Konoha Hospital - Private Ward
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
[EXPANSION PACKS INSTALLED SUCCESSFULLY]
[MODULE: CHAKRA SENSITIVITY (BASIC)... ACTIVE]
[MODULE: ENHANCED HUD CLARITY... ACTIVE]
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that the world looked... sharper.
The blurry edges of the ceiling tiles were crisp, and the dust motes dancing in the sunlight filtering through the blinds were distinct. It was like someone had upgraded my graphics settings from "Medium" to "High Resolution."
I sat up, flexing my hands. The sluggishness from yesterday was entirely gone. My body felt light and responsive.
I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the new sensation that seemed to be buzzing in the back of my skull. Funny thing was that it wasn't really a sound, but more like a feeling. Like static electricity on my skin. I could vaguely sense bundles of energy moving in the hallway.
It's like an autonomous 'Spidey Sense,' but for chakra, I mused. I could feel the faint presence of doctors and nurses moving in the halls.
Suddenly, a stronger, denser presence approached the door. It felt heavy, like old wood and smoke.
The door handle turned, and Hiruzen walked in. He looked like he hadn't slept through the night. His eyes were baggier, and he was clutching a scroll as if it were a grenade.
Right, when Naruto was Hokage he was just as permanently tired, I thought, as the old Hokage walked in. It makes me wonder at times, who in their right mind would willingly want that much responsibility?
"Good morning, Naruto," he said, his voice grave.
"Old Man," I greeted, swinging my legs off the bed to face him.
"I have drafted the agreement based on our... discussion," He said, placing the scroll on the bedside table. His voice carried the weight of someone who had spent several hours going through something extensive. "It includes details of the trial period and financial adjustments."
"I see, I see," I said, picking up the scroll.
Clause 1: Absolute Loyalty to Konoha.
Clause 2: Compliance to Commanding Officers.
Clause 3: Protection of Villagers.
Ah, hell nah, I snorted, tossing the scroll back down.
"Try again," I said flatly.
Hiruzen's brow furrowed, the deeply etched lines on his face hardening into the stern visage of the Hokage. "These are standard clauses for any shinobi, Naruto. They are the foundation of the village."
"I'm not just any shinobi," I countered. "Besides, these stipulations are kinda wild, don'tcha think?"
I looked him dead in the eye. "You essentially want me to be a lapdog that questions nothing."
"Naruto," Hiruzen called, his tone hardening. "You cannot be a ninja of this village if you hold hostility toward it and its people."
"I don't hold hostility," I corrected. "I set boundaries. And I want those boundaries written down. Right here. Right now."
I grabbed a pen from the bedside table and pulled the scroll open.
"We're making some... amendments," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument to tip the scale of the meeting in my favor. "First: The Right to Self-Defense."
Hiruzen raised a brow, deliberately keeping his posture relaxed, though his sharp eyes tracked my every movement. "As in?"
"If a villager initiates ill will or intent towards me of any kind," I started. "I have the right to retaliate to the amount of force exerted."
"I cannot allow that," Hiruzen said immediately. "As the leader of this village I cannot allow any harm to go against those I've sworn to protect."
Tch, I figured that he'd pull something like that, but I will not be deterred.
I said nothing for a moment, letting the tension in the air build up before I spoke. "I understand that, but that's a line that's already been crossed if I'm apart of those you've sworn to protect, and I know you're aware of that," I responded, watching as he closed his eyes after hearing my words.
I know I can't outmaneuver him; he has way too much experience. But I can play off that guilt that's been built up over the years.
"It's gotten to this point, Old Man, and I'd like to come to a solution we can both agree on," I said, while his eyes were still closed. "Besides, I don't think you're seeing things from my perspective, or asking yourself why I'm moving in this direction. What would you do in my situation? Trust someone I'm still trying to remember blindly?"
The aged leader still said nothing, but finally reopen his eyes for me to continue.
I let out an exhausted sigh. "Maybe my words came out as a tad bit too aggressive," I said, clearing my throat. "When I say 'retaliate to the amount of force exerted,' I mean non-lethal force. Broken bones? Maybe. But I won't kill them unless they try to kill me first for no good reason. And you," I pointed the pen at him, "cannot arrest or crucify me for it."
Hiruzen was still quiet. I assumed he was probably in deep contemplation.
Then, he finally spoke. "Non-lethal," he emphasized, his voice soft but carried the weight of a solemn promise. "Agreed."
"Second," I continued. "Your ninjas."
"What about them?"
"They are trained killers. If a shinobi attacks me, I can't afford to play nice." I drew a jagged line on the paper. "Let's go with a three-strikes rule."
I held up three fingers.
"First Strike: defense and a verbal warning. I defend myself with non-lethal force and tell them to back off," I said, placing the first finger down. "Second Strike: Mild force. I disable them completely. Broken arm, concussion. Something that stops them as a warning," I placed the second finger down. "Third Strike," I dropped my hand, my expression turning cold. "Lethal force. If they come at me a third time, I put them in the ground. And the Village accepts it as self-defense."
Hiruzen went entirely silent. As he stared at me, I could tell that his tactical mind was calculating furiously. I knew he wouldn't approve a license to kill against his people, but I wanted to see how far he'd go to keep the village's last line of defense on its side.
"A Three-Strike rule," he muttered, while his eyes stayed focused. "It is... generous, actually. Most shinobi would strike to kill immediately."
Reverse psychology. He's trying to make it seem like he's fully on my side, but my eyes are fully open you sneaky bastard.
"What can I say, I'm a nice guy," I shrugged. "Like I said, I want a solution we can both be fine with."
"Very well," Hiruzen sighed, a profound sadness flickering in his eyes. "And the loyalty clause?"
"Change it to a consultative partnership," I said. "I will follow orders. But I reserve the right to refuse missions that violate my... let's call it personal ethics."
We spent the next hour hashing out the details. I proposed a stipend adjustment—inflation-indexed, naturally—access to attainable resources, and unsupervised training hours.
Finally, the scroll was filled with red ink and amendments.
"Are we done?" Hiruzen asked, looking exhausted.
"One last thing," I said, standing up. "The handshake."
"The... handshake?"
"In business," I said, extending my hand. "A deal isn't sealed until you shake on it. It's symbolic or whatever."
Hiruzen stood up, smoothing out his robes. He looked at my small hand, then at his own weathered one.
"Very well." he reached out and our palms made contact.
[ALERT!: INITIATING SPIRITUAL CONTRACT...]
[PARTY 1: NARUTO UZUMAKI]
[PARTY 2: HIRUZEN SARUTOBI]
Huuuuuh?! Spiritual what?!
FLASH.
The scroll began to glow with a violent, grey light. It lifted into the air, hovering between us like it was possessed. The ink on the page began to writhe, twisting into complex sealing scripts that I had never seen before.
"Naruto?!" Hiruzen barked. In an instant, the gentle old man vanished. His posture dropped into a flawless combat stance, his chakra flaring invisibly as his eyes widened in sheer alarm. "What's happening?!"
"I'm not sure! This isn't your doing?!" I shouted back, trying to pull my hand away.
But I couldn't. Our hands were stuck together.
[BINDING CONTRACT ESTABLISHED]
A binding contract?!
I saw black markings begin to wrap around Hiruzen's wrist, disappearing under his sleeve. I looked down and saw identical markings winding up my own arm. It wasn't painful, but the sensation was heavy and felt like chains wrapping around my very soul.
[TERMS LOCKED]
[PENALTY FOR BREACH: HEART FAILURE / SOUL ERASURE]
Soul Erasure?!
The scroll dropped back down, the glow fading instantly. The markings on our skin vanished, sinking into our flesh.
Hiruzen stumbled back, a hand flying to his chest as he gasped for air. He looked utterly terrified—a look he probably hadn't had in decades.
"That..." he wheezed, staring at his hand. "That looked like a Blood-Binding Seal. High-level fūinjutsu. No... it was far too different."
He looked at me, his eyes sharp as daggers, searching my face for any sign of betrayal or deceit. "You truly don't know what that was?"
I rubbed my wrist. I could still feel the phantom weight of the chains. "No," I said honestly, even though I knew it was the System's doing. "But I think it means that we literally can't break the deal."
Hiruzen swallowed hard. Then, he straightened his posture, regaining his composure with significant effort. "It seems... that the stakes have been raised," he said, feeling out his hand.
"Nothing too different from shinobi matters I suppose," I replied, trying to ease the tension.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, and looked like he was mentally filing the terrifying magical event away for an immediate crisis study. "Right, regarding your medical check-ups."
He gestured to the door.
"I have assigned a specific medic to monitor your condition. She is very trustworthy, and knows how to keep silent on important matters."
"Who?" I asked, eyebrow raised.
"Dr. Honaka," he responded. "She is the best diagnostician we have for unique chakra networks."
"And the teachers?" I asked. "Who's lucky enough to be blessed with me?"
"For your general knowledge," Hiruzen listed. "Special Jonin Ebisu. He is entirely by-the-book. He is exactly what you need to fix your fundamentals."
The closet pervert that was actually really good at his job, I thought. And someone I think the original Naruto should have had when he started the Academy.
"Okay," I acknowledged.
"And for your combat and survival training, Special Jonin Anko Mitarashi," Hiruzen said.
My eyes widened.
Anko? The chaotic, dango-eating maniac? I pondered. Ebisu would have been more than enough, but this is a huge upgrade too. The Old Man really wants me to be a shinobi, huh? I guess it makes sense especially after experiencing that contract being formed.
"In the past she was often ostracized by the village due to her connection with a certain situation," Hiruzen said. "I thought you two might find common ground."
Ah ha, there it is. The real reason for adding her on, I thought. Trying to get me to build ties to the village that would make betraying it hard. Smart. No wonder they call him the professor.
"I guess I'll see," I said. "Thanks, Old Man."
Hiruzen nodded, turning to the door. "I will leave you to prepare," he replied, as he pointed to some papers on the desk. "Your discharge papers are processed."
He walked out, and the door clicked shut behind him.
I sat there for a moment, listening to the silence. I looked at what was left of the scroll on the table.
Then, I looked at my hand. That was crazy, I mused. But very informative.
I stood up and stretched. The hospital room felt too small, now.
[NOTICE: DAILY QUEST: FORGING THE VESSEL]
[STATUS: ACTIVE]
"I guess it's time to grind," I said as I grabbed my orange jumpsuit jacket.
I checked the discharge papers Hiruzen pointed out, grinned, and walked right out the front door.
Two hours later, near the abandoned section of training ground 43, I was drenched in sweat.
"Ninety... eight..."
My knuckles were raw. I was punching a wooden post that had clearly seen better days.
"Ninety... nine..."
THWACK.
"One... hundred!"
I dropped my hands, letting out a long, controlled breath. My arms felt heavy, like lead weights were strapped to my wrists.
I crushed the 10km run in forty minutes. And the push-ups and squats were tedious but manageable.
Having a ninja's body is weird. I felt super-human, but at the same time, I felt limited or grounded in some areas. If I could equate it to anything it probably be like being a human superhero without powers. There are things about you that are at the peaks of human capabilities, but you're still limited by multiple factors like not having actual superpowers.
The real nightmare had been the Leaf Concentration exercise. Trying to balance a leaf on my forehead for thirty minutes with lousy control felt like trying to thread a needle while riding a rollercoaster.
When I asked the System about if the Fox's chakra was disrupting my control, it replied by saying that the seal was completely integrated into system storage upon the completion of the downloads, which allowed it to automatically filter out all negative effects.
So, my chakra control being ass now is because I suck, rather than something I could not control. I figured that I'd just have to get my [INT] stat up if I didn't wanna suck any more, so that was good to know.
After finishing the exercise, a chime rang out—the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.
[DAILY QUEST COMPLETE!]
[REWARDS GRANTED]:
1000 Ryo (Added to Wallet)
Full Recovery
+3 Stat Points
Random Loot Box
I accepted the [FULL RECOVERY] and a wave of warm energy washed over me. The heaviness in my limbs vanished instantly, and the raw skin on my knuckles knitted back together in seconds.
"Oh my god," I let out, rolling my neck. "That's going to be very addictive."
I went from exhausted to ready to fight a war in zero point five seconds.
I sat down on the grass and opened my inventory. There, sitting in a slot, was a small, ornate box with a question mark on it.
"Come on," I said, tapping the box. "Papa needs a brand new pair of shoes. Or a sword. A sword would be nice."
The box shook and burst open in a shower of digital confetti.
[ITEM OBTAINED: E-RANK GATE KEY]:
Description: A rusted iron key that summons a Gate to a specific ranked Dungeon.
[NOTICE: GATES ACT AS ACCESS POINTS TO DUNGEONS AND ARE INVISIBLE AND INACCESSIBLE TO NON-PLAYERS.]
[WARNING: DEATH INSIDE A DUNGEON IS PERMANENT.]
No re-dos or re-tries, huh? I pondered. So I gotta be really careful.
I stared at the key. It was bulky, but surprisingly light, and it had a unique design to it; looking almost like a small dagger.
"I really got this on the first daily quest? Crazy."
