"Since you know your abilities are lacking, you need to work harder!" Iruka's voice carried the weight of a thrown kunai, sharp and deliberate. "Skipping class and pulling pranks all day won't make you stronger."
Naruto blinked, stunned by the seriousness in his teacher's eyes.
He knew Iruka-sensei cared. He always had. But still…
"Iruka-sensei, I really, really do try my best!" Naruto blurted, his hands waving as if to underline the point. "Maybe I'm just… really stupid. Maybe I was destined to be a Diao Che Wei—a nobody—since the day I was born."
Iruka let out a slow breath and reached out, his palm warm as it ruffled Naruto's unruly hair. "No, Naruto. You have potential. I can see it. You can get better."
Naruto looked up, hope and doubt tangled in his bright blue eyes.
"I know you're trying," Iruka continued, his voice softening. "But I want you to push a little harder. Be a little more diligent. Things can change if you don't give up."
"If I work hard," Naruto asked quietly, "will I definitely get stronger?"
Iruka hesitated. He didn't want to lie. "Hard work doesn't always guarantee success in this ninja world," he admitted, "but if you don't work hard, hope becomes even smaller."
Naruto bit his lip, the words sinking in. Then he clenched his fists. "Okay, Iruka-sensei. I'll work hard!"
A rare, gentle smile warmed Iruka's face. He patted Naruto's head again. "I believe in you, Naruto."
Something in Naruto's chest tightened. His nose stung, eyes prickling with heat. Iruka-sensei… he really cares. He's the only one who sees me.
"I understand, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto's voice wavered but grew stronger with each word. "Starting today, I'll try ten—no—a hundred times harder! I won't let you down!"
The vow hung in the air like a freshly forged blade.
---
A Voice from Nowhere
Suddenly, a metallic chime rang inside Naruto's head.
[Uzumaki Naruto, your determination to become stronger has been detected. Charging…]
[Three… Two… One… Connection complete.]
[Initiating Hokage Training Support System.]
Naruto's jaw dropped. "Wha—what the heck was that?!"
[Assigning Host: Uzumaki Naruto. Initial program loading…]
His thoughts scrambled. Did that voice just say "Hokage System"?
---
The Next Morning
Naruto sat unusually still at his desk in the academy. The voice from the night before still echoed through his mind, chilling him more than the early spring air.
He wanted to tell Iruka, but every time he tried to form the words, it felt as though the strange presence in his head clamped down on his tongue.
What is this System?
He scratched at his scalp, whispering under his breath. "Seriously… what's going on?"
The cold, mechanical voice answered instantly.
[The System is a program that assists the Host in fulfilling chosen goals. Obey the System's rules to obtain unimaginable rewards.]
[This unit is the Hokage Shooting System. Its purpose: to help the Host defeat rivals and achieve the dream of becoming Hokage more quickly.]
Naruto's heart thumped. He didn't understand all the technical stuff, but one phrase blazed like a bonfire: help you become Hokage faster.
"So you… you can help me become Hokage?" he whispered, barely containing his excitement.
[Affirmative.]
A grin split his face. "Awesome! Tell me what to do and I'll do it!"
[The Host must follow the cultivation schedule created by the System.]
"That's it? Just follow your plan?"
[Correct.]
Naruto pumped his fist. "Then let's start right now!"
[Acknowledged. System activated. Scanning current attributes… First training schedule generated.]
A pause, then:
[The Host is currently in a theoretical-ninja-arts class. Directive: Focus all attention on the lesson. Any violation will result in Lightning Release Baptism.]
Naruto blinked. "…Lightning Release Baptism? What's that supposed to—"
---
Shock Therapy
A violent crack split the air inside his skull.
BOOM!
A surge of searing energy slammed through his body. Every muscle spasmed as if he'd grabbed a live lightning cable.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The scream ripped out before he could stop it.
To the rest of the classroom, it looked like Naruto had simply lost his mind.
Iruka stopped mid-lecture, chalk poised in the air. "Naruto! What are you doing now?"
The pain burned from the inside out, buzzing across his skin like a thousand angry bees. Naruto convulsed in his seat, teeth clenched, vision sparkling with white static.
"Nothing!" he croaked when he could finally speak, forcing a shaky grin.
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. "One more outburst and you're standing in the hallway!"
Normally Naruto wouldn't care. Standing outside often meant sneaking a whispered joke with Choji or Shikamaru, the only two boys who ever treated him like a friend. Sometimes he suspected Iruka deliberately grouped them as hallway partners just to help him bond with someone.
But today? No way. If the System thought he wasn't concentrating, that lightning torture would hit again.
"Y-Yes, Iruka-sensei! I'll pay attention! Promise!"
Iruka blinked, surprised by the immediate compliance. "That's… new."
He gave a small, approving nod and turned back to the board. The other students traded puzzled glances.
Uchiha Sasuke merely arched an eyebrow, silent as ever.
Sakura barely noticed, her chin propped on her hand while she gazed at Sasuke as if he were carved from starlight.
From the next row, Akimichi Choji slid a potato chip into his mouth and whispered, "Shikamaru, what's with Naruto today? Did he switch personalities?"
Shikamaru, head pillowed on crossed arms, only grunted—a half-asleep "troublesome."
Choji shrugged and crunched another chip.
---
Struggling to Obey
Naruto sat ramrod straight, sweat beading at his temple. Full concentration. Full concentration, he chanted silently.
But Iruka's lecture on projectile trajectories—"the flight path of a shuriken is a classic parabola"—made his eyelids droop. His mind itched to wander.
The voice returned, icy and inexorable.
[Warning. Host attention dropping. Prepare for Lightning Release Baptism. Countdown: Five… Four… Three…]
"Wait, wait, I'm listening!" Naruto hissed under his breath, gripping his hair as if he could physically hold the thoughts in place.
The countdown stopped.
[Maintain focus.]
"Yes, ma'am, sir, whatever you are!" he whispered fiercely.
He fixed his gaze on the board, etching every chalk mark into memory as if his life depended on it—which, in a way, it did.
---
Minutes dragged by like hours. Each time his mind threatened to drift—toward lunch, toward Sasuke's smug face, toward a new prank idea—the voice pulsed a warning and his body snapped rigid.
For once, Naruto became the quietest, most attentive student in the room.
Iruka kept glancing over, his expression a mix of suspicion and pride. "Maybe," he thought, "my words finally got through to him."
---
Determination
By the end of class, Naruto was trembling from the effort of staying laser-focused. But beneath the exhaustion burned a fierce excitement.
A system that could train him. Lightning jolts or not, it was a path—maybe the path—to his dream.
I'll do it, he vowed, clenching his fists under the desk. Whatever it takes, dattebayo. I'll show them all. I'll be Hokage.
---