Another review, TF? (ಠ_ಠ)>⌐■-■
....
Chapter 8: The Opportunity to Grow Stronger
Naruto returned to his small apartment with satisfaction, eager to properly study his system.
Pushing open the door, he surveyed his modest but meticulously organized living space. The single bed had sheets folded with military precision, ninja tools and books arranged neatly on the desk, and even the floor polished to a spotless shine—nothing like what you'd expect from a child living alone.
He walked straight to the kitchen and pulled a carton of milk from the refrigerator. Yes, a refrigerator.
Every time Naruto saw these modern appliances, he couldn't help but want to complain about the Naruto world's technology tree. In an era where people traveled by horse-drawn cart and communication relied on written letters, somehow they had electric refrigerators, induction cookers, even movies and vending machines.
Probably some kind of alternate cyberpunk setting...
Shaking off these irrelevant thoughts, Naruto opened his system interface. His points displayed as 1,100—just as he'd left Ichiraku Ramen, the system notification had chimed again.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: Bond with canonical character "Teuchi (Ichiraku-ojisan)" has reached Level 6!]
[Points obtained: 100!]
So the most effective way to increase a chef's affection was to show appreciation for his cooking.
Naruto set his half-finished milk on the nightstand and rubbed his palms together. Now came the moment of truth!
As a former low-tier whale who'd managed to pull S-rank ninjas with just 100 draws plus his starter bonus back in his mobile game days, he had decent confidence in his luck.
"Come on! Ten-pull draw!"
Without hesitation, Naruto clicked the ten-pull button on his system interface. His points instantly plummeted from 1,100 to 100. Immediately after, the system's notification chimed crisply in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: First ten-pull draw completed!]
[Bonus reward: System Space!]
[Item Description: System Space is an independent storage dimension bound to this system, visible only to the host. Can be controlled freely through consciousness, with unlimited capacity, but can only store items produced by this system!]
Storage space? This system was pretty generous... though only for system items, so he couldn't use it like Obito's Kamui dimension.
But right now, he was more interested in what he'd actually drawn. Sure enough, ten cards glowing with soft light were neatly arranged on the system interface. However, when he saw the card design clearly, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Wait... this design...
The card backs featured familiar blue backgrounds with gold borders, and there was even a strange stone in the center... Wasn't this the card design from Hearthstone?! This thing was actually doing game crossovers?!
Naruto suppressed his urge to complain and tapped one of the cards.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Chakra +5]
[Item Description: Quality - Common. The source of power in the Naruto world, physiological energy extracted from the body's 130 trillion cells. Reference values: Average Chunin = 10, Hatake Kakashi = 50]
I see, so it directly increases chakra capacity...
Naruto suddenly felt somewhat amused. So I just gained 0.1 Kakashi worth of chakra?
Using Kakashi as a unit of measurement felt a bit wrong, didn't it?
"If Kakashi is 50..." he unconsciously muttered to himself, "then how much chakra do I currently have?"
The moment he finished speaking, the system immediately responded.
[Host's current chakra: 205]
Oh? Pretty smart.
Naruto was somewhat surprised. Though the functions were simple, it would actually answer questions—how considerate.
"200 chakra points... that's 4 Kakashis."
This number made him gasp. You had to understand—the current Naruto hadn't even begun formal chakra refinement training, yet his base chakra capacity was already four times that of Kakashi, an elite jounin.
Not to mention... inside his body lived a massive fox made entirely of chakra.
Naruto eagerly continued opening the remaining cards.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Chakra Metal 500g]
[Item Description: Special forging material that can conduct chakra, commonly used to craft high-grade ninja tools]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Taijutsu Training Weight Equipment (Rock Lee Model)]
[Item Description: Adjustable weights, maximum 1 ton per piece!]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Military Ration Pills ×10]
[Item Description: Each restores 10 chakra points, bitter taste]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Basic Taijutsu Enhancement!]
[Item Description: Comprehensive 5% improvement to all physical attributes]
The moment he opened the fifth card, the system suddenly emitted a familiar notification sound.
"Rare!"
Immediately after, a warm current surged from within his body, quickly flowing throughout every limb. Naruto moved his arms and legs in amazement, clearly feeling his muscles become more compact and his joints more flexible.
