Naruto: A Little Help
Author's Note:
Hi guys, I am back. Sorry for being on Hiatus for so long. As I have promised you all an update of the story, I have delivered, although a bit late. Sorry again for that. I have taken into account all the reviews I had to try and make this story flow better and I also changed the backstory. Instead of dumping it all at the start, I will pepper it through out the first few chapters. I did my best to try and make it interesting.
As I have mentioned previously, I am not a good writer and I will be making mistakes, a lot of them. For that I need your guys' help. Please drop a review regarding any mistake you come across and I will make sure to rectify them. Anyways. Onto the story.
P.S: I won't upload future chapters until my revision is complete. I ask for your patience regarding that. I do have ten complete chapters written and saved but the will need to be remedied before I update the story further.
Chapter 1: Fear of the Unknown
I am just a normal everyday joe, living my life as an average person. I had an average family, an average salary, an average home, an average dream of average joy. Everything about me was average. And I was happy being average.
I have an older sister, whom I lived with alongside her husband and my nephews for a while, until my brother-in-law decided to surprise me with my own apartment on my birthday. I was aware that my presence interfered with their lives but they didn't let it show so I graciously accepted the flat on one condition. That was that I would pay him back for it. In instalments of course, I'm not made of money.
I started working as a professor at a university. Things happened that I don't want to talk about, which left me extremely depressed. I tried to find help, even professional, but it wasn't enough. I became a shut-in. In my flat, I locked myself away, only doing freelancing to get money. I didn't even went out to buy groceries, I ordered them online, even if the quality of the products was shit, I never complained.
My sister became concerned for my health and repeatedly tried to reach out to me, but I was emotionally vulnerable. I didn't want her to meddle in my affairs, but playing the big sister card, she always dragged me back to her home on weekends to spend time with my nephews. It was pleasant, but I didn't think I deserved it after what I had done.
I considered myself a monster. I didn't mean to do it. It was just on instincts. I didn't mean to leave my fiancee behind. It was my fault entirely. I don't deserve happiness. I wanted to end my life for the sin that I have committed.
One day, after leaving my sisters house, I was walking through a park at night. No one was in sight. I was contemplating how I should go about my plans. I was thinking maybe a noose isn't the best idea. There is a chance I might to something wrong and people will get suspicious and try to stop me. Poison would be easier to acquire and use.
As I was sitting on a bench, thinking of ways to end my life, something flashed in my peripheral. It began repeatedly flashing, with less and less intervals. It started blinking in and out of existence. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what was exactly happening, I was scared. Suddenly the blinking pure white light vanished. The park felt eerily silent. Until out of nowhere that light came back, this time it enlarged into a disc the diameter of which was about my height. I looked weird floating just above the gravel path like something out of an RPG Video-game, a portal of some sort. I stood up and hesitantly walked towards it, cautious of it, as if it might suddenly attack me.
As I was approaching it… the space(?) around it started to warp. I felt myself being dragged towards it. Slowly its strength was increasing. Recovering from the momentary shock I ran back towards the bench and just barely managed to grab onto its armrest before my legs were swept up. I held on for dear life. It was daunting, but I tried my best to hold on.
After a little while the suction power of that weird portal type thing increased. My strength was waning. The grip I had on the bench was loosening. I was trying to pull myself away from it. A strange thought invaded my head.
'This is what you wanted. Death. You have it now, why do you defy it?' was what resounded in my brain. It did have a point. Knowing that what awaited me on the other side is punishment for my sin. Thinking that, I let go.
In moments I was 'flying' through a tube of white opaque glass. I looked thin but it was quite sturdy. It almost felt like a tunnel that fictional characters go through to reach another dimension or time travel.
I was zooming through that tunnel when it took a slightly sharp turn which had me rubbing my back against its wall. That turn was seemingly unending, as I felt the pressure started building more and more to the point I felt the tube start to crack.
The pressure got so great but I wasn't crushed, even though I should have been. I was in pain but I couldn't scream because I didn't have any breath left in me, yet I was still alive. I was supposed to be dead under these circumstances but I wasn't. This was overwhelming for me. I was scared shitless. All my life flashed before my eyes, literally.
Then the tube broke. I was expelled out with a great throw into… space? I am in space? Am I dead? I am not breathing so I must be, right? Why can't I feel the vacuum boiling the blood in my veins? Why can I hear sound of glass colliding with glass? Is this a cheap knock off of space? Give me the real space, damnit.
