Konoha Year 38, November 30th.
Night.
Konoha Village.Hyuga Clan Compound.
Inside a small apartment on the western edge of the clan grounds,moonlight poured softly through the window.
A young boy lay on the bed — thin, small-framed, with short white hair.His features were delicate, his skin pale, and under the silvery light his sleeping face looked peaceful and calm.
Suddenly, his brows tightened; his body trembled violently.Then, with a gasp, his eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright as if from a nightmare.
"Ah—!"
Huff… huff…
Shin'en took several deep breaths, pressing a hand to his chest to steady himself.
"Damn it! After all that preparation… I still died again! Just my luck. I should've been more careful…"
When his breathing finally calmed, he sighed in frustration.
Before his eyes, a faintly glowing blue status panel appeared, covered in text:
[Dream Projection Ended][Projected World: So I'm a Spider, So What?][Projected Character: Shin'en Randall][Race: Eluro–Baradorado (Great Serpent)][Projection Status: Dead][Settlement Begin]
As a lower-ranked monster in the Abyss Dungeon, you slew many beasts and reached the peak of your species' power, but were eventually slain by a passing Earth Dragon.
[You qualified as the chief of the Great Serpent clan.][Overall Rating: E](As a lower-ranked race your performance was commendable, but in the grand scale of the Abyss, still rather ordinary.)[Settlement Complete — Reward: 185 Potential Points][You may spend potential points to obtain items from the projected world — including but not limited to skills, talents, bloodlines, and items.]
[Skills available: Venom Fang LV5, Dragon Scales LV2, Dark Vision LV7, Heat Sense LV5, Poison Resistance LV5, Secondary Consciousness LV3]
"Damn! Only an E rating?"
Shin'en's face darkened at the grade.Last time, in the Demon Slayer world, he'd hidden away for years before dying right after showing up — and still got a D rating.This time, only an E?
"So the grading standard really does depend on world difficulty…"
He frowned, thinking through the new data carefully.
It had been just over a year since Shin'en reincarnated into the Naruto world — born into the Hyuga branch family at age four.
He'd assumed he'd follow the usual transmigrator path:"Graduate at 4, become a Jōnin at 6, reach Kage level by 8, and solo the Ninja World by 10."Reality had other plans.
Born with a Caged Bird Seal, his talent was below average — even by Hyuga standards.
Before joining the academy, Hyuga children attended the clan's private school.There, Shin'en quickly realized… he was the slowest of his peers.
His reaction time lagged behind everyone.In taijutsu sparring, he was routinely beaten into the ground.
Well, to be fair — in his previous life he'd been a total otaku.Always staying up late, never exercising.It would be strange if his reflexes were good.
Still, reflexes could be trained.After one "projection" trial and a year of practice, he'd at least reached normal human levels.
As for book learning — he excelled easily.No surprise there; he had an adult's mind in a child's body.
The real issue was his chakra refining speed — painfully slow.Even forming a stable chakra network had taken him half a month.By all measures, he was the bottom of the class.
At first, Shin'en planned to rely on his partial knowledge of Naruto's plot to climb upward slowly.But his reincarnation year — Konoha Year 37 — lay in a period barely mentioned in the canon.His "foreknowledge advantage" was almost useless.
Fortunately, a month after arriving — on April 1st — a mysterious status panel appeared in his vision.
He gained 1 potential point per day, plus bonuses from dreams.When his total reached 30 points, new text appeared:
[Dream Projection ability unlocked]
He could now enter other worlds through dreams, spending points to select his identity there.
The First Projection — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
A world he knew well.He'd finished the manga before transmigrating.
He was confident — certain he could thrive with "plot knowledge."After saving up for a month, he chose to begin as a talented merchant's son.
Unfortunately, when he entered, the main story hadn't even started yet.The protagonist's family location? Unknown.And the world was crawling with demons —dangerous even in towns, fatal in the mountains.
Through caution and luck, he eventually reached Mount Tozan,where he impressed the retired former Thunder Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima,and became his disciple, learning Thunder Breathing.
Three years passed peacefully.Then, on the day he left the mountain for the Demon Slayer Corps exam—he ran into the worst possible enemy:Upper Moon One, Kokushibo.
Instant death.Luck of the damned.
Still, dying to an Upper Moon earned him a D rating.That granted him one free reward from that world, plus 270 potential points.
He chose the Breathing Talent,so that his real body could truly practice Thunder Breathing.
He also spent 100 points to transfer cultivation experience,skipping the slow early stages.
Lesson learned:From then on, Shin'en became much more cautious.
The Second Projection — So I'm a Spider, So What?
Months later, another world appeared on the panel.Again, a familiar anime world.This time, he saved up nearly a full year of points.
He began as a Great Serpent, the pinnacle of lower-tier monsters —a strategic choice.Humans in that world leveled slowly and had weak limits,while monsters could evolve rapidly through devouring others.
He avoided mid-tier and high-tier races since their entry costs were absurdly high.At least as a lower-rank serpent, he could grow fast.
And he did.Using human intelligence, he evolved multiple times —until a random Earth Dragon wandered by and killed him.
Two deaths in a row from sheer bad luck.Absurd.
Now, staring at his panel again:
[Potential Points: 185]
A D-rating gave one free item;the second cost 100 points, the third 200, and so on —each double the previous.
This time, with only an E-rating, he'd get nothing free —but could still spend points.
At least he'd discovered one amazing skill:
[Secondary Consciousness LV3]
Creates a subordinate rational personality — purely logical, fully obedient to the main soul.Bonus: Mental stat growth +20%.
Unlike the advanced "Parallel Consciousness,"this version didn't rival his main self,but it would never rebel, never feel emotion, never disobey.
It was like being able to multitask perfectly —draw circles with one hand, squares with the other —and use every moment efficiently.
Better yet, both personalities could use skills simultaneously —a massive combat boost.
Even in Naruto, techniques like Shadow Clone achieved similar effects —but clones consumed chakra and could rebel (or argue for toilet turns).
This "Secondary Consciousness" required no chakra, no upkeep,and could even train independently.For Shin'en, it was far superior.
Without hesitation, he spent 100 points.
[Acquired Skill: Secondary Consciousness LV3][Remaining Points: 85]
A slight pressure bloomed in his head.
Then, a calm voice echoed in his mind:
[Secondary Consciousness: Awaiting your command, Main Body.]
Shin'en answered silently:
"Continue as usual — same method as in the Abyss."
[Secondary Consciousness: Acknowledged.]
The blue interface faded.Memories of three years in the Abyss blurred —turning from vivid experience into vague recollection,like scenes from a half-forgotten movie.
He was used to it by now.It was a kind of protection —for in reality, only an instant had passed.
He'd lived three years in that projection,yet less than three since arriving in this world.
Glancing at the clock — 10:15 p.m.Exactly as when he left.
He lay back down and opened his status window again:
Name: Hyuga Shin'enAffinity: WaterConstitution: 68Strength: 61Agility: 52Spirit: 5Dōjutsu: ByakuganCultivation: Chakra Refinement LV0, Thunder Breathing LV2Skills: Gentle Fist LV0, Secondary Consciousness LV3Potential Points: 85
"I wonder what the next world will be… and how long until it opens?"
Sleep soon overtook him,and Shin'en drifted quietly into another dream.