His body had been enhanced?! The effects were this immediate?
It seemed the system's rewards were even more reliable than he'd imagined. Naruto's spirits lifted as he immediately continued opening the remaining cards.
[Congratulations! Obtained: 10,000 Ryo (Naruto World Currency)]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Chakra +5]
[Congratulations! Obtained: Fire Element Chakra Affinity and Nature Transformation Mastery!]
Another "Rare!" notification sounded. This time, Naruto felt a scorching sensation emerge within his body. Unlike the previous warm enhancement, this felt more like some kind of talent awakening. He could clearly sense that the chakra within his body seemed more active, and his affinity for fire-element techniques had significantly improved.
So this was a talent-type reward.
Only two cards remained. Naruto stared at the system interface, his heartbeat unconsciously accelerating. He was quite excited about the system's so-called "Legendary" level rewards—if he directly pulled a pair of Rinnegan, wouldn't that be an instant power spike?
Taking a deep breath, his finger trembling slightly, he opened the second-to-last card.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Chakra Metal 500g]
Another one of these...
Though he knew chakra-conducting metal was precious material for crafting high-grade ninja tools, what use was this to him right now? He couldn't forge anything, and there wasn't anywhere to get high-quality blades made. Should he go ask the Third Hokage for help? How would he explain where this rare metal came from?
"Oh, I just found this lying around"? Would anyone believe that?
Shaking his head to dismiss these pointless worries, Naruto focused on the final card. The moment his fingertip made contact, the system suddenly erupted in unprecedented brilliant purple light, and a deep, stirring notification exploded in his mind.
"EPIC!"
[Congratulations! Obtained: Naruto Movie Special Selection Box!]
[Item Description: Choose one of the following three options:]
1. Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra
2. Uzumaki Menma (Template Experience Card - 3 Uses)
3. Special Summon: Jackal
Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the three options floating before him. Each choice pulsed with potential, but his adult mind immediately began calculating the pros and cons.
The Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra would grant him immense power, but came with the risk of corruption. The jackal summon was intriguing—a unique contract that didn't exist in the original series. But the Uzumaki Menma template...
Menma from Road to Ninja, he realized.
The alternate universe version of myself who mastered techniques I never could.
Three uses of a template that would temporarily grant him the skills, knowledge, and abilities of his movie counterpart. In a world where he already had meta-knowledge, that kind of experience could be invaluable for understanding advanced techniques he'd need years to master naturally.
"System," he said aloud, "can you provide more details about each option?"
[Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra: Massive power boost, but may influence host's personality toward darkness]
[Uzumaki Menma Template: Temporarily gain abilities of alternate self, including advanced jutsu mastery and combat experience]
[Special Summon Jackal: Unique animal partner with intelligence and loyalty, grows stronger alongside host]
Naruto leaned back against his pillow, milk forgotten as he weighed his options. Power, knowledge, or companionship—each represented a different path forward.
In the original series, Naruto's greatest strength had never been his jutsu or his chakra reserves. It had been his ability to connect with others, to inspire loyalty and friendship even in his enemies.
But in this world where Sasuke is Satsuki, where everything might be different...
He thought about the lonely Uchiha girl who'd tried so hard to hide her excitement at making a friend. About Ichiraku-ojisan's kindness. About all the bonds he could forge in this second chance at life.
"I choose option two," he said firmly. "Uzumaki Menma Template Experience Card."
[Selection confirmed! Uzumaki Menma Template Experience Card (3 Uses) added to System Space!]
[Note: Each use lasts 30 minutes and grants complete access to template abilities. Use wisely!]
As the epic glow faded from his interface, Naruto felt a surge of anticipation. With 100 points remaining, enhanced physical abilities, fire-nature mastery, and three chances to temporarily become a version of himself with years of additional training and experience, he was finally ready to begin changing this world's story.
'Tomorrow' he decided, 'I'll start training properly. And maybe... just maybe... I'll run into a certain Uchiha girl who might want to practice together.'
Outside his window, the Hokage Monument stood silhouetted against the starlit sky, and somewhere in the Uchiha compound, Satsuki was probably lying awake thinking about her new friend.
The Bond System hummed quietly in the background, already scanning for new connection opportunities.
This was only the beginning.
****
15 advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces