(AN: For those of you who read the Special Dungeons descriptions, yes, there will be Xovers with those… but who knows what kind.
(IMPORANT AN: Chakra Mutations are from SeerKing's Naruto: The Game of Life. I got his permission to use them. Mine will be different from his, but will have a similar background. AN OVER)
[Final Tutorial Beginning!]
[Dungeons: There are two types of dungeons, field dungeons that can be randomly found throughout the world, and Special Dungeons that are only found by those with the keenest of eyes.]
[Field Dungeons offer a variety of rewards and are filled with normal, everyday enemies. You can enter a Field Dungeon once a day, but if you have a Field Dungeon Key, you are able to enter once more, at the cost of your key. Should you fully clear the dungeon, you will be able to enter at any time. Events can also remove your limit. At the beginning of each Field Dungeon is a rest spot, you may enter and leave your rest spot at any time throughout the day. But once you reenter, all enemies will be respawned. After leaving the rest area, a 90 minutes timer will begin. At 0:00, you will be automatically brought back to the beginning of the rest spot. Field Dungeons have varying levels that rise the further you move from the resting point.]
[Special Dungeons are outside of your world. They appear as cracks in the universe itself, bringing you, or something else, to a world of amazement. Special Dungeons offer far richer rewards with twice the danger, and have specific levels, no matter the distance. There are no time limits in this world. In fact, it seems like no time even passes once you return, with a couple noticeable exceptions.]
[The Dreaded Forest of Death! A Training area for Chunin that rarely ever sees use nowadays. It is filled with Chakra Mutations and other foul creatures that are unknown even to the Hokage. Learn its secrets, level up, find the boss, and emerge victorious!]
[As this is your first dungeon, a simple checklist has been provided to you.]
[Study the creatures carefully before fighting them. Their idleness can offer a view into their combat choices.]
[Find the Boss and forge a path to it to utilize your time properly. After all, Bosses will take the longest to kill.]
[Achieve at least Level 13 before fighting the Boss.]
[Level your skills properly before attempting to fight the boss.]
[Enemies gain higher levels the further you move from the entrance.]
[And if all else fails, run the timer down to get away safely.]
[Urgent Quest Unlocked!]
[Priority Quest: Slay the Beast at the end of the forest.]
[Quest Description: You have entered the Dreaded Forest of Death. Are you prepared? Kill the Boss to finish the Tutorial.]
[Rewards: 1000 EXP, C Ranked Skill Scroll, 25000 Ryo, ?, ?.]
"Whoa." Naruto finished reading the information, but those rewards were calling to him. He could get 25000 Ryo just for beating the boss? This would be awesome! It was just like when he used to catch rabbits and squirrels back when the Orphanage had kicked him out. Good times. It helped with his trap making and made him even stealthier for his pranks. Good things come to those who wait, as Jiji always says.
But he couldn't just go in unprepared. He only really knew a couple of skills, and he really needed to get his Elemental Jutsu up to snuff. So with a quick called of his Status Screen, He checked what he could do.
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Title: Academy Student
Job: Academy Student
EXP: 174/300
Level: 6
Health: 30/30
Chakra: ERROR
STR: 10
CON: 19
DEX: 12
INT: 9
WIS: 8
LUK: ERROR
Attribute Points: 3
Skill Points: 3
Perk Points: 1
Water would be nice to use, but with how low his WIS was, he figure he'd stick with his Wind for now, especially with how high his DEX was. STR was still good, but his CON was the highest by a mile. At least his Health had gone up with his leveling, though he wondered if there was a way to get more? He had noticed armor in Higurashi's that gave Defense as well as Health. But those were so expensive.
"Purchase Skills." He spoke. Maybe there was something good there. Also, didn't he want to check out clones? The game had said any purchased would be at Lvl 2 already, and he'd be able to use it instantly, right? Though if they were Elemental, he'd have to get his Nature Transformation up. He saw a sort feature in the upper corner and willed it to come up and quickly searched Clones.
A massive list appeared. Almost all of them were grayed out, but there were four that were available already with his current skill set. Though with a frown, he notice they all had a line under them saying requirements not met. He clicked on the first one and got a notification.
