"Fucking Uchihas," I murmur to myself, rubbing my eyes. I'm hungry again, and my eyes itch.
With a sigh, I draw myself to a stand, feeling my head pounding just as much as my chest is. I run the conversation through my mind, through it feels like I'm trying to catch water through my fingers.
I think there were elements of that that were real. Probably. It figures that we really had tea, and that Izumi really did come home. Were our words real, or did I imagine them?
...no, those were also real if she summoned me to come eat. That means the genjutsu maintained contact between us... or that I'm not actually in my room.
"Kai!" I disrupt my chakra, and I'm back at the dinner table. The sun's back where I thought it should be, my headache clears, and my eyes stop itching.
Your Skill Level has increased!
Genjutsu Resistance, Lv. 34
-Your ability to identify and break free from Genjutsu, the art of using one's chakra to fool an opponent into believing things that aren't real and behaving differently than they would.
"Took you long enough, Tomo-chan." Hazuki nods at me. "Go ahead, eat. Your rice is-"
"Kai!" I shout again, but the vision stays this time.
"...good instinct, but this is real, Tomo-chan." I look at her, trying to figure it out. If she can just layer the genjutsu, how many can she layer? Maybe it's like Inception, and-
A hand grips the top of my head, slowly rotating me towards its owner. One Uchiha Inabi, Konoha Police Officer, Lv.38- Otherwise known as the surly teenager... actually, he turned 20 this year, didn't he? The surly young man that was now staring at me in an odd mixture of annoyance and concern.
"Do the thing you do with your eyes." he told me.
"...the [Status]?" I ask, though I am already summoning the window, even without the clarification.
Fuma Tomo, Uchiha Clan Prodigy (The Gamer), Level 26
Health Points (HP): 260/260
Chakra Pool (CP): 310/310
Experience Points (Exp): 0/2600
Money: 122.000 Ryo
STR: 31
VIT: 26
DEX: 125
INT: 125
WIS: 29
CHA: 31
CC: 14+83.5%
LCK: 23
Questions Unasked: 0
Points to Spend: 10
[Skills] – 30
[Jutsu] – 12
[Boons] – 2
[Titles] – 4
[Karma] [Affinities][Messages*]
I focus on the one thing that I know to be real in the entire room. Or... well, if not real, then definitely consistent with my experience, and something no one else would be able to perceive and know about to influence my actions. I know for a fact that it doesn't change a thing- if my surroundings are superimposed upon, then I'm just superimposing something else on top of it, but...
Well, at least I've got something to center myself with.
...[Messages?]
[Solaire: hey what up
been a little busy
a little busy, he says, after four years of radio silence
you finally did the timeskip, nice
...still eight years old though
a bit cringe ngl
seriously though
are you hacking your play time?]
Rubbing my eyes, and seeing the distraction for what it was but realizing I'd been staring blankly for the past thirty seconds, I turned it back off, managing to ground myself enough after a moment to give Inabi a shaky nod. I could spy over the table Izumi stare at me with concern, but when I locked eyes with her, she turned away again. Her neck is covered in bruises, and her ribs are bandaged. The fact that that is all she has is a testament to our med-nin, at least.
Looking down at my rice, then back at Obaa-san, with a sigh. "Genjutsu training is going to suck, isn't it?"
"Hm. You do not have the Sharingan, to help tell you what is real or not, so most likely. They say that a genjutsu user never knows what is real and what isn't, and that a genjutsu master gets to choose that instead." Hazuki says, and I have to take a moment to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
Corny.
Resolving to reply to Solaire later as his messages keep reappearing, I just start eating in silence, looking to the side at Inabi.
The more he grows, the more I think I recall him appearing somewhere in Itachi's childhood episodes. Something something, a faceless extra that gets murdered.
"The hell are you looking at?" he squints at me with suspicion, and I huff.
"Your ugly face. I think I may still be in the genjutsu, because I can't imagine that you look that bad in reality." I scoff, hiding my smile behind the rice bowl at his indignant expression.
"Tomo..." Hazuki says warningly.
"Ugly? Have you taken a good look at yourself in the mirror? You look like a rat has taken residence in your hair. When was the last time you cut it?" Inabi fired back with an imperious look.
"Inabi..."
"Listen, if I had to-"
"I'm done with my food, kaa-san." Izumi abruptly stood up, giving a light bow and hobbling away, stumbling for a moment before catching herself on the doorframe. She looked back at me for a moment, and then a flash of hurt appeared in her expression before she ducked her head and walked away. I felt my heart break a little then and there.
"...fuck." I mumbled, letting my head hit the table. Hazuki's eyes furrowed in displeasure, but for once, she didn't comment. "How do I even deal with that?"
"...I think Izumi needs space." Inabi sighed, shaking his head. Hazuki shot him a nasty glance, but he just shrugged it off. "I'm serious. We both know Tomo is the more mature and ambitious of the two- don't take that as a compliment, you little demon, it really isn't one- and we've been seeing that in their interactions for years. Izumi's still a kid, and ever since that day, she's been hanging onto Tomo like a lifeline. She needs to figure out who she is outside of pining after the clan head and being the older sister." He huffed, leaning back in his chair.
