A youthful man opened his eyes and found himself in a strange forest. The trees pulsed like blood vessels and bore round fruits that came in white or black. The luminous white fruits were like pearls, numerous but small. The black fruits, dark and lustrous, were few in number but large in size, like bowling balls.
"My host's memories are very strange…" the man mused to himself. Four blue balls of flame, bearing the symbols of water, wind, earth, and metal, hovered around him. They all lit up as if in agreement with him.
He wandered at a carefree pace until he found a door in the ground. He opened it and jumped in.
As he looked around at the place he had entered, his red-irised eyes lit up with interest, and his scarred face showed a cross between crying and laughter.
This new place was a messy but brightly lit room filled with various odds and ends of toys, books, and other things.
"So, this is my host's subconscious?" he asked in a plain voice. "What a mess! Oh, he's open for communication now! But now that I've appeared, let's change things up a little!"
He snapped his fingers. A small blue flame appeared on his fingertips. He placed it down on the floor, away from any significant-looking objects, and a decent-sized fire began to burn.
"And now, time to put on my best impression of Master!"
***
In Dacheng's mind, another dream he had never seen before took form as he slept. He once again felt like he had been submerged. But instead of rising to the colorful blurs above, his body began to sink into the deep, dark depths below. As his surroundings darkened, Dacheng was pulled downwards into the unknown.
When Dacheng regained focus, he was standing in front of blue flames. A mysterious man stood before him with his arms folded back, facing him. Four blue balls of flame surrounded him, facing the four directions. These were marked with four symbols: water, wind, earth, and metal, respectively.
"Yun Dacheng," the mysterious man spoke, his voice reverberating through Dacheng's head. "Yours is a path marked with adventure and danger. Great gains and great risks await you in the days to come. You may get hurt and fall. But remember, the strongest heart stands firm through hell or high water and burns bright in the darkest night."
Dacheng's mouth hung agape with shock.
The man continued. "Huh, so you're about to - "
As though a hand had grabbed onto his shirt, Dacheng was suddenly pulled upwards, and he woke up in his room in Mr. Tendō's ryokan.
His parents walked over and told him that Mr. Tendō had found him asleep in a different part of the ryokan. They scolded him for worrying them and also informed him that Mr. Tendō had invited him to a part-time job that probably involved him helping to clean the ryokan.
"OK," Dacheng said.
He decided not to question Mr. Tendō's choice. As long as he knew what had happened, and as long as he was sure of his truth, he couldn't care less if anyone didn't believe him. Or at least that was what he wanted to think.
Dacheng got a glance at an English newspaper, which his father had bought. He promptly borrowed it to give it a quick read-through.
The headline said, "The National Ministry of Defense's Minister's daughter found unharmed." He also found another article entitled, "Man missing for 10 years found unconscious."
Dacheng sighed in relief and then went to his side of the room again.
Once he ensured he was alone on his side of the room, Dacheng checked his pockets and as he expected, found the dog tags Mr. Tendō had given to him.
Yup, it happened, he thought. He put them on. But what happened to that system from earlier? Where is it?
Suddenly, a strange panel appeared in mid-air before his eyes.
Dacheng had once played an RPG - Dying Dream VI. Why was this relevant to the current situation? It was a window like the status window from this game that had appeared in front of him!
It probably manifested when I thought of the word "system." Dacheng thought.
The window in question was a blue rectangle with a white frame. His status and skills appeared on this screen.
[Name: Yun Dacheng]
[Element: Fire]
[HP: 15/15]
[JP: 0/50]
[Strength: 12]
[Technique: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Stamina: 12]
[Intelligence: 11]
[Perception: 12]
[Speed: 9]
[Shinobi Stars Rating: A fraction of a star]
I only have a fraction of a star?! Dacheng thought. Why, though?
He put the thought aside for the time being and continued reading.
[Current Status: You are "Well-Rested". No penalties to stats.]
Dacheng, satisfied with his status, decided to move on to his skills.
As he looked at them, he could tell that they weren't for conventional skills. At least, these skills weren't ones he could put on a job résumé.