[Requirements not met yet, however with some slight practice they can be put to use soon enough. This feature can be disabled in the sort feature.]
Naruto dismissed the notification and groaned. Of course, nothing could be too easy.
Mist Clones: Similar to the standard Clone Technique, the Mist Clone is non tangible. Any attacks will simply go right through them, besides Lightning and Fire Jutsu. Lightning will dispel the Jutsu, and Fire will evaporate it. While Mist Clones cannot touch anything, they can serve as distractions, as well as use Water Jutsu. Costs 1 Skill Point.
Requirements Needed: Water Nature Transformation Level 2. Chakra Control needed: High.
A solid choice, but if they couldn't actually touch anything, then they couldn't use shuriken and kunai, right, which already got rid of his one other jutsu. That might be useful in the future. Also, what was that Chakra Control part about?
He brought up his Skill List and immediately winced at the disaster that was his Chakra Control.
Chakra Control (Lvl 3 (97%): The ability to control your chakra, as the name suggests. Having too low of Chakra Control can hinder your ability to use jutsu with low cost, while also locking you out of high tuned skills, such as Genjutsu or Medical Ninjutsu. Your Current Rating is Poor. Do better.
POOR
It didn't need to tell him like that, "Man, this system can be harsh sometimes."
So he now needed to get his Water Nature up, and the Chakra Contro—Wait! He scrolled down the list and found it.
Beginner's Water Nature Training (Lvl 1 0%)
"Doubles as a Chakra Control Exercise." He read the bottom. His Wind said the same. Sure, it was only half of his highest control, which was sadly only the Leaf Exercise, but still, he could kill two birds with one stone. And with his Academy Student Title and Job activated, plus with his Wind and Water learning bonuses… he could totally do this! But wait. There were still clones to look at. The Mist clone kinda sucked, anyway. He moved back to the purchase list and checked the next one.
Water Clone: A Physical Clone made from water can pick up and use weapons, and can use Water Jutsu, but is destroyed in a single hit. Only has 1/10th of the user's physical abilities, but all of their other stats, excluding Health, remain the same. Cannot stray more than 100 feet from the user. Costs 2 Skill Points.
Requirements Needed: Water Nature Transformation Level 5. Chakra Control needed: Low.
The cost was higher, but the control was lower as well. He wondered at what level his Chakra Control would need to be to become low. Was it 5? Hmm, what was the next option?
Wind Clone: A semi-Physical Clone made from thin air. It can pick up and use weapons, and can use Wind Jutsu, but is destroyed in a single hit. When destroyed, the clone simply disperses, however the user can detonate the clone at any time, causing it to either pop with large force, or turn into blades of wind, shredding a target, dealing 5-15 Damage depending on the distance from the target. When attacking or being attacked physically, 5 slashing damage is applied to the target or assailant. Can only move fifty feet from the user. Costs 2 Skill Points.
Requirements Needed: Wind Nature Transformation Level 5. Chakra Control needed: Medium.
"Dang it." The Medium part sucked, but other than that, the skill looked very promising. Especially having 5 bonus slashing damage when attacking something? That was awesome.
Finally, however, he checked the last one, and oh boy was that nice.
Shadow Clone: A Physical clone made from pure chakra. It can pick up and use weapons, and can use any jutsu the user knows. It is destroyed in a single hit and disappears in a puff of smoke. All memories are returned to the user, and all non physical skills can be trained at 25% efficiency. Costs a high amount of chakra to use, but half of the chakra is returned upon defeat, so long as the user is nearby. Can go any distance from the user. Costs 5 Skill Points.
Requirements Needed: Chakra Control needed: Low
Five whole skill points! He only had three!
(Note: Due to the Gamer's chakra capacity that is ERROR, the Gamer can only make three Shadow Clones at a time.)
That also sucked. But still, learning skills for him? HE could go to bed and have them focus on learning! He had to get that… but he only got a single skill point on every other level, which meant… he'd have to get four levels… Or he could do quests for EXP and possible skill points like that one with the green guy! Quickly popping open his mini map, he saw a few Silver Question marks, some that were blinking rapidly, and some that were slowly pulsing. He didn't know what it meant, but one of those rapidly blinking ones was nearby, though wasn't going as fast as some of the others. All he needed was four levels, and he'd be set. If only he hadn't of bought that Gamer's Mind upgrade. Ugh!
EXP: 174/300
But he was already here in the dungeon, and it did say he could only enter once a day. He'd at least check it out.
So with a bit of jumping around to get himself psyched up, Naruto pulled out a kunai, and walked through another tunnel.
The second he left the tunnel, a timer began, and he excitedly looked around. The forest was a little creepy, and all around him he could hear screeches as things moved through the tree line. That shot his excitement a little bit, but he'd live. He had spent several nights in the forests of Konoha before. This would be no—
[Bloodlust Detected! From Above!]
Naruto dove forward as something slammed into the spot he once was. He spun around and starred at the giant beetle before him. He blinked at it, and the monster's body expanded as it opened, slowly revealing its wings while staring him directly at him with its red, bloodthirsty eyes.
"Shit." Naruto felt his fear rise inside and quickly tossed an Observe its way.
Angry Agyrtidae
Lvl 9
Weakness: Unknown
Description: A Fast, flying insect that can quickly overwhelm its opponents. It cannot fly too often, and only for a few seconds. Thankfully, it is the weakest enemy in this dungeon.
The weakest! It was 3 levels higher than him!
A horrid buzzing noise roared to life as its wings activated, and Naruto jumped to the side as it leaped at him once more. He rolled to the ground and threw a Kunai at it.
Hit! 11 Damage.
Didn't throwing deal 8?
Something flashed, and he realized his observe window was still up.
Angry Agyrtidae
Lvl 9
HP 79/90
Weakness: Piercing, Unknown
It had triple his HP as well! At least it was weak to piercing, and what was that second unknown?
Its wings whirred to life once more, and Naruto winced at the loud sound. He braced for it to charge at him, but instead it slowly floated up into the air, watching him.
Slowly, he pulled out a new kunai. This sucked.
It dove for him, and he just barely got out of the way this time, as it clipped his leg.
Hit! 5 Damage
"No fair!" He threw another kunai, trying to aim for one of its eyes as it spun around towards him. He didn't stay to watch and quickly rolled to his feet and ran.
Critical Hit! Weak Point Hit! 25 Damage!
HP: 54/90
He pulled out two more and finally spun to face the creature, watching it thrash in the dirt. He only had three kunai left, and the bastard looked like it was beginning to shake off the pain. Thinking quickly, he opened his skill list and found it, the Wind Coating Jutsu.
He glared at the creature and quickly activated the skill, or at least hoped he did.
Wind Style: Coated Shuriken (Lvl 2: 0%): Coats a throwing weapon in wind nature chakra. Wind grants 10 Slashing damage to the thrown weapon and makes it lighter/easier to throw. Costs 25 CP to use.
Sure enough, a slight grinding noise was heard from his weapons, and a blue sheen could be seen creeping up the blades. He smiled excitedly at the bug. "Come at me, you big bastard!"
He dove to the right as the creature buzzed toward him once more, and threw the first of the kunai, and gaped as it tore straight through the beetle's wings, sending it skidding into the dirt floor.
Weak Point Hit! 24 Damage
He glanced at the observe page.
HP: 30/90
Weakness: Piercing, Wing, Unknown
Strong Against: Slashing
[Enemy is Crippled! Angry Agyrtidae is no longer able to fly!]
He threw another, this time at its back.
Hit! 16 Damage!
So the wind added a small 6 damage boost. Then again, it was slashing instead of piercing, so it wasn't as much as it could be. Still, it only had 14 HP left. He could do this—
[Bloodlust Detected!]
No direction this time, so Naruto tried to jump forward, only for something to slam into his back, sending him skidding along the floor.
The whirring of a new bug joined in, and Naruto tasted copper filling his mouth.
Direct Hit! 11 Damage
He had less than half his HP now. He felt something rise in his chest, and his feet moved on their own, backing away from the creature that whirred angrily before him.
Was this it? Was he going to—
[Gamer's Mind (Lvl MAX) Activated]
He spun and threw his remaining kunai at the dying bug, and saw a notification that he killed it. Letting the message minimize for now, Naruto leaped out the way of a second charge. He couldn't die here. "You know why, bug!? Cause I'm gonna be Hokage!"
He starred down the bug as it hover in midair; He tensed his legs, ready for anything. It began to charge, and Naruto jumped to the side, quickly pulling three shuriken out of his pouch with one hand, charging them with wind chakra. He—
A massive snake struck out from the tree line, snagging the Bug in its jaw in an instant, crushing the struggling creature, and slowly dragged it back into the trees. He heard the large beast move further and further away it slithered until silence reigned once more. His heart was in his throat, but he still moved. Quickly.
Naruto ran towards where the first bug had died, ignoring that its body was no long there, and instead a pile of his kunai and a large shell sat where it had been. He swiftly gathered his weapons and left the shell, practically rushing into the tunnel, heading for the rest point. He had his work cut out for him, that was for sure.
[Entering Resting Spot! HP and Chakra regenerating…]
[Time til full is Four Minutes and Forty-two seconds.]
The second he was done, Naruto left the forest, crawling through the hole. He wiped the sweat from his brow and fixed his clothes, thankful that nothing had torn or been too badly damaged. That could have gone way worse than it did. But at least he knew he could fight one of those things at a time… maybe not that snake, though. He'd have to figure something else out with that.
He definitely needed to grow stronger, though, maybe level up a few more times before going in there. If nothing else, he should get that clone jutsu.
Oh! He had a notification for that bug, right? Quickly opening it, he smiled while reading.
[Angry Agyrtidae defeated!]
[17 EXP, 38 Ryo.]
He got money from killing that thing? Man, this was awesome.
Oh, right, where were those side quests again? "I should at least get one done before I go to bed tonight." Opening his map, he frowned.
The one that was nearby earlier was now blinking extremely rapidly, while the ones that were doing it at that speed were gone. And the slowly pulsing ones were now much quicker.
"Ugh, time limits suck!"
[For making an astute discovery, your INT had increased!]
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes at the system. That just means his WIS was even lower compared to the others. Still, he needed to get this mission done. He left the hole in the Forest of Death and made a bee-line for the question mark. Tearing through the trees, he eventually found a frantic woman running around and calling a name.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted, waving at the woman, "Do you need any help?!" He threw a quick observe her way and—
Relationship: Hated (9/100)
The second she caught sight of him, she frowned, her worry fading away.
"You." she said simply.
Naruto frowned and turned away, kicking a rock as he glared at the ground, "Whatever, nevermind." He'd find one of the other—
"Wait!" She almost sounded desperate, causing him to pause. "You—"
He turned as she trailed off. The woman almost seemed to be warring with herself.
"You—have you seen my—my dog?" She whispered the question, but Naruto could hear it loudly over the silence.
"Your dog?" he asked.
"He's missing. My leash broke and—and." She almost looked liked she was about to cry. "No one will help me look for him…"
"What's he look like?" Naruto couldn't turn down helping someone find their dog. He just couldn't.
"He's a large boy, mostly black with some gray streaks. He answers to Sn—snuffles."
Aw, what a cute name, Naruto told himself. "I'll keep an eye out."
"No, I—I shouldn't ask you." She said.
He frowned, "Listen, lady, I'm offering—"
"No, no." she shook her head. "It's not because it's, well, you. You're still just a child,. He ran off towards that Forest of Death the ninja train in. It's dangerous over there."
"I'll check it out."
"No, don't!" She seemed desperate now. "If you get hurt, the Hokage will—"
But Naruto was already turning. "You don't have to worry about the Hokage! Because I'm gonna take that hat from him soon!" And he disappeared back into the undergrowth as a red circle appeared on his mini map. He guessed it was a search area.
[5 Relationship with ?]
"Was that the lady?" He guessed it was. "Huh, maybe doing these quests will be helpful for more than just EXP."
Maybe someone out there would actually like him for him now besides the Ichiraku's, Iruka, and the old man. Or maybe it was just a part of the game?
He carried on into the forest, calling the name snuffles over and over the second he hit the red area. And eventually, a loud bark was heard, and he smirked. Naruto had his answer.