Suddenly, a notification flashed, explaining the mechanic.
[TUTORIAL TIP: GATE SYSTEM]:
Description: Activating Keys, summons Gates for the Player.
Objective: Complete Gates to yield loot, experience points, and keys for other Gates.
[CAUTION: TIME DILATION EFFECTS IN GATES MAY APPLY.]
Time dilation. That might be a big problem, I thought. Let's say I spend a week inside, how much time passes out here? An hour? A month? I can't risk disappearing from the village without knowing that information.
"Is there anything else I need to know about these Gates?" I asked. "Are there different types? Is E the lowest? How are they different from the ones from Solo Leveling?"
[LISTENING… ANSWERS AND EXPLAINATIONS]:
[THERE ARE DIFFERENT DUNGEON TYPES. GATE DUNGEONS, THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY KEYS EARNED FROM COMPLETING OTHER GATES. AND INSTANT/INSTANCE DUNGEONS, THAT ARE ACTIVATED BY SPECIFIC KEYS, ITEMS, QUESTS, OR EVENTS.]
[WHEN YOU ACTIVATES A GATE KEY, YOU MAY BE TELEPORTED TO AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO ENTER THE GATE OR THE GATE MAY COME TO YOU.]
[GATE KEYS ARE ASSIGNED FROM E (THE LOWEST RANK) TO S (THE HIGHEST RANK). TO ACHIEVE HIGHER RANKED GATE KEYS, YOU MUST MEET A SPECIFIC QUOTA FOR EACH GATE RANK.]
[NEXT QUOTA: YOU MUST DEFEAT 50 MONSTERS TO UNLOCK D-RANK GATES.]
[GATES HAVE THREE DISTINCT CLASSIFICATIONS: STANDARD DUNGEONS, TOWERS, & CASTLES.]
[STANDARD DUNGEONS CONSIST OF MAZE-LIKE ENVIRONMENTS FILLED WITH TRAPS AND MONSTERS. YOU MUST EITHER CLEAR THE ENVIRONMENT OR DEFEAT THE BOSS MONSTER TO EARN REWARDS.]
[YOU MUST UNLOCK ACCESS TO OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS TO GET INFORMATIONAL ACCESS.]
[GATES GARNER CURRENCY UPON COMPLETION]:
E: 5,000 Ryo
D: 20,000 Ryo
C: 75,000 Ryo
B: 250,000 Ryo
A: 1,000,000 Ryo
S: 10,000,000 Ryo
"That's extremely insightful," I said. "And those Ryo amount for completing Gates is ridiculous."
As I steered my attention back to the Key, a notification that said [AVAILAIBLE FOR USE], appeared above it.
I rested a hand on my chin as I began to contemplate my decision. Permanent death, repeated in my mind.
I was a Level 1 degenerate with no proper Taijutsu style, no Ninjutsu to rely on, and no gear on hand. All I had was a jumpsuit and a bad attitude.
Going in there now would be a major gamble, I mused. And gambling with my life right now doesn't sound too appealing.
"Nah, not yet," I decided, storing the key back into my inventory. "Gotta get a few more points first before tackling that."
I looked at the blue window still hovering in front of me. I thought about Hiruzen. I thought about the villagers. I thought about the threats from the Earth and threats from the sky that I knew were coming for this world in a few years.
Survival wasn't enough. Just being strong wasn't enough.
"System," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet afternoon air. "I want to set a primary objective. A long-term goal."
The blue window shimmered, awaiting input.
[LISTENING...]
"What I really want is to be stronger than anything in this world. And beyond it. Beyond the monsters in the gates, beyond the aliens that were coming, and beyond the gods that oversee them," I stated. "I want absolute dominance. Unlimited, terrifying power."
The System paused. For a moment, the window flickered rapidly, processing the sheer scale of the request. Then, the text turned gold.
[AMBITION ACKNOWLEDGED.]
[GENERATING LEGENDARY QUEST CHAIN...]
[MAIN QUEST: PATH TO OMNIPOTENCE]:
Description: You seeks to transcend the limits of mortality and the constraints of this reality. Becoming the apex of existence.
[FIRST MAJOR OBJECTIVE GOAL: REACH LEVEL 100]:
Progress: 1/100
[REWARDS PER MILESTONE]:
+10 Stat Points To All Stats (Every 100 Levels)
Legacy Title Evolution
I grinned, a sharp, feral expression that felt right at home on my new face.
"Now we're talking."