These were the thought rushing through my mind while I kept flailing to orient myself in one specific direction to look at my surroundings. While I kept spinning in random direction I saw the thing I was expelled out of. I must be going at an incredible velocity because what felt like half an hour journey in the tube was only the quarter of the entire length, and the entire thing was in front of me. It looked like a white line connecting three white, comparatively large, dots in a perfect bell curve. Two dots on each end and one at the peak of the curve. It was bent at a right angle with two dots at either end being closer to each other than the third one in the middle. Almost like that dot disrupted the "normal" process of a straight line and bent it towards itself to intercept the "package", me.
At this point I was almost flipping over again so I straightened my vision to look directly in front of my face. 'Well, I think I have a few explanations for the situation I am currently in. All I need now is for someone to confirm my suspicions, apologize for meddling in my life, and put me back on Earth as compensation. Or end my miserable life.'
I noticed that in the far distances there were small, yet bright "stars" dotting the scenery. One of them was bigger than the rest. After fifty or so more flips in the emptiness of space I realized that the unusual dot was getting bigger. Indicating that It was getting closer. But according to my top-of-the-head calculations I am not supposed to be going towards it yet it was getting bigger still. Then it hit me that I was gravitating towards it.
Dread filled me. I was gravitating towards a Star. The atmosphere alone would burn me alive, if the fall doesn't kill me first. My wish to live surfaced. Life once again flashed in front of me. I started flailing to try and get out this predicament. To live another day see my loved ones again. I didn't want this death. But all was in vain.
After what felt like hours of struggle I resigned myself to fate. Nothing to do but accept my death and move on to the next world. The "dot" became a circle. Like a disc. I mused that this star must be flat, like the flat Earth. It kept getting bigger and bigger. I kept my eyes on it whenever I faced it. When I got close enough to touch it… wait, what?
Touch a star? Isn't it supposed to be a big ball or something that planets revolve around? Hot enough to melt us just from being in its vicinity kilometres away? Yet I was touching this… this star? No, not a star. It is just a plane circular disc of bright blue light. That makes more sense. I must be pulled towards it because it has a lot of mass and small volume. Yet it felt eerily similar to the one I encountered in my world. It was sucking me in.
'But that could also qualify as a black hole with a little tweaking. 'This is another portal' I thought correctly when it was revealed that it was indeed a portal. To where? I didn't know.
When I opened my eyes again I tried to recall when have I ever closed them in that "space" thing. First thing I observed was a woman's face in my personal space. Second thing I observed was a dark blue box with light blue plane border. It had a message written on it.
"Welcome!
You have been selected to entertain [The Author]. You have been summoned to the Naruto universe, because of your familiarity with it. Your goal is to change this timeline as much as you can and provide a different perspective for the [Th Author], who will try to not interfere with the world unless you step out of bounds.
Useful information with be provide to you if you follow the below link.
[Tutorial]"
'What. The. Fuck!?', I thought incredulously, 'What the hell am I supposed to do? Who is this [The Author] person/thing? Am I just a puppet? Who is this woman on eternal pause behind the message box? Have I become The Gamer?'
I calmed myself down to think rationally, 'Okay. So, it seems like I have been reincarnated into Naruto-verse, I have the gamer ability like the many Fan Fictions I have read, and I am some sort of puppet for an entity known as [The Author]. Did I get that right?'
Another message window popped up.
"Need Help?
To answer some of your questions, yes, you have been summoned to another world, [The Author] is the highest authority in your multiverse and yes, you are a puppet.
If you wish to know how to proceed you just have to think about following the link below and another window will pop up.
[Tutorial]"
'So, goal has been set. I want to go back to my world. And the only way to go about that is by gathering information and acting accordingly.' I thought, then I mentally pressed the link to open it. A new window popped up.
"Tutorial
- Introduction
- Status Screen
- Attributes
- Inventory
- Quests Screen
- Reputation Screen
- Settings"
'I know most of these things since I used to play a lot of RPGs. But I think I will take a look at Attributes and Settings tutorials after going through introduction first.' I thought. With a mental command I opened the Introduction link.
"Welcome Junaid,
You have been selected by [The Author] to entertain [The Author]. [The Author] expects great things from you.
Ever since you wanted to end your life [The Author] was waiting for your suicide which never came. If you continued to live then something bad would have happened to your sister, so [The Author] took pity and saved her dignity at the cost of your life.
This is a great debt and one [The Author] intends to collect one way or another. You are familiar with this story and [The Author] wants you to change the timeline by just existing. [The Author] has change the story just a bit to allow more changes to occur as time goes by.
