The night air was thick with tension. Hidden Leaf Village slept under the stars, unaware of the chaos quietly unfolding beneath their noses.
Twelve-year-old Naruto Uzumaki raced through the woods, clutching the Forbidden Scroll tightly to his chest. His breathing was ragged, adrenaline coursing through his veins. His mind buzzed with what he had just done — he had stolen a sacred artifact from the Hokage himself.
All to prove he was worth something.
"Damn it…" he panted, skidding to a stop in a small clearing deep in the forest. "I have to learn something powerful from this thing. Then Mizuki-sensei said I'll graduate for sure…"
He unrolled the massive scroll, eyes wide as rows upon rows of forbidden jutsu names spilled out before him. His gaze paused on the first one.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Naruto grinned. "Let's go."
Three hours later, the ground around Naruto was littered with dozens of unconscious or collapsed clones. He sat in the center, sweat dripping from his hair, his face locked in a wide, exhausted grin.
"I did it…" he murmured. "I finally… did it."
Suddenly, a sharp ping echoed in his head. He jolted upright, startled.
System Installed…
Initializing Host Synchronization…
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 12
Class: Unawakened Shinobi
Level: 1
XP: 100 / 100
Level Up!
"Huh?!" Naruto fell back, eyes darting around wildly. "W-what was that?! Who said that?!"
But there was no voice — just text, bright blue and shimmering in the air in front of him, like a screen only he could see.
+5 to All Attributes
+1 Skill Point Earned
New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Clone Jutsu (Level 1)
Perk Gained: Fast Learner
Description: XP gains increased by 50%
Naruto stared at the floating panel, his heartbeat thundering.
"This… is like a game."
Another ping echoed:
Welcome to the Shinobi Advancement System, Host.
Train. Level up. Survive. Become Hokage.
Naruto blinked, then broke into a grin so wide it nearly cracked his face.
"Hell yeah!"
A moment later, footsteps thudded in the distance. Naruto dismissed the screen with a thought, just as Mizuki emerged from the trees, huffing and sweating.
"There you are," Mizuki said, forcing a smile. "You've done well, Naruto. Now… hand me the scroll."
Naruto hesitated. Something was off. His gut twisted.
"You said if I learned a jutsu, I could graduate. But… why'd you want me to steal it?"
Mizuki's eyes darkened. "You're even dumber than I thought."
In a flash, the chunin drew a massive shuriken from his back and hurled it. Naruto's body moved instinctively, dodging to the side, but the edge grazed his arm, drawing blood.
"Why…?"
Mizuki smirked. "Because you're the Nine-Tails brat. The village will never accept you — you're just a monster sealed in human skin."
The words hit like kunai. Naruto's breath caught. He stumbled back.
Then, another ping:
Emergency Quest Activated: Survive the Betrayal!
Objective: Defeat Mizuki
Rewards:
– 500 XP
– Skill: Basic Chakra Sense
– System Shop Unlocked
Naruto's eyes widened. "Quest…?"
Mizuki charged, confident and fast.
But Naruto was faster.
He bit his thumb, forming a quick seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a poof, a dozen clones appeared. Not illusions — real, solid, and angry. Mizuki's smirk vanished.
"What the hell?! You mastered a jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll?!"
"Damn right I did!" Naruto shouted. "And I'm gonna do more than that!"
He and his clones surged forward. Mizuki panicked, swinging wildly, but the clones swarmed him from all sides. Punches, kicks, headbutts — a brutal flurry of unrelenting chaos.
In less than a minute, he was on the ground, groaning in pain, barely conscious.
Quest Complete: Survive the Betrayal!
+500 XP
Level Up!
New Skill Unlocked: Chakra Sense (Level 1)
System Shop Unlocked
Naruto panted, wiping sweat from his brow as Mizuki fell unconscious.
Then another figure stepped into the clearing.
"I saw everything."
Naruto froze.
"Iruka-sensei…"
Iruka stared at him with wide, conflicted eyes. "You protected the scroll… and defeated a chunin. You…"
"I'm sorry," Naruto said, his voice cracking. "I just… I wanted to prove I wasn't a failure."
Iruka knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've proven more than that. You're not a monster, Naruto. You're a hero."
Naruto's throat tightened. For the first time, someone was looking at him not with hatred… but pride.
Another ping echoed softly:
Bond Formed: Iruka Umino (Trust)
Effect: +10% XP gain when training with Iruka
Naruto didn't know what this "System" truly was, or where it came from… but he knew one thing:
This was his chance.
No more weakness. No more loneliness. No more being left behind.
He would train. He would grow. He would level up.
And one day, he'd become the greatest Hokage the village had ever known.