The Ninja World—Konohagakure.
Sarutobi Reiji stared blankly at the glowing panel before him.
He was a transmigrator—how he crossed over, he had no idea. One moment he had joked, "We Reiji players really have godlike reflexes," and the next, he had been reborn as a newborn. His parents named him Sarutobi Reiji.
Originally, his family was happy and harmonious. Unfortunately, when he was only three years old, his parents—both chūnin—died unexpectedly on a mission, leaving little Reiji an orphan.
Fortunately, they had left behind a modest inheritance and compensation money. On top of that, as a young orphan, he was eligible for the village's relief funds. Not enough to make him rich, but sufficient to live comfortably until graduation.
Through his own insistence—and because ninja children matured early—he managed to avoid being sent to an orphanage. A three-year-old living alone would be shocking in most worlds, but in the world of Naruto, where children went to war at six, it wasn't unusual.
Still, Reiji looked a bit dejected this morning. When he woke up, a familiar ding echoed in his mind—his cheat ability had finally awakened.
Perhaps because Sarutobi Reiji had been an avid Naruto Mobile player in his previous life, his "golden finger" was—of all things—a Duel Arena.
It operated purely through instinct: a single thought could pull another person into the arena for a duel. The winner would gain chakra. Any damage suffered inside would disappear upon leaving—even death. It was essentially a natural, consequence-free combat simulator.
However, there was one exception—a "Battle Mode." Once activated, death inside meant real death.
Along with the arena came a Recruit option. As long as Reiji won twenty duels each month, he would receive ten recruitment scrolls.
Ninja were ranked as S, A, B, and C.
Recruitment Rates:
S-Rank – 0.01%
A-Rank – 0.1%
B-Rank – 9.89%
C-Rank – 90%
After seeing those odds, Reiji immediately gave up hope on S- or A-Rank draws. Damn gacha games—they'd never let you pull the good stuff.
Still, the Duel Arena wasn't all bad—it gave him a starter ninja pack. A guaranteed pull.
The result? He drew none other than the mighty Seventh Hokage!
[Uzumaki Naruto (Academy Student)]
Skills: Paint Splash, Clone Smash (chance of failure), Sexy Technique
Quote: "I'll make everyone acknowledge me! Hehehe."
"Merciful! Truly merciful! I got the Seventh Hokage right off the bat!"
"I should've known—every gacha that says 'Start with the Seventh Hokage!' is a scam line!"
"But why is my Seventh Hokage just… an academy-student version of Naruto?!"
Looking at the "Uzumaki Naruto (Academy Student)" template on his panel, Reiji thought for a moment and equipped it anyway. He only knew Chakra Refinement at the moment. Even if the template was weak, at least it came with a Clone Technique—though it could fail sometimes.
"So this is the power of the Seventh Hokage… such a mighty physique indeed."
As the template fused with him, Reiji felt a surge of strength flooding his body. At the same time, knowledge of Clone Technique and Sexy Technique appeared in his mind—along with the precise hand motions for Paint Splash.
His eyes lit up. His hands began forming seals rapidly—ever since realizing he'd been reborn into Naruto, he had never slacked on practicing hand signs. His dexterity was impressive.
"Clone Technique!"
With a puff of smoke, a limp, butt-up clone appeared beside him, sprawled on the floor.
Reiji stared and couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of you, Lord Seventh…"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid series of knocks came from outside, snapping Reiji back to reality.
"Easy! You'll break the door!"
"Reiji, what took you so long to open up?!"
As he opened the door, a blond-haired boy appeared—none other than Namikaze Minato, the future Fourth Hokage! Like Reiji, Minato was also a war orphan. The two were kindred spirits in that regard.
"Tomorrow's the academy entrance day—we've got to keep training hard today!"
Ever since they met, Minato had come by every morning to train with him. Reiji didn't mind; after all, this boy was destined to become the Yellow Flash. But today was different—his Duel Arena had awakened.
After a brief moment of thought, Reiji pulled Minato inside, glancing around suspiciously before shutting the door.
"Minato, I think… I've awakened a special ability."
"Huh?" Minato scratched his head in confusion. "What kind of ability?"
Reiji grinned, clasped his hands—and activated the Duel Arena!
Their consciousnesses blurred, and the next instant, Minato saw the world around them shift completely.
"Wha—?!"
He cried out instinctively, but seeing Reiji still beside him, he relaxed slightly.
"Where… are we?"
"This—this is the Duel Arena!" Reiji spread his arms dramatically. "This is my world!"
He glanced around curiously—after all, this was his first time actually entering the arena himself. The place was vast, endless, bordered by nothing but sky. Beneath their feet stretched an immense stone floor; no walls, no horizon.
From what he knew, Reiji had already decided to disguise the Duel Arena as a kekkei genkai—a bloodline limit ability. The timing was perfect. The Third Hokage was still sharp, the Legendary Sannin were active, and though Danzō was extreme, he wasn't yet the monster he'd become later. If he presented himself as a descendant of a new kekkei genkai clan, Konoha would likely protect him—better to gain a new bloodline than lose one.
"Duel Arena?" Minato repeated, looking around.
Reiji nodded. "I woke up this morning with this power. We can use it to train and gain real combat experience." He then described the arena's mechanics in detail.
When Minato finally understood, his eyes sparkled with excitement. "You mean, if we fight in here and die, we just respawn in reality with no side effects?!"
"Exactly," Reiji confirmed. "Not only that—the muscle memory we gain here carries over to reality. Though physical training inside won't strengthen the body." He sighed slightly, a hint of regret in his voice.
"That's amazing!" Minato grinned, giving Reiji a big thumbs-up. "Reiji, as expected of you—my lifelong rival!"
Reiji: "???"
A cold prompt flickered across the void: Battle Mode unlocked. Proceed? Minato's finger hovered over Yes.