Don't worry about your sister. Your previous universe has been put in a stasis and once your job here is done you will be sent back to the exact time you were snatched away from. And nothing will be different except for you.
Moving on to this world. You have been born to Yoshida family, who are well known travelling merchants and rich, both literally and figuratively. Your name is Yoshida Ichika, new born baby girl, daughter of Yoshida Yua, your mother, and Asa, your father.
You will be living your life here with them and it is up to you what sort of relationship you have with them. The only things you should remember is that you are supposed to make major changes in the world, slowly but surely."
'Huh.' I thought bitterly. 'Like I am buying that load of bullshit.' another pop-up startled me.
"Message from [The Author]
[The Author] sees that you are denying the existence of [The Author] and his power. Let it be known that [The Author] is the highest authority in the multiverse and controls every aspect of it, much like an author of a novel. Anything [The Author] writes is the law of the universe and [The Author] has complete control of the universe and its timeline.
But seeing that you are sceptical [The Author] has an offer to satiate your worries. If you wish to go back to your world, you may. But doing so will change many things for the worse. Worse than what you have been enduring there and you will be denied the sweet embrace of death.
If you wish to stay then [The Author] promises to change your pervious life for the better when you go back after completing your job to entertain me.
Do you accept this offer?
[YES] [NO]"
'Holy Shit!' I thought for I couldn't speak, let alone yell profanities, 'This bitch can read my thoughts! Wait, I shouldn't curse him. I might get smitten.'. After a little thought I realized my thought process was simillar to a certain character from One Piece, 'Great, now I am thinking like Ussop.'
I pondered the offer floating in front of me for a while. 'If what I learned about this person is true then I don't want to mess with him… her… it?' Hesitatingly I mentally pressed the [Yes] button. Immediately many windows opened in front of me cleared out leaving only the Tutorial window. I opened the Attributes link.
"Attribute:
Your capabilities are quantified into the following attributes. Some are modifiable using Attribute points while some are dependant upon those modifiable attributes, being indirectly modified themselves. Some Attributes are hidden and unmodifiable but affect your body to a lesser degree.
Health Points (HP):
Represents how much damage you can take before dying. It is calculated as, your Vit*10. For some people it is differently calculated.
Chakra Points (CP):
Represents how much internal energy you have to use chakra costing skills, maintain bodily functions and health regeneration. It is calculated as, your Int+Vit/2*10. For some people it is differently calculated.
Strength (Str):
Represents your ability to lift objects of varying weights.
Vitality (Vit):
Represents your life force, life expectancy in your current condition, immunity to diseases, and inner strength.
Stamina (Sta):
Represents your ability to do work of varying degree and duration, and your physical energy.
Intelligence (Int):
Represents your ability to learn, remember, recall and the amount of chakra you have.
Wisdom (Wis):
Represents your decision making and improvising skills using given information and previous knowledge.
Dexterity (Dex):
Represents your accuracy, critical hit ratio and presence of mind.
Attack (Atk):
Represents the damage you deal to your opponents or objects. It is calculated as Str+Dmg Points of weapon.
Defence (Def):
Represents the damage you will avoid from your opponent or objects. It is calculated as, Vit+Dmg reduction of shield+Dmg reduction of armor.
Luck (Lck):
Represents your critical hit ratio, favour of events, and [The Author]'s favour. It is an independent attribute.
Attribute Points:
Points you can spend to increase your attributes. You get 6 points upon each Level up. You can also gain up to six attribute points in your desired attribute each level by training. This means that a total of 6 Attribute points will be divided into your other attributes and no more.
Hidden Attributes:
These attributes are hidden because too many variables are involved in any given event and [The Author] is too lazy to account for everything. They affect everything, from minor inconveniences to disasters to rains of blessings to a second of happiness.
Damage and Damage Reduction:
Weapons, shields, clothings, armours, accessories and various terrain settings affect the damage you can inflict and the damage you can reduce to a person's or object's attack.
Weight:
Your speed depends upon how much weight you are carrying vs your strength."
'Well, this is a little different than what I was hoping for. There's no modifiable Agility or Speed attribute. Must be the hidden attribute it explained.' I thought then closed the screen to open settings.
"You are not allowed to change settings until you reach Level 15."
'I was just trying to gain information not adjust the settings themselves. Oh well.', I closed all the windows and a new one popped-up.
"Resume?
[YES] [NO]"
'Obviously, Yes!'
