Chapter 6: The Cliché System
Uchiha Sasuke... Uchiha Satsuki?
No, no, no... calm down. How could this be possible?
Naruto blinked hard, trying to banish the image of that cold-faced, black-haired boy from his mind. The second pillar was definitely a boy! That chuunibyou who constantly talked about "revenge" and went around acting all cool—how could he possibly become this adorable little girl who, despite her tsundere attitude, was cute enough to make his heart skip?
It had to be a coincidence... right, definitely just a coincidence!
However, when he carefully studied Satsuki's small face, he found certain angles did carry a familiar quality.
That face value...
Naruto realized something. In the original series, Sasuke had always been top-tier in terms of looks. If he were gender-bent into a girl...
No, no! What am I even thinking?!
The second pillar becoming a girl? What kind of bizarre Naruto timeline was this? Or was this some butterfly effect caused by his own transmigration?
Countless questions exploded in his mind, but Naruto still retained basic social etiquette. He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to ask something like, "Um... you're actually a boy, right?"
That kind of incredibly rude question would definitely get him labeled as a pervert.
In the end, all his chaotic thoughts condensed into a dry farewell.
"I see... then let's meet again sometime."
Hearing Naruto's promise to come find her to play again, Satsuki felt a subtle flutter of joy in her heart. She tried to keep her small face stern, but the corners of her mouth still curved upward into a tiny smile beyond her control.
"Hmm, if no one else will practice with you..."
She turned around with feigned reluctance. "I suppose I could keep you company."
After speaking, she walked toward the Uchiha compound without looking back, casually waving her small hand as if she couldn't care less. However, once she turned the corner and was certain Naruto couldn't see her anymore, Satsuki covered her mouth with both hands, her big eyes curving into crescents.
This was the first time... she'd made a friend outside the clan.
She skipped along the stone path, stepping through patches of dappled sunlight, her footsteps noticeably lighter than usual.
Meanwhile, Naruto remained at the training ground, trapped in unprecedented confusion.
He stared at Satsuki's gradually disappearing figure, his brain buzzing as if a thousand shadow clones had simultaneously cast "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
No, no, no, it had to be a coincidence!
Despite desperately trying to console himself, those damned "evidence" kept flashing through his mind. In the original series, Sasuke was always jokingly called "Naruto's real female lead."
From their first meeting to their final reconciliation, every line of dialogue between them was ambiguously charged, not to mention that accidental yet destined first kiss...
Knocked out by Konoha's friendship.
Just as Naruto struggled to untangle his thoughts—
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification suddenly rang in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host: Initial bond established with canonical character "Uchiha Sasuke"!]
[Reward: System officially activated, 500 points obtained!]
"Thud!"
Naruto face-planted directly onto the ground. It really was him... Sasuke... had really become a girl?!
---
That's right, Naruto did indeed possess a system—which wasn't particularly surprising. For transmigrators, this thing was practically standard equipment.
This system had existed in his consciousness since infancy, though until now, the semi-transparent interface had only displayed one cold line of text:
[Waiting for plot activation]
No matter how Naruto tried to communicate, probe, or even angrily wave his tiny fists in protest from his crib, the system remained like a stubborn stone, completely unresponsive. Over time, Naruto could only resignedly wait for this so-called "plot activation."
I thought I'd have to wait until Mizuki tricked me into stealing the Scroll of Seals...
Little Naruto grumbled internally. According to the original timeline, that was when his "story" truly began.
However, fate always seemed to enjoy playing jokes.
Who could have imagined that this system, dormant for years, would be accidentally activated by the gender-bent version of the second pillar—Uchiha Satsuki?!
Naruto's emotions were complex as he mechanically walked forward, his gaze fixed on the finally illuminated system interface.
[Bond System]
[By establishing connections with canonical characters and forming different bonds, you will obtain system points!]
[The deeper your impact on the story, the more points you'll receive~]
[Points can be used for system draws—ninjutsu, senjutsu, dojutsu, kekkei genkai... everything is available!]
[Please work hard to forge bonds!]
Street lamps lit up one by one as he stared at the words "dojutsu" and "kekkei genkai," his Adam's apple unconsciously bobbing.
Simple and direct.
Three years of curiosity and waiting had crystallized into reality. There was no complex system shop, no complicated exchange lists. The entire interface was clean to the point of being sparse, with only one prominent option—that eye-catching [Draw] button. Or more accurately...
This was basically a gacha game!
[Bond System]—the name laid Naruto's core theme bare. Following this logic, even if he proceeded along the original plot, he could easily obtain massive amounts of bond points. Becoming friends with the Konoha Twelve, building a master-student relationship with Jiraiya, even developing entanglements with the villains from the series.
Though the system thoughtfully reminded him—the deeper the impact on the story, the more points he'd receive.
This meant he didn't need to waste time pleasing those ignorant villagers or force himself to cater to those prejudiced gazes.
"Still a bundled purchase system, huh..."
His finger traced over the draw interface description. The entire interface was simplified to the extreme—only one softly glowing [Ten-Pull Draw] button, consuming 1000 points each time.
"500 points... so I'm already halfway to my first ten-pull."
"Establishing an initial bond with gender-bent second pillar is worth five hundred points? That's actually quite a lot."
Once he accepted the setting that "Uchiha Sasuke is a girl," Naruto felt no psychological burden using that playfully mocking nickname. After all, the current Satsuki couldn't suddenly jump out and hit him with a Chidori—probably.
Just as he was about to close the interface, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Wait! If system activation means establishing bonds gives rewards... don't I have existing rewards I can claim right now?!
Naruto's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The next second, he turned around without hesitation, no longer heading toward that cold, empty apartment, but instead sprinting toward Konoha's commercial district.
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