Sasuke Uchiha... Satsuki Uchiha?
No, no, no... Calm down, how is this possible?
Naruto blinked hard, trying to banish the image of the cold-faced, black-haired boy from his mind. The Emo Kid was a boy! That chuunibyou who was always talking about "revenge" and shooting lightning from his hands, how could he possibly become this adorable, albeit tsundere, little girl?
It must be a coincidence... Yes, definitely a coincidence!
However, as he carefully studied Satsuki's face, he noticed that from certain angles, there was indeed a hint of familiarity.
That face...
Naruto realized something. Sasuke was already top-tier in terms of looks in the original series. If he were gender-bent...
No, no! What am I thinking?!
The Emo Kid turning into a girl? What kind of bizarre Naruto timeline is this? Or is this a butterfly effect caused by my transmigration?
Countless questions exploded in his mind, but Naruto still managed to retain his basic social etiquette. He certainly wasn't foolish enough to ask, "Um... are you actually a boy?"
That would be an incredibly rude question, and he'd be in deep trouble if she thought he was a pervert.
In the end, all his chaotic thoughts coalesced into a single, dry farewell.
"I see... Well, see you around."
Hearing Naruto's promise to come find her again, a small flutter of joy sparked in Satsuki's heart. She tried to keep her face straight, but the corners of her mouth curled up into a tiny, uncontrollable smile.
"Mhm, if you don't have anyone to practice with..."
She turned away, pretending to be reluctant. "I guess I can keep you company."
With that, she walked off in the direction of the Uchiha compound without looking back, giving a casual little wave as if she didn't care at all. However, the moment she turned the corner and was sure Naruto couldn't see her, Satsuki covered her mouth, her large eyes curving into crescents.
This is the first time... I've made a friend from outside the clan.
She skipped across the patches of light on the stone path, her steps feeling much lighter than usual.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who remained behind, was plunged into unprecedented chaos.
He watched Satsuki's retreating figure, his brain buzzing as if a thousand Shadow Clones had simultaneously used the "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu."
No, no, it has to be a coincidence!
Despite his desperate attempts at self-reassurance, the damning "evidence" kept flashing through his mind. In the original series, Sasuke was often jokingly referred to as "Naruto's true female lead."
From their first meeting to their final reconciliation, every line of dialogue between them was so ambiguous it was almost romantic, not to mention that accidental yet fated first kiss...
The power of Konoha friendship is terrifying.
Just as Naruto was struggling to sort out his thoughts...
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification sound suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host: You have established an initial bond with the original character "Sasuke Uchiha"!]
[Reward: System officially activated, 500 points awarded!]
Thud.
Naruto fell flat on his face. It really is him... Sasuke... really became a girl?!
That's right, Naruto did have a system—which wasn't particularly surprising. For a transmigrator, it was practically standard issue.
The system had existed in his consciousness since he was an infant. However, until now, the semi-transparent system interface had only displayed a single, cold line of text:
[Awaiting Plot Activation]
No matter how Naruto tried to communicate with it, test it, or even angrily wave his tiny fists in protest from his crib, the system remained as stubborn as a rock, completely unresponsive. Over time, Naruto had no choice but to resign himself to waiting for the so-called "plot activation."
I thought I'd have to wait until Mizuki tricked me into stealing the Scroll of Seals...
Naruto grumbled to himself. According to the original timeline, that was the true starting point of his "story."
However, fate seemed to enjoy playing jokes.
Who could have guessed that this system, dormant for years, would be unexpectedly activated by the gender-bent version of the Emo Kid, Satsuki Uchiha?!
Naruto's feelings were complicated. He walked mechanically, his eyes fixed on the now-illuminated system interface.
[Bond System]
[Establish connections and form different bonds with original characters to earn System Points!]
[The deeper your influence on the original story, the more points you will receive~]
[Points can be used for the System Lottery—Ninjutsu, Senjutsu, Dojutsu, Kekkei Genkai... everything you could want!]
[Work hard to form bonds!]
The streetlights flickered on one by one. He stared at the words "Dojutsu" and "Kekkei Genkai," his throat unconsciously tightening.
Simple, but direct.
Three years of curiosity and waiting had now materialized. There was no cumbersome system shop, no complicated exchange list. The entire interface was almost bare, with the only option being the conspicuous [Lottery] button, or more accurately...
Isn't this just a gacha system?!
[Bond System]—the name blatantly put the theme of Naruto on full display. By this logic, even if he just followed the original plot, he could easily accumulate a large number of bond points by befriending the Konoha 12, becoming Jiraiya's student, or even getting entangled with the villains.
But the system had thoughtfully added a hint—the deeper your influence, the more points you get.
This meant he didn't have to waste time trying to please the ignorant villagers or force himself to cater to their prejudiced views.
"It's still a bundled deal, huh..."
His finger swiped over the lottery interface description. It was minimalist to the extreme—only a faintly glowing [10-Pull] button, costing 1000 points each time.
"500 points... so I'm already halfway to my first 10-pull."
"Establishing an initial bond with gender-bent Sasuke is worth 500 points? That's quite a lot."
Once he accepted the fact that "Sasuke Uchiha is a girl," Naruto felt no psychological burden in using that teasing nickname. It wasn't like the current Satsuki would suddenly jump out and Chidori him—probably.
Just as he was about to close the interface, a thought suddenly struck him.
Wait a minute! If the system's activation means I get rewards for forming bonds... does that mean I have a ready-made reward I can collect right now?!
Naruto's steps came to a sudden halt.
The next second, he turned around without hesitation. No longer heading towards his lonely little apartment, he broke into a run towards Konoha's bustling downtown area.
-------
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