The next day, early morning.
At 7:00 a.m., Chiba woke up.
Through the dim morning light, the snow outside his window gleamed silver—blanketing the world like a veil of silk. The village seemed purified, serene, and transcendent.
Pure and beautiful.
Chiba got up, tidied his bed, washed up, and ate a simple breakfast. After changing into his training clothes, he prepared to go out.
Recently, his training had intensified.
Chiba still didn't know if this "game world" had a quest system. There was no health bar, no visible EXP counter, and no level-up sound—very different from the games he remembered from his past life.
But that was fine.
If life itself had become a game, then perhaps the game's true system was hidden in the flow of reality.
It wasn't like Motou Village, Naruto Vacation, or Alien Rise—the kind of cheap mobile games he once played.
"Ah, right," Chiba muttered, "I still have those free attribute points…"
He hadn't forgotten about them, but he wasn't in a hurry.
Right now, he didn't even know how to gain new points. The best thing he could do was maximize his growth and lay a foundation for the future.
Physical Strength.
Mental Strength.
Chakra Amount.
How did these three grow through training?
Well-known theory said: besides natural energy for Sage Mode, life energy came from the body's cells, and spiritual energy from the accumulation of experience and discipline.
Body, spirit, and chakra were all interlinked.
So, if he trained his body and mind, would his chakra pool also increase?
That was something worth testing.
Now that the world had literally turned into a game, Chiba's perspective shifted. He began to think like a gamer analyzing mechanics.
In the original Naruto world, countless ninjas were held back by their own limitations—
Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan drained his stamina;
Orochimaru's soul reincarnations damaged his spirit.
But what about him?
If this "system" worked the way he suspected, could he remove those drawbacks entirely—
or perhaps unlock a strengthening branch to compensate for them over time?
Chiba shook his head. "No use overthinking. Focus on now."
He closed the door behind him, then jumped lightly onto the eaves.
His body moved with surprising grace—landing quietly on the ground below.
Even for a three-year-old, people in the Naruto world were far stronger than the humans of his past life. Once chakra refinement was successful, running across rooftops was no big deal.
By the time Chiba stepped into the streets, it was already past 8:00 a.m.
The once-silent Konoha Village was beginning to wake up.
Children were laughing. Merchants were opening stalls. Shinobi hurried toward the Hokage Building.
Chiba's gaze swept across the crowd.
And then—something flickered before his eyes.
Over the head of a random passerby, glowing text appeared:
[Name: Civilian NPC]
[Status: Civilian]
[Village Reputation: 10]
He blinked in surprise, then turned toward another villager.
[Name: Gen Shizuka]
[Status: Konoha Genin]
[Chakra Attribute: Wind]
[Equipment: Kunai, Shuriken, Smoke Bomb]
[Special Ability: None]
[Village Reputation: 50]
Chiba stared for a moment, astonished.
"The system… has an Identification Skill built in?"
Apparently, when his personal panel was active, this feature came automatically. He could toggle it on or off at will, and it didn't interfere with normal sight.
Unlike VR or simulation games, this was real life—a genuine, physical world.
Only… now, it also happened to be a game.
He was the player.
Everyone else? NPCs.
After checking several people, Chiba realized something else—the status displays differed slightly between civilians and shinobi. He memorized every detail with ease; his photographic memory worked perfectly.
"Interesting…" he murmured. "Even the data structure is consistent."
His destination: the western forest of Konoha.
While running along the rooftops, he continued to analyze his findings.
If this was truly a game, then NPCs existed.
And if NPCs existed—
then there must be quests.
Without quests, the game lacked soul.
Chiba smiled. "So maybe the missions are the same as ninja missions—D-rank, C-rank, and so on…"
He leapt off the last roof and entered the snow-covered woods.
The forest was quiet.
Snow hung heavy on the branches, blanketing the ground in white.
"Let's start training."
Chiba took a deep breath, his red eyes glinting with determination.
He had a cheat—but a cheat only decided his lower limit.
Hard work decided the upper limit.
Meditation was dull. But every strong ninja—Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, even Rock Lee—had endured countless hours of it.
There was no shortcut to power.
"The geniuses work harder than anyone," Chiba muttered. "So what right do I have to slack off?"
That was his mantra.
A dose of his own poisonous chicken soup.
He smiled wryly and dropped into a push-up stance.
"Let's see… 1,000 push-ups should be enough for a warm-up."
"1, 2, 3…"
"500…"
"998, 999, 1000!"
"Haa…"
He exhaled deeply and pushed himself to his feet, muscles trembling slightly.
He was still only three years old, after all. For his small body, 1,000 push-ups were already the absolute limit. Ten thousand like Guy-sensei? That would have to wait.
Strength was built step by step. Even steel had to be tempered slowly.
He checked the time—it had been a little over two hours since he started training.
Panting, Chiba sat cross-legged in the snow and called out softly:
"Open panel."
The familiar translucent interface appeared before him.
He skillfully scrolled through the stats—searching for one thing in particular.