Or so he thought.
The second Naruto arrived on the scene, he saw what the dog was barking at.
Angry Agyrtidae
Lvl 9
"Seriously? I just got away from you guys!" At least he knew how to take one on this time, especially as the monster had its eyes set on the dog. Thinking quickly, he pulled three kunai and a few shuriken from his pouch dual handing the throwing weapons.
As the dog dodged an attack, the beetle stopped in midair and slowly made its turn around. Naruto Struck, throwing two kunai at its wings and three shuriken at its body, all charged with wind chakra. Thank you, no hand sign jutsu!
Weak Point Hit! 87 Damage
"Yes!" It fell to the ground, and Naruto rushed forward, staring at its window.
HP: 3/90
He jumped on the creature's back, and pulled one of the shuriken from its body, using it as a makeshift weapon, and slashed at it.
Jumping off, the bug monster slowly disappeared, leaving behind his weapons to recollect. Easiest mission ever!
He turned to the dog and kneeled down as it slowly waddled its way towards him. "Here, boy, who's a good boy." Slowly the dog walked up to his outstretched hands, gave a long lick. "Let's get you back to your owner, huh, boy?"
As Naruto waved bye to the begrudgingly thankful woman, he finally looked at his notifications, and skipped passed the quest acceptance screen.
[15 EXP, 32 Ryo.]
That was definitely less than the last one he had killed, but hopefully, the rewards from the quest were at least better.
[Side Quest Complete!]
[Rewards: 25EXP, 500 Ryo, 100 Relationship with ?]
[Relationship upgrade Hated - Menace (14/50)
"I guess she was a little nicer… can't believe I forgot to observe her again, though." An extra 500 ryo wasn't bad either, and the EXP was nice at least. "Might as well head home now. I've got all day to train tomorrow."
He still had energy and could continue on, but his head was killing him, and he really just wanted to sleep. So, while a little downcast at having to leave with some daylight still burning, he started his way home, taking several short cuts through the woods. But eventually, while in the middle of a wooded area, he heard a noise. It sounded like someone training. Normally he would have just ignored it, but with his new ability and its Random Encounter feature, he pressed on, and soon walked into a clearing.
"Tch, teme." He bit out as he watched the young Uchiha train. Naruto had to admit his rival was good, way better than him, but that just meant his inevitable victory would be that much sweeter. He'd get stronger, he'd beat the boy. Wait, he could see just how far ahead the boy was. "Observe."
Name: Sasuke Uchiha*
Title: Avenger
Job: Academy Student
Level: 13
STR: 18
CON: 15
DEX: 14
INT: 16
WIS: 15
LUK: 21
Skills: [User must be Trusted to view target's skills.]
Relationship: Menace (97/100)
Bastard. Having such great stats didn't mean anything… it meant… nothing. "Damn it."
"Dobe?" Crud, he was found out. "What are you doing here?"
Sheepishly, Naruto moved into the clearing, rubbing the back of his head. "I was taking a shortcut back home when I heard a noise."
"Tch. Whatever." The brunette turned away, glaring back at the training dummy like it was some sort of monster he had to slay.
"What a bastard." Naruto couldn't help but think, so he voiced his opinion.
"Get out of here, dobe."
"Watch what you say, teme." The Uchiha finally turned to face him once more, daring him to continue.
If only their levels weren't so different, he'd trounce the boy… but. But. What could he do?
[Random Encounter]
[Urgent Quest Unlocked!]
[Priority Quest: When standing at the abyss, will you plummet to Hell or leap into Heaven?]
[Quest Description: Challenge Sasuke Uchiha to a spar. Prove to yourself that levels mean nothing. It's what's inside that counts.]
[Rewards: ?, ?, ?]
"Screw it." Naruto muttered and stepped up to the boy, chest to chest. "How about a spar, teme?"
"And why would I fight you, dobe?" Sasuke sneered back.
"I'm sure I'd make a better partner than your wooden friend over there."
Sasuke huffed and spun around, stalking away. "Tch, fine, get ready to eat dirt, dobe."
This was definitely going to suck. For one, Sasuke already had 18 STR, meanwhile his own was a measly 10. Plus, Naruto's Taijutsu Conditioning was only lvl 5, with a lvl 3 style.
