those and get really strong really fast. Maybe there's like a daily quest or something? Those are pretty common in RPG games.
His musings were rewarded immediately.
Daily Quest!
Path to Ninja!
The path to being a ninja is a long and arduous one, and it begins by tempering one's body.
Run: 0/10km
Push ups: 0/100
Sit ups: 0/100
Squats: 0/100
Time limit: 60 minutes
Rewards: +1 to STR, DEX or VIT.
Failure penalty: N/A
Would you like to accept?
Sweet! I can just think up quests and they show up? You're a generous one game, thanks. He saluted the sky in display of his appreciation. Wait, daily? Isn't that really OP? He didn't know what physical stats the top level ninja in the village had, but getting a stat point every day sounded way too good to be true. At this rate, he could be way over 300 in STR or DEX, or Log forbid 500 in VIT, by the time it was time to graduate the academy.
An hour later, Naruto lay on his back in the middle of the training ground, panting like a dog and sweating profusely from his efforts. As it turned out, it wasn't quite as overpowered as he initially thought. While his calculation was correct, he forgot to factor in the fact that he actually had to complete the quest to get the reward. Doing all of that exercise in less than an hour was a lot harder than it first appeared.
He hadn't even managed to finish the run in the given timeframe, let alone the rest of the exercises prescribed. Well shit, guess I have a lot of training to do before I can even complete this stupid daily quest.
Failing the quest hadn't been in vain, however. It led him to the most important discovery of the day.
Running at a quick pace has made your movement faster.
+1 to Dex.
Naruto laughed a laugh of pure exhilaration and anticipation.
Let the grind begin!
A/N: This author is addicted to dopamine release from receiving reviews, please feed the addiction :)
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