For Naruto, this day was undoubtedly the most unforgettable one in his twelve years of life.
Friends who had always outmatched him in sparring, like Kiba, Sasuke, and Neji, were all effortlessly defeated by Naruto today, some even swept in three rounds.
Moreover, strangers kept approaching Naruto to strike up conversations!
This was something entirely unfamiliar to Naruto, who had faced prejudice since birth.
Naruto responded to each of them with politeness.
Although he was interrupted a few times during ranked matches by these greetings, Naruto didn't get upset at all.
He enjoyed the moments of interaction with others, and... Naruto faintly sensed that he was being acknowledged by these people who were showing him kindness.
But after much thought, Naruto still couldn't figure out why.
So he came to his own conclusion: 'It must be because I'm so good at the game!'
Thus, the naive Naruto tirelessly continued his ranked matches.
His final rank even matched Sasuke's, reaching the Kage level!
Naruto's achievement wasn't due to a sudden leap in skill.
Rather... it was the information gap.
But by noon, most players had finished watching the storylines and obtained the new Ninjas.
The information gap gradually closed.
So, there was another major factor contributing to Naruto's improvement...
It could be called—compatibility.
For example, players skilled in agility found Tobirama [Edo Tensei] incredibly intuitive, offering an experience no other Ninja could provide.
Players who are good at using artillery-style burst damage preferred Hashirama [Edo Tensei], feeling that other Ninjas' damage was pitifully low.
As for Kakashi, he was arguably the most versatile player, capable of playing any character.
This actually aligned well with his style.
This was compatibility.
And Naruto... what was Naruto good at?
The immediate answer was, Shadow Clones and Rasengan.
Naruto excelled in these two areas precisely because they were straightforward and powerful.
And the in-game characters reflected this.
Naruto [Kurama Link Mode]? Just spam skills, and if you run out, hold down the basic attack button. The opponent would automatically get caught by the 4a.
Naruto was like this. The opponent just had to play seriously, but Naruto, holding down the basic attack button, had to consider so much more.
…
Another character was Naruto [Sage Mode], whose compatibility with Naruto was a solid 120%!
Where did the extra 20% come from? Pure luck!
For other players, the first stage of Naruto [Sage Mode]'s ultimate was about scouting the enemy's position to secure the first hit.
But Naruto never bothered with such trivial details.
For him, activating the ultimate had only one purpose… to shorten the cooldown.
Scouting? Who needs that?
As long as he threw out a skill, no matter how off-target it was, the opponent would somehow walk right into it.
And if the opponent substituted and counterattacked?
If you put it that way, Naruto had a bit of youthful wisdom too...
But what about Naruto [Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]? This character, as slippery as a flea in the arena, didn't rely on brute force or luck-based poke. It seemed completely unrelated to Naruto's usual playstyle, right?
Actually, that's where people'd be wrong.
While Naruto might struggle with other high-difficulty Ninjas, Naruto [Nine-Tails Chakra Mode] was an exception.
For Naruto, the first skill, Rasengan, was straightforward, just throw the ball and hit the opponent.
And in certain situations, Naruto could even pull off special moves like Chain Rasengan and Absorbing Rasengan.
Although Naruto wasn't entirely sure how these moves worked, what he did know was that there was a certain probability of pulling them off.
For example, when facing an opponent with Indomitable Spirit, Naruto was most likely to panic and accidentally use the Absorbing Rasengan.
When about to get hit by an opponent's skill, he was most likely to use the Chain Rasengan to quickly reposition and avoid damage.
As for the second skill... Naruto wasn't particularly skilled with it, but it had four charges.
He could just spam it throughout the match.
The basic attacks were similar to Naruto [Kurama Link Mode]. When out of skills, just hold down the basic attack button.
There was a chance to land the first hit, and a good chance to scare the opponent into wasting their skills.
And it worked best when paired with the second skill!
The ultimate was fairly average, but with the first and second skills and basic attacks, Naruto could already be an annoying flea. The ultimate's mediocrity didn't hold Naruto [Nine-Tails Chakra Mode] back.
Thus, with these three new characters tailor-made for him, Naruto's improvement was undeniable.
Who said fighting games were all about skill? When it came to determining victory, the character choice was also a major factor.
However, Naruto's success wasn't universally celebrated. Some players, after losing to Naruto in ranked matches and then losing again in rematches, couldn't stand seeing a player with 'no skill' climbing the ranks with such overpowered Ninjas.
But as the saying goes...
"I'm using a fake-rank character, but I'm climbing with real points, and you're losing real points."
---
After a busy day, Naruto sat contentedly at Ichiraku Ramen, devouring bowl after bowl and shouting for another.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had already finished his ramen at lightning speed, absentmindedly flipped through his well-worn copy of Icha-Icha Paradise.
He inwardly cursed Jiraiya, the old pervert, for constantly 'gathering material' but never updating the book.
Sakura, on the other hand, was slowly and meticulously eating her ramen one strand at a time, occasionally glancing at Naruto, who was wolfing down his food. Her mind was far from the delicious ramen.
Sakura had many questions. Earlier, she had also watched the storylines about Naruto to obtain the new Ninjas.
While she didn't pick up on as much as Kakashi, even the surface-level details completely reshaped her understanding of Naruto.
Although Naruto in Shippuden was still as clueless as ever at times, with his IQ occasionally going offline and his EQ in the negatives...
There was no denying that the three-years-later Naruto had become much more handsome, taller, and more muscular, unlike his current scrawny self.
Most importantly, Naruto had finally ditched his tacky, ill-fitting clothes.
Overall, compared to the present, Naruto in Shippuden had clearly matured, exuding a sense of reliability.
But when she saw Naruto [Sage Mode] later... Sakura began to feel numb.
She saw her future self crying out Naruto's name in despair.
Both were students of the Sannin, but after his training, Naruto could single-handedly take on the powerful Pain.
Yet, even Naruto [Sage Mode] was pinned to the ground by Pain's black rods...
Watching from outside the screen, Sakura couldn't help but empathize, feeling a deep sense of despair. Naruto could stand up to save the village, but who would save Naruto now?
As Pain slowly approached, a delicate figure stepped in front of Naruto.
At that moment, immersed in the storyline, Sakura couldn't help but shout the name of the person who appeared...
"Hina... Hinata?!"