Time had lost all meaning.
Eventually, Maya pulled herself out of that strange, dreamlike state, exhausted but clear-headed.
She blinked, looked around in confusion, and took a moment to remember where she was and what day it was. Then she glanced down at herself, went slightly pink, and hopped off the bed. She opened her wardrobe, dug out a black-and-white checkered pajama top with a big flying Superman print on the back, and quickly wrapped herself in it.
Once dressed, the full weight of exhaustion hit her all at once. Her whole body felt wrung out — like she'd run a marathon and then immediately plowed through ten volumes of advanced math problems. It was physical and mental agony, combined.
Maya wasn't just sleepy. She was hungry-sleepy. She checked the time. It was 2 a.m.
She eased her bedroom door open. The small living room was dark and quiet. She tiptoed to the fridge, grabbed a full 1-liter carton of milk, and downed the entire thing in one go.
"Burp. Mmm. So full. So comfy. So sleepy."
With a satisfied pat of her bloated little stomach, she burrowed back under the covers.
The next morning, she woke up early — specifically, she was jolted awake by her bladder.
Since it was Saturday and she didn't have school, she stayed in bed afterward, mind gradually clearing.
Last night had been too exhausting to think straight. But now, rested and sharp, President Maya started piecing it all together.
She stretched out one pale hand and slowly — a thin layer of faint green light bloomed in her palm.
"So. Chakra extraction worked. I just need to map out exactly how." She propped her head up and thought carefully.
"Chakra is spiritual energy fused with cellular energy. The ring of bright green light I felt in my mind — that was the spiritual component. Those billions of glittering points like a starfield — those were my cells. And that sensation of plunging into the Earth's interior — that was going inside the cells themselves. The mountains, rivers, landscape… those were the organelles — the cytoplasm, the mitochondria, and other things like that?"
But the more she understood, the more questions piled up. Was extracting a bit of chakra really supposed to feel that dramatic? If observing cellular structures — mitochondria, nuclei, all of it — were this easy, then the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju wouldn't be a singular historical legend. Scientists like Orochimaru would be a dime a dozen.
But the reality was that Tobirama had only ever appeared once in all of history. Even in talent-dense Konoha, there was only one Orochimaru. And Danzō, who had gotten his hands on all of Tobirama's research data, had turned out to be a complete illiterate.
Another mystery: why was extracting chakra so utterly exhausting? Did everyone in the shinobi world collapse after casting jutsu? Were battlefields just full of ninjas lying around recovering? Maya shuddered at the mental image. Nope. Not thinking about that.
And finally — the little golden sun on her belly. She'd noticed it in the bathroom. Since when did she look like some delinquent with a tattoo? She pressed a hand to her stomach, exasperated.
"Maya! Come eat breakfast! Even on weekends you've never slept this late, the sun is already—"
Jennifer's voice cut through her thoughts. Maya rolled out of bed in one smooth motion, shuffled to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, then padded out to the small dining area.
"President Clinton has been in office for less than three months and is already planning a visit to—"
The morning news droned from the television. Maya barely registered it, shoving toast and bacon rolls into her mouth while her mind stayed fixed on last night.
She speared a piece of fried egg with her fork, was about to take a bite — then stopped.
Wait. My white stomach. The gold sun tattoo below my navel. That's… that's literally a fried egg.
She stared at the egg on her fork.
She chomped into it viciously.
"Ugh. Don't remind me." With black lines practically crawling across her forehead, she muttered, "To hell with fried eggs."
Breakfast done, Maya skipped her usual routine of teasing little brother James and went straight back to her room. Time to figure out what was actually happening to her body.
"System — show me my character stats."
A soft hum, and a pale blue display appeared in her mind:
Character: Maya Hansen (Age: 12 years and 5 months)
Influence Points: 165
Power System: Ninja
(Kid — become a genin first. Right now you don't even qualify as cannon fodder.)
Kekkei Genkai: None
(Sorry, the Third Hokage doesn't have one either.)
Skills:
① Kunai Throw Technique(Taught by Itachi to 5-year-old Sasuke)
Bronze Lv. 2
(Keep at it — my airheaded little brother could do this. — Itachi)
② Chakra Ocean
Silver Lv. 9
(Normally, generated chakra dissipates when not in use — unless sealed by something like the Yin Seal. But last night, because both ninjutsu and immortal cultivation are foreign systems in the Marvel world, an anomaly occurred when you unconsciously ran the Primordial Sutra. Your chakra collected and pooled at your dantian — a pressure point that exists in both the shinobi world and the mundane world. Unfortunately, your chakra ocean is too small and already full. That's why it's Silver-tier. Keep training — it can still grow.)
Talents:
① Marvel Sage
Knowledge: Bronze Lv. 10 — (Not bad — been studying the mystical arts lately?)
Intellect: Gold Lv. 7 — (The original rating was Diamond Lv. 7, but your weak soul dragged it down a whole tier.)
Performance: Deadwood Lv. 10 — (Those achievement certificates piled up at home? Worthless by Marvel genius standards. You're deadwood.)
② Super Perception(Mutated — upgradeable)
Gold Lv. 3
(You had the natural talent to be a sensor-type ninja. Last night, while being infused by the God Tree's power, Marvel's world laws triggered a beneficial mutation in that talent. Congratulations, kid!)
Items:
WWII Konoha Genin Constitution ×12 (Colorless equipment)
Bloody Mist Village Rain Ninja Genin Constitution ×3 (Colorless equipment)
Basic Military Ration Pills ×8 (Colorless equipment)
Exploding Tags ×2 (Bronze Lv. 1)
Overall Assessment:
You're now a reasonably sturdy chicken. You have a cultivation system — so what are you waiting for? Spend some coins and spin the gacha for skills! Stronger skills, flashier skins, more impressive titles — it's all waiting for you. The Ultimate Anime Gacha Wheel: 10 points per Bronze pull, 1,000 for Silver, 50,000 for Gold, 200,000 for Diamond. Guaranteed rewards every spin. A ten-pull gets 5% back. A hundred-pull gets 10% back. What are you waiting for?!
Maya reviewed everything carefully.
Her brain had gotten sharper — good. The kunai throw technique from "little brother Sasuke's teacher" was still upgradeable — great. The Primordial Sutra was gone, but she'd gained a new skill in its place. A budget Yin Seal, essentially. Very good.
"Oh wow — another Gold-tier talent! That's TWO tiers above the Third Hokage's Constitution Card. And it can level up?!"
She grinned so wide that her face nearly split in half.