"Wait, what if I put my points into strength?" No, that would only go up to 12, but what if he were to out speed the boy?
[Points distributed. DEX 12 - 15.]
One extra point wouldn't be much, but if he could get something over the brunette.
"When this coin hits the ground, we'll start." Sasuke announced.
"You're on."
With a flick, Sasuke fell into his normal stance, and Naruto clumsily fell into his. He'd show the bastard.
The coin bounced off a rock, and Sasuke shot off like a rocket. Naruto met him just over halfway, smirking at his newfound speed. Still, Sasuke was always the more aggressive between them, and two punches had to be blocked in an instant.
[Blocked -2 Damage!]
Even a blocked hit still did some damage. Nine times out of ten, however, Sasuke and Naruto were paired up at the Academy, so he was ready for the next.
Sasuke leaned to the side, attempting a leg sweep that Naruto just managed to dodge and counter, catching the boy in the side with a well-aimed punch.
Hit! 4 Damage!
An observe was useless as his HP still refused to show itself besides a ?. But that was fine. He caught the boy's right hand, quickly grabbing the left before he could escape his grasp. Quickly thinking, Naruto jumped high while yanking the Uchiha down, throwing a high knee.
"What!?" Naruto couldn't help but shout as the other boy bent back, dodging the knee and twisted. Using his momentum against him, Sasuke pulled Naruto to the ground, wrapping his knees around his hips, and used his superior strength to break free. He raised a fist in the air, and Naruto froze.
"Hn." Sasuke grunted and slowly stood to his feet. After a moment of staring at each other, he eventually held a hand out for Naruto to grab. "I'm surprised you thought of that knee trick… dobe."
Naruto grinned, and grabbed the proffered hand. "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision!" he couldn't help but shout, mentally cheering his victory. Though, it was a self assured victory. He knew he had failed the quest probably but, that didn't matter, he had almost gotten one over on his rival for the first time.
"Hn, I expect a better performance at our next Academy spar." And with that, the self titled Avenger stuck his hands back in his pocket, and walked away.
Naruto couldn't wipe the grin off his face, even as he opened his notifications to see what a failure for this quest meant. His grin only grew wider as he scrolled through the messaged.
[Ding! Beginner's Taijutsu Conditioning Leveled up! Lvl 6 - 7 (89%)]
[By conditioning the body and mind, your effectiveness with Taijutsu is increased. Grants 7% learning speed in Beginner Taijutsu styles and 7% STR.]
[Ding! Beginner's Academy Style Leveled up! Lvl 3 - 4 (46%)]
[The basics of the basics, only a civilian child could fight worse when up against this technique. Passively increase STR and DEX by 4% when in use.]
[Due to vigorous sparring, STR has increased.]
That was awesome! He didn't think he'd get so much experience just from a single spar!
And finally, he got the quest notification.
[Urgent Quest completed!]
[Completion Details: You have found your inner strength. You may have lost that fight, but a new one is always around the corner. Your rival has even challenged you to do better during your next attempt.]
[Rewards: Rival System implemented, 50 Relationship with Sasuke Uchiha, 75 EXP, 1 Skill Point]
[Ding! Level up! Lvl 6 - 7]
[1 Attribute point obtained! 1 Total]
[Level Up Complete]
He honestly hadn't expected to have passed the test, but this was definitely a welcomed surprise. Especially for the free Skill Point! Just one more level or random event and he'd get that Shadow Clone Jutsu… he just needed to work on his chakra control in the meantime. At least tomorrow was a day off. Maybe he'd do some exploring, and then get to training, or vice versa, whichever came first.
But, hey! Why did his EXP say 6/400 now? It was only going up by 50 the last few levels. "Oi, system! What gives!"
(AN: Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay tuned for the next one and don't forget to leave a Review!)
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Title: Academy Student
Job: Academy Student
EXP: 6/400
Level: 7
Health: 35/35
Chakra: ERROR
STR: 11
CON: 19
DEX: 16
INT: 11
WIS: 9
LUK: ERROR
Attribute Points: 1
Skill Points: 4
Perk Points: 1