[A Few Hours Later]
Naruto groaned as he slowly woke up, his body aching and heavy. The earthy smell of dirt and grass filled his nose as he blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He wasn't in his bed—he was lying on the forest floor, the cool, damp earth beneath him. The events from earlier started to trickle back into his mind—the dungeon, the relentless fight with the elder slime, and finally unlocking the strange inventory system before everything went black.
"Where am I?" he muttered groggily, pushing himself up on trembling arms. His muscles screamed in protest, and the faint bruises across his body reminded him of how close he'd come to losing.
Looking around, he noticed the forest was quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves and distant chirping of crickets. The sky above was dark, stars twinkling faintly through the gaps in the canopy. "Guess I must've passed out after leaving the dungeon…" he mumbled, brushing dirt off his orange jacket.
"I should head home and check what I got from those quest rewards," Naruto said, forcing himself to stand. He stumbled a bit, his legs shaky, but managed to steady himself. As he made his way through the dense forest, the moonlight guided his path, casting a silver glow on the ground. By the time he reached the edge of the woods and entered the village, the streets were eerily empty. The only illumination came from the flickering streetlamps, and the quiet was almost unsettling.
When he finally reached his small apartment, Naruto felt like collapsing again. He kicked off his muddy sandals and flopped onto his bed, the springs creaking under his weight. "Alright, let's see what I got," he said, summoning the new system page he'd unlocked.
"Inventory," he called out, and a glowing, semi-transparent screen appeared before him.
[Inventory]
25x Slime Core
1x Elder Slime Core
1x Random E-Rank Weapon
Naruto's eyes lit up with curiosity as he read the list. "Random E-Rank Weapon? Let's see what this is." He tapped the option, and a glowing box materialized in front of him, hovering in the air.
"It doesn't look like much," Naruto said, cautiously reaching for the box. He opened it to reveal a plain dagger with a basic design. His initial excitement quickly faded.
"A dagger? Seriously? That's it?" he groaned, tossing himself back onto the bed. "I was hoping for something cool, like a sword, a scythe, or maybe even something like Jiji's staff. But I get… a knife."
As he sulked, another screen appeared above the weapon, glowing faintly. Curious, Naruto tapped it, and the information changed.
[Beginner's Dagger]
This dagger is given to new adventurers who have yet to witness a gate between worlds.
5 Damage
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "A gate between worlds? Is that what that blue portal thing was?" He let the thought linger for a moment before deciding to think about it later. Picking up the dagger, he tested Its weight. It was surprisingly light, and as he gave it a few experimental swings, it felt natural in his grip.
Unfortunately, his practice swings went a little too far. One wide arc accidentally sliced into a pair of pants hanging on a nearby wire to dry, turning them into uneven shorts.
"Aw, come on! These were my favorite pair!" Naruto groaned, holding up the ruined fabric. "Okay, maybe I should stop swinging this thing around indoors…"
He glanced at the inventory screen again and wondered how to store the dagger. Experimentally, he held the weapon up to the screen and pushed it toward the glowing interface. To his surprise, the dagger vanished, reappearing neatly in the inventory.
"Huh. That's actually pretty cool," he said, a small grin forming. "Alright, tomorrow's Friday. That means I've got plenty of time to look for more of those gates and see what else I can find."
Satisfied, Naruto closed the inventory screen and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling falling asleep moments later.
[The Next Day]
Naruto sat at his desk in the academy, his head propped up on one hand as he half-listened to Iruka's lecture on the geography of the Elemental Nations. The classroom was filled with the quiet scratching of chalk and the occasional shuffling of students adjusting in their seats. Despite his outward appearance of paying attention, Naruto's mind kept wandering back to the strange portal he had found in the forest.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when a hand shot up in the front row. The voice that followed belonged to Sakura, a girl with bright pink hair and sparkling green eyes, who always seemed to have a question ready for Iruka.
"Iruka-sensei," Sakura asked curiously, "why does the map only show the Elemental Nations? The world has to be a lot bigger, right? Or are the Elemental Nations the only landmass on Earth?"
Iruka paused, turning to face the class with his usual patient smile. "That's an excellent question, Sakura," he began. "The truth is, we simply can't explore beyond the Elemental Nations. You see, our lands are completely surrounded by a massive, unending storm. Over the years, many people have tried to venture past it, but no one has ever returned. Because of that, we can only chart the lands within the storm's boundaries, which is why the maps are limited to the Elemental Nations."