Somehow colours returned to the woman holding me, whom I assume to be my mother. She was a beautiful woman with a pointed chin a birthmark on her right temple. Her brown eyes radiated love and weariness, indicating, to me, that she just got finished giving birth to me and was now holding me in her arms when I gained consciousness. My assumption was proven true when another woman picked me up and carried me to a bathtub filled with warm water. I was bathed and cleaned of the… whatever newborns are covered in moments after birth.
I was gazing around the room but my eyes were blurry and I couldn't make out shapes 3 metres ahead of me. Only the woman bathing me and my mother were visible to me. There was also a feminine shape moving about just past the bed where my vision start to blur.
As I was trying to focus on the moving shape a pleasant chime went off in my head. How do I know it was in my head? Because a notification in the top left corner of the screen… er… my vision, faded in.
"Skill learned through special action. Skill [Observe] was created"
'Neat.', I thought. '[Observe]' I mentally commanded while looking between the three females. First I laid my eyes upon the woman bathing me, then my mother and then the figure in the back.
"Yoshida Aname
Age: 24
Level: 8
Job: Housewife (+50% exp to all house related skills, -20% exp to career related skills)
Status: Healthy
Experience: 122/32400"
"Yoshida Yua
Age: 24
Level: 8
Job: Housewife (+50% exp to all house related skills, -20% exp to career related skills)
Status: Exhausted
Experience: 695/32400"
"Fukushima
Age: 18
Level: 10
Job: Servant (+70% exp gain for all house related skills, +10% rep gain with Yoshida Yua and Asa)
Status: Healthy
Experience: 56780/60500"
'Wow, we even have a servant. We must be filthy rich then.' I thought amusedly.
With my bath complete I was placed in my mother's arms again. Who opened her robe to expose her breast. I knew what to do but I wondered if I had the strength to do it. Almost on automatic my body reached out to the breast by the smell of milk and started sucking on it. My eyes were wide at the bold unconscious action. But I supposed this is normal for a child. So I let it happen.
"Buff added [Mother's Milk (+1 Vit for 6 hrs., 7% increased immunity permanently)]"
'Nice bonus' I thought.
X-X
A few days went by with my routine being, sleep drink milk play with either of the women, including Fukushima sleep some more drink milk play with the women drink milk sleep. I learned Fukushima was our servant and my surrogate sister.
Their status screens were very helpful in understanding that Level 10 is average for a civilian. Newborns started from level zero as indicated by my own status screen. Lineage play a huge role in deciding your perks and I don't have [Gamer's Body] and [Gamer's Mind] skills. My inventory showed me I have nothing and my reputation with everyone, other than my mother, father, aunt, uncle and Fukushima, was neutral.
The very next day since my birth two women invited themselves into the house and started chatting with my mother, I was in her arms the whole time. The first woman had long bright red hair and a bountiful body and a bulging stomach and the other one had raven black hair and onyx eyes. Observe told me they were Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto, respectively, with the former being pregnant and the latter holding one Uchiha Sasuke. [The Author] was giving me heavy hints on what to do with my new life.
The way they were talking to each other was like they were friends. I could barely comprehend what any of them were saying, but the looks of fondness they were giving me were quite pleasant. I was passed on to Kushina who grabbed me in her eager embrace and sat down next to Mikoto and Sasuke and tilted me towards the him. They were using my body as a rag doll and making animated gestures towards little Sasuke, Mikoto following her friends lead and using Sasuke to mimic my actions. Again, their words were incomprehensible to me and Sasuke, judging by his dumb expression.
It was pretty funny to see the brooder doing these exaggerating motions while being controlled by his mother.
On the fifth day since my birth I was introduced to my father and uncle. I was in my mother's arms suckling on her breast in her bedroom when the door to the room opened and in came Yoshida Asa. He was a tall and lanky fellow, wearing a travelling brown kimono and holding a dark green bag of something over his left shoulder. He was panting as if he had been running previously for an extended period of time and beads of sweat were dripping down his face. Presumably he was eager to see me and had been travelling for quite some time.
"I'm home!" He yelled before dropping his bag and rushing forward without closing the door and knelt beside the side of bed mother was sitting with me in her arms.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention I had gained a skill called [Language Comprehension: Japanese] during the other women's visit.
"Shh! You're disturbing her, Akkun. It's her meal time." My mother chided father when I squirmed slightly upon being startled.
"Oh!" He whispered back, "I'm sorry!" Raising his hands in a placating gesture before reaching up and giving mother a quick kiss.
By now I was done feeding as I felt full and instead of sleeping, like my morning routine dictated, I kept my eyes open and looked at father and reached out to him. His facial features brightened up and he beamed comically before looking at mother with a sheepish grin.