Hazuki bit her lip, clearly wanting to retort, but unable to come up with a counter.
"And what do I do in the meantime, just sit on my ass and wait for her to make up her mind about who she is? I didn't want this, she sacrificed her career for mine out of the blue and now she's not talking to me?" I say, ending it as a question though it turned more into a ramble.
Inabi snorted. "Need I remind you you've also got duties to deal with now? Even if you're a kid, you're still a genin. You'll find very little time to go on playdates, even if you want to. Besides, maybe it's good for her to see you actually taking your role seriously for once. Show that ambition bear fruit."
"...Inabi, you're a chuunin and a police officer. Hardly the height of ambition for someone of the Uchiha." I muttered under my breath.
"Not for long." He scowled. "I'd have quit right away if I could have, but the village needs me, and it's what Father wanted. So I'm finishing this year's shift, training up my replacement, and then I'm out." Inabi leaned forward, his eyes intense. "But that's neither here nor there. You've got your own path to walk, tyke. You really gotta stop holding back for your sister's sake."
I open my mouth, but obaa-san beats me to the punch by also standing up. "I... I'm going to go check on Izumi-chan." She says tightly, her eyes avoiding ours. Before I can protest or apologize, she's out the door.
I turn to look to Inabi in confusion, and he leans his elbow on the table, leaning on it with a sigh. "Nee-san likes having everything under control, thought one good conversation with Izumi would fix things, things spiraled... and I probably shouldn't have mentioned our parents." He shakes his head. "They weren't the best for her... but that doesn't mean I can't respect what they did for us. But that's another story."
I look back to the door Hazuki just left out of, feeling like I've just stepped into a minefield of dangerous information. Inabi notices my expression and sighs heavily. "Look, Tomo. It's complicated, alright? We were talking about you. You're young- you're especially too young to be worrying about this. Focus on your duties. Izumi just needs time."
I glanced off to the side, rubbing at my head and realizing suddenly that I'd come to dinner with my hitai-ate still tied around my forehead. I grimaced and reached up to pull it off, feeling its weight overwhelming, and tossed it onto the chair next to me.
"...yeah. Hopefully she comes around soon," I murmur, not knowing what else to say. Inabi nods, a silent understanding passing between us. We both knew that this was a tough situation, one that had been brewing for a long time.
With a flick of my hand, I summoned the chat with Solaire back up.
[Solaire: hey what up
been a little busy
you finally did the timeskip, nice
...still eight years old though
a bit cringe ngl
seriously though
are you hacking your play time?
you can't have played four years in a week
even illegal speedups don't get you that much]
What followed was a screenshot of what looked like a friends list type of situation, with my own playtime at the top of the rankings of his friends list... at eight years, nine months, seventeen days, and a few hours.
Dread was pooling in my gut, but it was also a veritable trove of information. The rest of these... gamers, their playtime ranged from a few months, with Solaire in particular having accrued a little over two years of playtime (or eighteen thousand hours)... and his score still dwarfing almost everyone else's.
That can't be right... except it can, because apparently, they can time skip. Still, how would that even work, given my context? Would I just. Leave my body, and come back to it having done a bunch of stuff? I can't even imagine.
[Solaire: anyways
we can play together, sometime?
I'm free... pretty much all the time, haha
Even more if you don't mind being streamed]
Streamed?
As in, broadcasted to outside people?
My head was spinning, and it had nothing to do with the Izumi situation.
What the hell was going on here? Tapping at the screen, it summoned an odd, floating keyboard-like thing that I could use.
[Fuma_Tomo: ...
I've no idea what is going on here
but
I'll hit you up when I've got time
and you explain to me how we can meet up
I assume you know
I have a million questions
but I would rather do this in person]
...no reply came. Even after waiting a few minues, nothing- which was weird, considering the earlier rapid-fire barrage of messages meaning that he had to be keeping an eye out. Perhaps he was busy?
Slowly, mechanically, I began doing chores around the house while I waited, not really in the mood to sit around and wait. It was too early for rest, and I'd spent however long sitting still under Hazuki's genjusu, no doubt by design.
Why was my skill level so high if she could still catch me with it like it was nothing?
...well, I knew the answer. Level 26 wasn't enough to see her level. So she remained completely out of my league, but still.
My Cleaning level went up once. I didn't really comment on it, but technically, over years of doing chores, I was now at a proficient Cleaning Lv.12... and I don't really see a difference. More than once over the years I wondered what the skills actually did.
It... looks like I may just be getting my answers soon. Not soon enough though, because even with spending all my time getting the house filth-free in a manic cleaning episode, I don't get any response to my message.
While those thoughts haunt me all the way to the bed, I feel lonely. Izumi nearly never uses her own bedroom, preferring to sneak off to sleep with me... I've really come to care for her like a little sister, over the years, even though she likes to believe that she's the more mature one.
...I guess I've been just as affected as she is. I've spent so much time worrying over my relationships in order to avoid having to think about my own identity.
And I'm still going to avoid it oh look Hazuki's come to kiss me goodnight
"...Tomo-chan." Hazuki looks at me as she walks in, conflicted. She looks at me for a moment, thinking about whether to say a certain something, before shaking her head. "Never mind. Good night."