The classroom buzzed softly as the students digested this information, some whispering to each other about the mysterious storm. Iruka turned back to the chalkboard, lifting a piece of chalk to continue his lesson, but before he could write another word, the bell rang.
The sound was music to Naruto's ears. He bolted from his seat, shouting, "Finally! See ya!" as he dashed out of the room before anyone else could even stand.
Naruto wasted no time heading to the forest where he had discovered the strange portal the day before. The sun was high, casting golden rays through the thick canopy as he weaved through the trees, his footsteps crunching softly against the underbrush. When he reached the clearing, however, his excitement turned to disappointment—there was nothing there.
"I guess these things don't show up in the same place twice," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. Determined not to give up, he spent the rest of the afternoon searching the forest, combing every clearing and shadowy corner he could find. But no matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of the glowing blue portal.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, Naruto's stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. With a defeated sigh, he trudged back toward the village, his feet carrying him to his favorite place: Ichiraku Ramen.
The comforting aroma of broth and noodles hit Naruto the moment he stepped into the small ramen shop. "Hey, old man! Hey, Ayame!" he greeted with a grin, plopping down on his usual stool.
"Naruto! Back so soon?" Ayame teased as she set a steaming bowl of miso ramen in front of him.
"Can't help it! Your ramen's the best!" Naruto replied, already digging in.
As Naruto slurped his noodles, Ayame leaned against the counter, a curious expression on her face. "Hey, Dad, have you heard about the weird things happening around the village?"
Teuchi nodded solemnly as he wiped down the counter. "Yeah, I've heard the rumors. Strange portals appearing out of nowhere. I heard the Hokage sent some Shinobi to investigate one earlier today. They just got back a few hours ago."
Ayame turned to Naruto, her expression growing serious. "Naruto, if you ever find one of those portals, promise me you'll report it right away. They could be dangerous!"
Naruto didn't answer immediately, his mind already racing. If the Hokage had sent Shinobi into one of those portals, then maybe Jiji would have answers about them. Finishing his ramen in record time, Naruto paid for his meal and waved goodbye before heading straight to the Hokage Tower.
The tower was quiet when Naruto arrived, the usual hustle and bustle of the day giving way to the calm of evening. He approached the front desk, where the Hokage's secretary greeted him with a warm smile.
"Naruto, what brings you here?" she asked.
"Is Jiji busy? I need to talk to him," Naruto said, practically bouncing on his heels.
The secretary glanced at the schedule and nodded. "He's not too busy right now. Go ahead."
Naruto grinned. "Thanks!" He darted down the hall, pushing open the large double doors to the Hokage's office.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, surrounded by stacks of paperwork. He looked up as Naruto entered, a smile breaking across his face. "Naruto, what a surprise!"
"Jiji!" Naruto shouted, leaping into the old man's arms. Hiruzen caught him effortlessly, chuckling as he set the boy down in a nearby chair.
"What brings you here, Naruto?"
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I heard about those portals! Ayame and the old man at Ichiraku were talking about them. You sent Shinobi to check them out, right? What happened?"
Hiruzen's expression softened, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but that's classified information. Only Shinobi are allowed to know the details."
"Aw, come on, Jiji! Just a little hint?" Naruto pleaded, pouting.
Hiruzen chuckled but remained firm. "Maybe when you're a Shinobi, I can tell you. Until then, it's off-limits."
Naruto sighed, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere. Still, he spent the next few hours chatting with the Hokage, telling him about his week—though he left out any mention of the portal he had found.
When the clock struck six, Naruto stood to leave. "Thanks for listening, Jiji. I'll see you later!"
"Take care, Naruto," Hiruzen replied with a smile.
As Naruto stepped out of the tower, the evening sun bathed the village in a golden glow. Determined to find another portal, he spent the rest of the day searching high and low. But as the stars began to dot the night sky, he had to admit defeat.
With heavy steps, Naruto returned to his apartment, flopping onto his bed with a tired groan. "Tomorrow I'll find one" he muttered to himself before drifting off to sleep.
Author notes: I know this chapter is a bit short but I really couldn't think of something I'm still thinking about what to do with this story I'm planning of expanding the world showing deferent continents from the elemental nations or should I keep this story just in the elemental nations do please review and tell me what you think.