"System? Golden Finger?"
"Damn it! It still doesn't work?"
The boy waved his small fists in the air, frustrated by his inability to unlock anything extraordinary.
After venting his anger for an indeterminate amount of time, he collapsed onto the bed and muttered:
"Why do others get a system or become transmigrated geniuses, while I'm stuck with nothing, just a civilian orphan? Damn it!"
As he spoke, he raised his middle finger toward the starry sky, a childish attempt to catch the attention of the entity behind the dimensional rift.
Luckily for him, this place wasn't under its jurisdiction.
After all, insulting a cosmic entity wasn't exactly the brightest idea from the boy.
"Besides my lack of a system, I have to get used to all this -san, -kun stuff, and my new… name," he grumbled, sighing in frustration.
Rin Okumura.
(Image)
He was a civilian orphan from the village of Konoha. Both of his parents had recently been killed during a bandit attack, which the genin had failed to properly repel due to a rogue ninja hiding among the criminals.
Currently, Rin only had a roof over his head and a generous sum of money provided by the Hokage, who felt guilty for misjudging the mission assigned to his parents. The Third Hokage had even helped secure his inheritance.
"At least the money from the Hokage is enough to cover all the ninja academy fees," Rin thought, trying to stay positive.
He could try to become a ninja.
But why would he aim to become a shinobi when he had neither a system nor a clan's legacy?
"I need strength…" he said, rising from the cold floor.
The Naruto universe is filled with dangers, and a mere civilian with no combat experience couldn't survive in it.
Becoming a wealthy merchant using his knowledge wasn't entirely out of the question, but Rin still remembered his parents' deaths and the tragic circumstances that struck them.
They had lived a simple life, but the shinigami had come for them. Rin didn't want to die the same way due to some incident, like Obito's future attack with the Nine-Tails.
"*Yawn*… the future looks grim. But why didn't I transmigrate into the Uchiha clan? I want those cheat eyes too," he complained, thinking about the hereditary gifts of the clans.
In the shinobi world, lineage is crucial for progress. It can grant abilities like the Sharingan, the Byakugan, Ice Release, and other extraordinary powers.
Rin saw a clan's genetic resources as a true cheat code.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, rolling on the floor like a fish out of water.
After calming down, Rin started to seriously consider his next steps.
"Since the facts are already in front of me, I should really think about how to move forward, especially since I'm starting at the Ninja Academy tomorrow," he analyzed calmly.
"Luckily, I've already gained a basic understanding of the current timeline thanks to the old Rin's memories," he muttered in a relieved tone.
The Second Great Shinobi War had just ended, but it wasn't a time of peace.
The lingering effects of the Second Great Shinobi War hadn't faded, and localized conflicts continued.
Rin began summarizing all the information he had about this era, on the brink of a potential Third Great Shinobi War.
Konoha had secured a painful victory in the Second Great Shinobi War, but the other villages still harbored deep resentment toward them.
After all, the lands of the Fire Country were very tempting to the other villages.
A good example was Suna, located in the arid desert of the Wind Country.
This situation had created a fragile peace, but subtle tensions persisted among the five great nations.
Rin's parents had also died because of this peculiar post-war atmosphere.
"If they hadn't died, maybe my life would've been easier. Not much time passed between the Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars."
Based on his previous life's memories, the Third Great Shinobi War officially broke out after Obito's graduation.
During that war, many famous and promising ninjas emerged, such as Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, the new A and B duo from Kumo, and many others.
The Third Great Shinobi War was sudden but didn't last as long as its predecessors.
"So I have about six or seven years, using Obito as a timeline reference, but I don't know exactly when it'll break out." Rin frowned at the chronological information he had.
Rin knew he had little time, but the young man didn't realize just how little time he truly had.
"I just hope I can learn something concrete at the Ninja Academy. Otherwise, I'll end up as cannon fodder." His voice trembled toward the end, as the image of Madara slaughtering an army flashed through his mind.
Yes, cannon fodder doesn't earn respect in the shinobi world.
Even though he hoped to progress at the Ninja Academy, Rin remained realistic and not overly optimistic.
Throughout Naruto's history, Rin didn't know of anyone who had truly unlocked their talent thanks to the Academy.
If you mention Minato? Rin would say he benefited from multiple external supports outside the Academy.
The institution felt more like a showcase to highlight students' talents, ultimately catching Sarutobi's attention.
Worse still, Naruto and Sakura had gained their signature techniques through other means.
The Academy had only given them the basics.
"Honestly, I shouldn't kid myself too much," he said, staring at the ceiling of his apartment.
After clarifying the situation, Rin began searching for ways to increase his strength.
The simplest method seemed to be the Sharingan. Even if it would drain his chakra, since he wouldn't be able to deactivate it once implanted, the reputation of the Copy Ninja was known throughout the Shinobi World.
Rin briefly considered stealing a pair of Sharingan after obtaining an Uchiha's corpse.
Of course, the emphasis is on "briefly."
How could a mere civilian pull off such a feat? Even Orochimaru had struggled to acquire a Sharingan (AN: Sasuke's, though Itachi prevented him from fully succeeding), and Rin had neither support nor strength.
The second method was to use Hashirama's cells.
Transplanting those cells would not only grant exceptional vitality and chakra but also potentially Wood Release.
However, at this point in the timeline, those cells were in the hands of powerful figures like Madara Uchiha.
"There's the experiment by Orochimaru and Danzo, but…" Rin immediately gave up upon recalling Danzo's arm.
In the end, none of these methods were viable for a child with no reputation, no clan, and no bloodline legacy.
As for ninjutsu, Rin didn't know if he had any talent for techniques like Minato's Flying Thunder God or Tobirama's.
Moreover, it would require the Hokage's authorization, which was another hurdle due to his potential lack of talent as a civilian.
"Damn it! What else could boost my strength, damn it!" Rin exclaimed, recalling the Naruto storyline from his previous life.
Suddenly, an idea struck: the image of a white-haired figure appeared in his mind.
Jiraiya.
That man had literally trained the best ninjas in the Naruto universe thanks to his teaching skills.
Moreover, he came from a civilian background like Rin, which suggested he might be persuaded to take him as a disciple.
"I just need to remember all the best R-18 novels and hentai from my past life and try to soak up as much knowledge as possible from the Sage of Mount Myōboku."
Jiraiya seemed perfect from a logical standpoint, despite his tragic end.
If Rin became his disciple, it would be an excellent choice and a shield against Konoha's darker side.
Not only could he gain protection, but he could also learn various ninjutsu, and even the Sage Mode might become accessible.
Especially since the perverted man's personality was the most approachable of the three Sannin.
After setting a clear goal, the young boy fell asleep, motivated to work hard.
He needed to build some reputation so Jiraiya would seriously consider taking him as a disciple in exchange for his teaching expertise for his book.
He didn't notice the necklace of the old Rin, which began to glow faintly.
…
"Huh? Am I back here again?!" Rin exclaimed in a panicked tone, reopening his eyes in the void.
Naturally, he began observing his surroundings.
[D-detection of void residue…]
[Initiating void energy absorption procedure…]
[1%… 2%… 50%… 100%… complete]
[Morpheus Legacy successfully activated]
[Please review the system options, particularly the help section, before using the "dream" function]