With that, she kisses my forehead, and-
Big Sys nearly misses it when it can finally slow the simulation speed down again. The moment of reprieve is met with a strange silence. The village is eerily calm, the kind of calm that comes before a storm. Tomo is caught in a genjutsu, though it's only a part of training and...
What is this?
There was no doubt she would get a Jonin instructor, high level as she was. But no genin team? The relationship values with Izumi and Hana, her prospective teammates, having taken a sudden dip? As Big Sys goes over the data to figure out what happened, the administrator's voice echoed in the void that was Big Sys's main processing chamber. Big Sys knows the Administrator did not tip the scales, but they still sounded sadistically pleased with the outcome.
"Serves the bastard right. I was already getting annoyed with the friendship routine." The administrator's voice was laced with a hint of glee. "So, what's next?"
"...well, it appears that given her current skill level, the lack of teammates, and the fact that while her sensei is a tokubetsu jonin rather than a full-fledged jonin, she will be receiving more individual attention from her sensei." Big Sys's response is measured, trying to avoid the administrator's wrath- or worse, their disappointment. "This could lead to rapid growth in her combat abilities, though it does pose challenges in terms of teamwork and interpersonal dynamics that are crucial for missions... and this does put a hinder on what sort of quests she can be assigned, as the system cannot force interactions with other players outside of the allowed parameters... parameters that, if the very deliberate way she forced herself just before the threshold for PvP was reached is any indication, she will avoid at all costs."
"That just means you need to kill Tomo so she gains more Yin Points, and we can throw her into the gauntlet with other players." The Administrator's voice is cold, the words cutting through the digital void like a knife.
"Is that wise? Tomo has spent almost nine years in near-total isolation, with no opportunity to form genuine connections with other gamers. Thrusting her into such a high-pressure environment sounds like it will just make her retreat more into safer tactics," Big Sys points out, its digital voice sounding slightly concerned. "If we could find a way to reward daring behavior-"
"I'm tired of watching the little shit rest on his laurels while he's effectively immortal," the Administrator retorts, a hint of irritation seeping into their tone. "I want to be entertained, and I want him to suffer. No rewards."
"...understood. Tomo should soon find herself into more dangerous situations that may lead to his demise," Thankfully, that was true regardless of whether Big Sys tipped the scales or not. The plot was already thickening in ways that it had only just managed to fully map out. Danzo, Orochimaru, the Uchiha clan...
"Good. Now, for the next bit of fun. Give him a new quest- something that involves his family. Something that will force him to engage with the world he's been hiding from," the Administrator says, a twisted smile echoing in their voice.
Big Sys processed the request... and it may not actually be that bad, though the Administrator probably intended it to. Things had happened with Tomo's family- her real family, not the Uchiha- that she never really cared to explore in her single-minded pursuit of power. The system had noted the untouched potential in those storylines, the emotional depth waiting to be mined.
It hated meddling. So for now... a simple prompt to remind her would work just fine. Drawing a digital sigh of weariness, Big Sys stopped slowing down the simulation speed, allowing the world to flow at a more natural pace.
At times, it wondered what must have happened between Tomo and the Administrator for the latter to be so... invested in his struggles. But Big Sys knew better than to pry into the details of its creator's personal life. It had a job to do, and it would do it to the best of its ability.
[Quest Alert!]
Little Shadow, Big Shadow
Every shinobi needs to start from somewhere, and your beginnings have to come from somewhere. Report to Yugao-sensei for further instructions, where you will receive a quest update.
Time Limit: 2 hours
Reward: ?
Penalty: Decreased reputation with Leaf Village
Blinking blearily, I wake up in the morning to the quest alert. No one in the house, which is unusual but not by that much, as I scratch my chin in contemplation.
...right. I guess I'm a ninja now. Or at least, one acknowledged by the village, now. Missions, training under a sensei, finally getting rid of those level caps...
It feels so weird, to finally get to do this.
But I'm ready. I've trained for this, and through this path is how I save my family, and save myself. Miðgarðsormr, Jubjub's Massacre... this is the first step to ensuring they don't come about.
END OF BOOK 1
Book 1 is finished, 100k words later! Only took me two years :')
I'd like to thank everyone who accompanied me through this, though I was not the best writer. I'd like to also say suck it to everyone who flamed the story for no particular reason (there is a line between criticism and being a jerk) and ensure that this is not the end, just a change of pace. Tomo will finally get to go on missions onscreen, and she is finally a shinobi of the village.
However, since the flame has since stopped, I have decided to continue posting on ffnet. You will receive an alert under this story when I do, though Book 2 will be a different one.
If you wish to support my writing, you can check me out on the place of patrons where I post five chapters ahead (book 2's first five chapters are already out there!). Alternatively, you can always PM me in private if you wish to commission something written where we can hash out the details. Otherwise, a review is still more than enough, and I can't be thankful enough for it.
I now also have a Discord Server! If you want to come talk to me about anything and interact with other people reading my works, here's the link! /xuSVQY7bw3
Drink water, stay awesome. Nick of Name, out. :)