The training ground was alive with motion—shuriken whistling, chakra flaring, voices echoing.And there stood Naruto, staring blankly at the others, hands limp at his sides, his expression clouded.
"Dreams sure look pretty… until reality kicks your ass."
His mutter disappeared into the wind.
He tilted his head toward the sky and yelled, "Rikudō Shingon, I wanna level up!"
The sacred echo answered immediately, its voice neither male nor female, somewhere between a lullaby and a threat.
[Rikudō Shingon: Host requests upgrade.][Access denied. Reason: you're weak. Please return after not being weak.]
Naruto's brow twitched. "Tch. Even the divine troll has jokes now."
Still, his gaze dropped to the faint sigil flickering on his wrist—a seal representing the Rikudō Shingon: Ten'mon, or Heavenly Insight, the mind-reading ability he'd unlocked days ago.He'd been so thrilled by the discovery that he hadn't noticed the fine print:
Ten'mon Lv.1: Can read the surface thoughts of beings no stronger than the Host.
"Which basically means… it's useless against everyone who matters."He exhaled through his nose, a puff of defeat. "Nice. Real nice."
But Naruto wasn't one to stay sulking for long. His blue eyes darted toward a group of parents guiding their kids through basic ninjutsu drills.Low-level stuff. Simple enough. But perfect for testing his power.
A slow grin crept across his face."Alright then. If I can't peek into the strong, I'll start small. One step at a time."
He focused. His vision shimmered, chakra lines glowing faintly as Ten'mon activated.He caught flashes of the parents' thoughts—simple, clear sequences of seals, chakra flow, and timing. He memorized them all.
Hours later, alone again at his personal training ground, Naruto wiped sweat from his brow.
"Let's see what I got."
He took a stance. His chakra flared.
"Wind Release: Gale Blade Technique."
A sharp current burst from his palm, slicing through a wooden post cleanly. The cut edge gleamed in the sunlight.
"Nice! I actually pulled it off."
He tried another. "Illusion Art: Kasumi Clone."
Mist coiled around him, forming faint afterimages. Imperfect, but convincing enough for a first attempt.
And finally—
"Body Flicker Technique!"
A blur, a rush of wind, and then he stumbled forward, dizzy and pale.
"Ugh… too much chakra drag. Not smooth yet."
He sat down hard, panting."Alright… no more for now. Three new jutsu in a day's not bad."
His eyes drifted toward the Hokage Monument in the distance.He could almost hear the Third's voice scolding him for overtraining again—but Naruto didn't care.He wanted to prove he wasn't just the vessel of the Nine-Tails. He wanted to walk his own path.
He started analyzing what he'd learned.
"Wind techniques fit me best—my chakra nature's wind, after all. Body Flicker looks cool but needs practice. And illusion… hmm."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Normally I suck at genjutsu, but after merging with… well, myself from before, my spirit's stronger. Maybe it's different now."
He recalled what the system had told him when Ten'mon awakened—"The soul is the true domain of control. The mind can bend the world when honed."
That line stuck with him.
If genjutsu was about distorting perception, then someone with both vast chakra and enhanced mental power could wield it terrifyingly well.
"Guess I'll have to train that too." His voice was steady now, eyes firm.
He looked up at the orange sky, the same shade as his jumpsuit.
"Heh. This road's way tougher than before… but I'm not turning back."
The Rikudō Shingon pulsed faintly in response.
[Acknowledged.][Host has begun walking a path even the gods avoid.][Tragic. Amusing. Continue, little mortal.]
Naruto smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Watch me."
As the sun dipped behind the village, his shadow stretched long and sharp, like the promise of a storm yet to come.