Four days before the Chūnin Exams.
Naruto stood on the rooftop of a small weapons shop in the eastern quarter of Konoha, his eyes scanning the streets below. His chakra senses flared every few seconds, trying to track the unfamiliar signatures that had been flickering in and out of range.
> Side Quest: Intelligence Gathering
Objective: Investigate suspicious chakra presences near Training Grounds
Sub-Objective Progress:
Investigate ANBU-like figures → ✅
Examine scroll left at Training Ground 3 → 🔲
Speak with Iruka about ROOT → 🔲
Reward Tier: 1/3 complete
Naruto crouched lower, heart pounding in his chest.
It wasn't just paranoia anymore.
Three times in the past week, his system had blocked chakra probes. And twice now, he'd seen something — shadows moving too fast, chakra too flat, like trained suppressors.
ANBU, maybe.
But not Konoha's.
---
He leapt from the rooftop, landing silently behind the old wooden fence that bordered Training Ground 3. The space had been empty for years, used only for reserve squads or private duels.
And now… it held a scroll.
Right in the center of the field.
Too obvious.
Trap, he thought immediately.
Still, he approached.
When he was ten feet away, he sent a clone forward. The clone knelt, eyes scanning the scroll's exterior, then gently unrolled it.
Nothing exploded.
No ink seals activated.
Just a single line of chakra-etched script:
> "The System can be controlled. Seek the Fracture."
The clone froze.
Naruto blinked, stepping forward and retrieving the scroll himself.
> New Data Entry: "Fracture" Registered
Origin: Unknown
Data Analyzed:
Message is sealed to your signature only
No explosive chakra detected
Implication: There are multiple systems, or fragments
Optional Objective Added:
→ Seek out the "Fracture"
Reward: Unlock Hidden Skill Tree (???)
Warning: Others are searching too.
---
Naruto returned to the village proper just after sunset. As he made his way to Ichiraku for dinner, he spotted Iruka-sensei sitting at one of the side stools.
Naruto hesitated.
Then approached.
"Iruka-sensei," he said casually, sliding onto the seat beside him, "have you ever heard of something called ROOT?"
Iruka's expression changed in an instant.
His smile vanished.
"Why are you asking about that?"
"Just… heard the name. Curious."
Iruka didn't answer right away. Instead, he paid for his bowl, stood, and nodded for Naruto to follow him down the alley.
Once they were alone, he spoke.
"ROOT isn't just a unit," he said quietly. "It's a shadow. Danzo Shimura's personal black-ops group. Disbanded officially years ago — but everyone knows they're still around. Operating without the Hokage's direct orders. Dangerous."
"Why would they care about me?"
Iruka looked him in the eye.
"You're the Nine-Tails' container. You're also the most unpredictable Genin in the village. And lately… you've changed."
Naruto swallowed.
"Stay sharp, Naruto. ROOT doesn't make mistakes. And they don't ask questions."
---
> Side Quest Completed: Intelligence Gathering
Optional Objective Unlocked: "Seek the Fracture"
Reward: Hidden Stat – Luck revealed
LUCK: 37 (Base: 5, System Alteration: +32)
New Trait Gained: Unseen Threads
→ You gain slight influence over minor events, coincidences, and luck-based outcomes
→ Passive probability shift (Tier 1)
Naruto stared at the screen in disbelief.
Thirty-seven?
That was… absurd.
Even without knowing what the average was, he could feel it. Coincidences that had no right happening. Enemies tripping over themselves. Seals that triggered just late enough for him to dodge.
The system was more than just power.
It was interference.
And now others were looking for pieces of it.
---
Elsewhere in Konoha…
Inside a shadowed chamber beneath the main archives, Danzo Shimura read the latest report from his private informants.
> "Uzumaki retrieved the Fracture Scroll. No signs of immediate activation. Subject's chakra continues to display erratic augmentation patterns. Recommendation: Direct extraction."
Danzo frowned.
"No. Not yet."
He tapped his fingers slowly on the scroll.
"The boy is unstable. But if trained properly… molded…"
He smiled.
"…he could be the perfect weapon."
---
Three days before the Chūnin Exams.
Naruto returned to the training ground to find Sasuke already there — surrounded by shattered wooden dummies, shuriken embedded in every available surface.
"You're early," Naruto said.
"You're late," Sasuke replied, not looking at him.
Naruto stepped into the ring and created five clones, each holding a training weapon. They encircled Sasuke.
"No warm-up?"
Sasuke smirked. "You're the one who needs it."
They clashed instantly — blades ringing, chakra pulsing.
But it wasn't anger between them anymore.
It was pressure. Mutual challenge.
Sakura arrived an hour later, just in time to see the last two clones wiped out in a flash of Sasuke's speed.
She clapped once.
"You two done measuring egos?"
They turned to her — tired, but grinning.
Team 7 was ready.
Or so they thought.
---
> System Alert: Global Event Starting Soon
Chūnin Exam Phase I – Intelligence Trial
Duration: 45 minutes
Objective: Extract and secure written intelligence from hostile team
Bonus Objective: No detection
Note: All results will be reviewed by elite Jōnin and foreign observers.
---
In a darkened apartment across the village, a lone Genin from Sunagakure — eyes cold, chakra strangely quiet — stared at a photograph of Naruto Uzumaki.
His fingers twitched.
His gourd rattled softly.
"Mother wants blood," he whispered.
"And I think… he'll do nicely."