[Skills]
[Focused Senses (Passive) - Awareness of your surroundings is vital for ninjas and all those who would master ninjutsu! You can now pick apart anything your senses pick up, though you still need more practice. This skill grants +1 point to Perception. Things not so well-hidden are barely visible to you. Whatever is not so quiet is almost hearable.]
[Endurance (Passive) - Ninjas face painful situations every day. All who would learn ninjutsu must endure the pain. You can now withstand more pain than usual. But you need practice. This skill awards -1 Physical Damage reduction and a +1 bonus to Stamina.]
[Healing Warmth (Passive) - When you wear the armor of Kabuto Seven, your body is restored to fighting condition by the warmth of flames. Any critical physical damage received before transformation is negated.]
[Martial Arts (Passive) - Ninjas and all who would learn ninjutsu must learn to train their bodies to fight. This skill awards a +1 bonus to Strength. You need more practice.]
[Foresight (Active) - Ninjas must learn to predict the enemy's next move. All who would learn ninjutsu mustn't skip this. There are several paths the opponent can take at any time, and the more you practice, the more of them you will see. Cost: 1 JP for each second this skill is activated.]
[Knife Throwing (Active) - You can throw a knife or sharp projectile at your target. This technique is useful for making quick getaways. The damage inflicted by this skill depends on the user's strength and the weapon's quality. Your current chance of landing a hit is 1% or 1 in every hundred shots. Cost: 10 JP]
[Katon no Jutsu - Dagger Bullet Ring (Sealed)- Charge up and manifest fire energy, and throw it into the target, spreading a ring of fire and exploding the target. This is a Jutsu that has never been seen before. Perhaps it will improve with time. Cost: 45 JP]
Hm… Dacheng was deep in thought. I'll assume that 'JP' stands for Jutsu Points. They're probably like MP but for ninjutsu. The Technique stat is probably how effective said Jutsus are.
And I'm pretty sure I know what those other stats are.
Dacheng made another observation. But the skill descriptions are rather strange. What's up with that? Perhaps this system is one of those sentient ones that like trolling their User?
Fire Bullet Ring is a technique that drains a LOT of my JP. Is that the only jutsu I know? Also, why don't I get status points or levels?
Oh, wait, Dacheng continued thinking, don't tell me. Is this the kind of system where you have to improve the stats yourself through hard work?! Oh well, a system is a system. I won't complain.
"Alright, let's go!" he shouted excitedly, pumping his fist like a kid at Christmas time.
"What are you shouting about?!" his mom yelled back. "Get over to Mr. Tendō for your part-time job!"
Dacheng sighed and then exited his room. He then went to look for Mr. Tendō.
He went to Mr. Tendō's room and lightly knocked.
The door opened, and Mr. Tendō gave his approval. Dacheng walked in and kneeled on a nearby pillow.
"I see you're here to ask about your job," Mr. Tendō said.
"Yes, sir," Dacheng replied.
"It's quite simple," Mr. Tendō said. "Now that you have seen our secrets, you can no longer live normally. Under the guise of being called for this part-time job, you will join the team of ninjas, Team Kabuto, and fight the evil ninjas from the Devil Storm Clan. However, I cannot guarantee the safety of you or your family."
Dacheng loved his parents. But he couldn't sit idly by and watch Japan fall.
What could he do? Well, whatever he chose, his family was in danger anyway.
If he joined, he would blame himself for his neglect. If not, he would blame himself for his laziness. So, he decided to be part of the solution instead.
"... I'll join," he said, with a look of resolution in his eyes.
"... I cannot tell you whether or not you made the best choice." Mr. Tendō said. "Only time will tell. However, you still have a part-time job - you need to help out around the ryokan for as long as you'll be here!"
"WHAT?!" Dacheng's eyes grew as wide as plates, as he felt his jaw hit the floor.
And so, here ends this part of our story. A young man with a bizarre dream now fights for justice, standing against the evil Devil Storm Clan alongside his six companions. They are the Seven Kabuto Ninjas!