"May I hold her?" He asked expectantly of my mother who had covered herself by now.
"Of course!" She beamed in responded and handed me over to him.
Fondness in his eyes was overwhelming and I gave him a toothless smile, since I had no teeth at this age. His expression somehow got even more happy as he started to tear up. He shifted me in his arms and sat down next to mother as he freed one of his arm to wrap around her in a tight embrace. He then leaned his head toward hers while still keeping eyes locked with me. His tears were flowing freely and I could tell this was the happiest moment in his life.
They stayed in that position for a while before father released his grip on mother and stood up.
"Genzo was eager to meet her as well. We should take her to him." He said waiting for mother's response, who just smiled back and nodded before following him out to the living room.
There we found Aunt Aname and Uncle Genzo sitting on the sofa. For a Japanese styled house, our house had many western styled objects lying around. It looked quite modern. Reaching the couple I was handed to Aunt Aname, who happily cooed before passing me to Uncle Genzo. His arms were trembling and he looked like on the verge of crying rivers. Using [Observe] on him explained his reaction and I understood since he was childless I was going to get spoiled a lot by him and aunt.
He greeted me with a choking voice and almost teared up when aunt place a comforting hand on his shoulder and a silent promise to 'cherish my existence', whatever that means.
After the pleasantries were over our family sat down for breakfast that Fukushima kindly created. Father and uncle were fighting over who was going to hold me throughout breakfast. Uncle won and I enjoyed being spoiled by him and aunt who was sitting to his left.
This much love reminded me of my own mother in my previous life and my sister who was pretty much my second mother after our mother's death. I started crying uncontrollably recalling those days. I was a child and I have a right to cry and I abused that right as much as I could before aunt snatched me and started comforting me while looking at uncle with a deadly glare, silently accusing him of hurting me and promising punishment for his crimes.
My parents were merrily laughing at the other couple's antics, while uncle started sulking in his seat at the table. After that the breakfast went great and I learned many things about my family using [Observe] and listening to their conversations.
X-X
After breakfast I was getting tired so I decided to sleep. In my aunt's arms. The thing about sleep is that even though my body is at rest my mind is running a mile a minute. It was especially true during this life as, instead of dreams, I get a black borderless window with an analogue clock with hours and minutes written below the clock. I turn that clock to a specific time and wake up exactly at that time regardless of the fatigue I feel.
During my "sleep", I contemplated my life up 'till now. Thinking that this is a new start. 'I have to make for the sins of my past by doing everything to protect my loved ones this time. I will not fail.', I thought, then went back to watching the clock hands turning.
Instead of calling it sleep I call it skipping time. When I "woke up", I was greeted by the sight of my parents making out beside me on the bed, mother spread out on her back and father ravaging her mouth from the top. As much as I was tempted to continue watching I decided to look at my stats.
"
Status
Name: Yoshida Ichika (previously Junaid Ahmed)
Age: 0
Level: 0
Job: Newborn (-5% exp gain 'till Level 5)
Status: Healthy
Experience: 0/50
Attributes
HP: 10
CP (locked): 6
Str: 1
Vit: 1
Stm: 1
Int: 1
Wis: 1
Dex: 0
Atk: 1
Def: 2
Lck: 15
Points: 0
Titles
Perks
[First Born] (+1 Vit/Level Up, +30% rep gain with Yoshida Yua & Yoshida Asa, +2% rep gain with Fukushima, +5% rep gain with Konohagakure)
Buffs/Debuffs
[Undeveloped Brain] (-1 Dex, -10% Exp gain)
[Mother's Milk] (+1 Vit for 6 hrs., 7% increased immunity permanently)
Skills
[Observe (Active)] Lv 1 12%(Shows the status of target)
[Language Comprehension] Lv MAX (Helps you understand the language you learn)"
'The only perk I have is that of being a first born. No powerful lineage to speak of. Makes sense since I am just a civilian.' With that I decided to got "sleep" again for half an hour more to give my parents privacy. Before I could even pull up the "sleep" window I was greeted by another.
"Quest Alert!
Kushina is going to give birth to Uzumaki Naruto the day after tomorrow. You are aware what that event entails.
Objective: Survive
Completion award: +50 Exp, Skill Scroll [Reading: Japanese], +500 rep gain with Yoshida Yua, +600 rep gain with Fukushima, +200 rep gain with Yoshida Genzo and Yoshida Aname.
Failure award: Death or worse."
'Well, shit.'