A 12-year-old boy from Earth awakens in the Naruto world on the day before the Academy Graduation Exam...
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The last thing I remembered was the blinding light of a truck's headlights. The last thing I expected to wake up to was the godawful morning breath of an old man with a pointy hat.
"Alright, Naruto, wake up!" The Hokage's voice was like gravel in a tin can.
I shot up, my brain doing a frantic systems check. Naruto? Hokage? Morning breath that could curdle milk?
My eyes focused on the familiar, yet terrifyingly real, face of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. And then my gaze dropped. Orange jumpsuit. Orange. Of all the colors in the universe, I was wearing the least subtle one imaginable.
My brain bluescreened. I was Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. The protagonist. The dead-last. The jinchuriki.
──SYSTEM INITIATING──
Welcome, User. Soul Integration: 100%
World: Naruto (Canon Divergence)
Body: Uzumaki Naruto (Age: 12)
Primary Objective: Survive Graduation Exam.
Reward: 100 Points, [Basic Ninjutsu Pack]
"Survive?" I muttered, my voice a perfect replica of the anime character's. "I thought the exam was just about making clones, not dodging actual death."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Death? It's the Genin Exam, Naruto, not a war. Now come on, you're late."
Right, late. Because in my previous life, I died. In this one, I was late for the start of my ninja career. Talk about a promotion.
As I scrambled to follow him, a new window popped up in my vision, translucent and blue, hovering just to the left of the Hokage's pointy hat.
─MISSION: GRADUATION OR BUST
Objective: Pass the Academy Graduation Exam.
Status: Active
Time Remaining: 2 hours, 43 minutes, 12 seconds
"Two hours?" I squeaked. "Why the countdown? The exam doesn't start until afternoon!"
The old man glanced back at me, a strange look in his eye. "The exam is now, Naruto. Mizuki-sensei requested an early evaluation for you."
Mizuki. The traitor. The guy who tricks Naruto into stealing the Forbidden Scroll.
My blood ran cold. This wasn't just a divergence; this was a hard mode start.
─SYSTEM WARNING: IMMINENT DANGER
Yeah, no kidding, I thought sarcastically, my mind racing. I had an OP system, sure, but did twelve-year-old Naruto's body have enough chakra to actually use any of it? I'd never trained a day in this life. My muscles were wiry, my control likely garbage. I was a walking, talking, orange-clad disaster magnet.
"Hey, Gramps," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "What's the occasion? Am I finally getting that 'Most Likely to Get Impaled by a Kunai' award?"
Sarutobi sighed, a long, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of the entire village. "Just try to take this seriously, Naruto. For once."
We arrived at Training Ground 3. It was empty, save for a single figure leaning against a tree, a wide, unsettlingly friendly smile plastered on his face.
"Naruto-kun! Lord Hokage!" Mizuki called out, waving. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
He was holding a giant scroll. The Forbidden Scroll.
─MISSION UPDATE: SURVIVE MIZUKI
Objective: Defeat or Evade Mizuki. Acquire the Forbidden Scroll.
Difficulty Rating: Hard
Reward: 500 Points, [Shadow Clone Jutsu]
Failure: Game Over. Literally.
Well, crap. So much for a slow start. I had a cheat system and the world was already trying to kill me. At least it wasn't boring.
"Mizuki-sensei," the Hokage said, his voice flat. "I was told you had a special test for Naruto."
"I do!" Mizuki's smile widened. "A test of true potential! To graduate, all he has to do is learn one jutsu from this scroll."
My mind was a whirlwind. I needed a plan. A distraction. Something.
"Okay!" I yelled, maybe a little too loudly. "But before I do, I need to know! Why do shinobi wear masks? Is it to hide their identity, or are they just really, really ugly?"
The Hokage facepalmed. Mizuki's smile twitched. I had just bought myself, maybe, five seconds.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Humor employed. Minor chakra boost granted.]
I felt a tiny spark of energy surge through me. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
─USER STATS
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Chakra Reserves: 2,450/10,000 (25%)
Control: E-Rank (Appalling)
Physical Stats: E-Rank (Untrained Child)
Available Points: 0
"Appalling control, huh?" I muttered under my breath. "Guess that explains why my clone jutsu always looks like a deflated balloon."
"Something to say, Naruto?" Mizuki asked, his tone dangerously smooth.
"Just psyching myself up!" I shouted, striking a pose I'd seen in a shonen manga once. It involved flexing my biceps, which were... not impressive. "For the art of ninjutsu! HAAA!"
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Host is an idiot. Commencing emergency protocol.]
A new option appeared in my vision.
[SUGGESTED ACTION: Use OP to instantly purchase and execute 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'. Cost: 500 Points.]
I didn't have 500 Points. I had zero.
[Alternative Suggestion: Improvise.]
[Alternative Suggestion: Run.]
[Alternative Suggestion: Annoy opponent into submission.]
"Hey, System," I thought, trying to keep a straight face. "How do I get Points fast?"
[COMPLETING MISSIONS, EMBARRASSING YOURSELF, OR NOT DYING.]
Right. Not dying was the key.
"Alright, Mizuki-sensei!" I declared, pointing a finger at the scroll. "I'm ready! But I have one condition!"
Mizuki raised an eyebrow, and I could practically see the murder plot forming behind his eyes. "And what's that?"
"You have to explain the jutsu to me. Like, really explain it. With puppets. And maybe a song?"
The Third Hokage made a sound like he was choking on his own pipe smoke.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: +5 Points for sheer audacity.]
A tiny, glowing "5" floated in the corner of my vision. Five points. To buy the jutsu I needed five hundred. I was ninety-nine percent of the way to being dead.
Mizuki's smile was stretched so thin I was surprised it didn't snap. "No puppets, Naruto. Just open the scroll and learn."
I took a step towards the Forbidden Scroll, my mind racing. The real plan, the anime plan, was for Mizuki to frame me, for Iruka to save me, for me to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu in a desperate moment, and for everything to work out. But the Hokage was right here. Iruka wasn't. The script was torn up.
I reached for the scroll.
─SYSTEM SCAN: [FORBIDDEN SCROLL]─