That night—
Zack dreamed.
Not of the funeral.
Not of blood.
But of something older.
Quieter.
He was back in his previous life.
Back in the orphanage.
The place wasn't bad. People were kind. The staff did their best. The kids stuck together.
It was… warm, in its own way.
But it wasn't the same.
It could never compare to what he had in this life.
His parents.
Their presence.
Their love.
…
In that life, things had worked out.
Barely—but they had.
Government support. Small jobs. Long nights.
Enough to get him through school.
Enough to reach university.
Enough to graduate.
After that, life had been… stable.
No disasters. No crushing debt. No cruel bosses breathing down his neck.
No forced overtime.
No misery.
Just… normal.
The only regret?
"…Didn't even get a girlfriend," Zack muttered in the dream, half amused, half bitter.
Then—
The memory shifted.
A road.
A sound.
A truck.
It came out of nowhere.
Huge.
Out of control.
Swerving straight toward him.
Zack remembered the feeling.
That pressure.
That absolute, suffocating helplessness.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't react.
Could only stand there—
Watching it come.
And then—
Time slowed.
Everything froze.
The noise faded.
Even the truck—
It moved like it was underwater.
Slow.
Too slow.
Slow enough that—
I could dodge this.
The thought echoed clearly.
If he just moved.
If he just stepped aside—
He would live.
But he didn't.
He couldn't.
A flash of white—
—
Zack's eyes snapped open.
"Hah—! Hah…!"
He sat up abruptly, breathing hard.
His chest rose and fell rapidly as reality rushed back in.
Room.
Bed.
Darkness.
No truck.
No impact.
Just silence.
"…A dream," he muttered.
His breathing gradually steadied.
Then—
His expression shifted.
"The [System]…"
He remembered.
The activation.
The notifications he had ignored.
Slowly, Zack exhaled and focused.
"Open."
A faint glow appeared in his vision.
[Naruto Ninjutsu System]
1. [System Space] [12]
2. [System Mall]
3. [Achievements] [1]
4. [Interaction Points] [1000]
5. [Ninjutsu] [1]
6. [Bloodline Limit] [1] (Only one can be obtained)
7. [Daily Interaction Points] [0/1000]
8. [System Announcement]
Zack stared at the interface.
"…Minimalist," he muttered.
But two things stood out.
An achievement.
And a bloodline.
"Let's see…"
He selected [System Announcement].
[System Announcement]
• First-time activation rewards:Random [Bloodline Limit] → (Expired → Auto-assigned: Sharingan) Random A-Rank Ninjutsu → (Expired → Auto-assigned: Lightning Release: Chidori) [Selectable B-Rank Ninjutsu Pack] [Selectable C-Rank Ninjutsu Pack] [10× Ninja Tool Packs] (Shuriken ×10, Kunai ×10, Explosive Tags ×10) [Basic Techniques: Three Body Technique]
• Achievement unlocked:First interaction with a plot character → +1000 [Interaction Points]
"…So that's where the points came from," Zack said quietly.
Then—
He accessed [System Space].
Two unopened rewards waited.
[Selectable B-Rank Ninjutsu Pack] — [Open / Do Not Open] [Selectable C-Rank Ninjutsu Pack] — [Open / Do Not Open] [Ninja Tool Pack ×10]
"No point saving them."
Zack selected [Open].
For the B-Rank—
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
For the C-Rank—
"…Great Fireball."
The moment he confirmed—
Information flooded his mind.
Hand seals.
Chakra flow.
Execution patterns.
Clean.
Precise.
Instantly understood.
Zack blinked.
"…That was easy."
Then—
He opened the [Ninjutsu] tab.
And froze.
[All Ninjutsu must be learned manually] [System provides knowledge, not mastery]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Zack rubbed his forehead.
"So no instant proficiency?"
That killed half the appeal.
Still—
He flexed his fingers slightly.
The knowledge was there.
Clear.
Sharp.
"…Fine. I'll learn it myself."
He stood up.
Moved outside.
Time to test it.
"Fire Style… Great Fireball Jutsu."
Hand seals flowed smoothly.
Almost instinctive.
He exhaled—
A fireball burst forward.
Then—
Fizzled.
"…That's it?"
It was barely the size of a basketball.
Zack stared at it, unimpressed.
"…Again."
Next—
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof.
A second Zack appeared.
It looked dull.
Sluggish.
But—
It existed.
"…Not bad."
Then—
He tried the big one.
"Chidori."
SCREEEE—
A sharp, piercing sound filled the air.
Lightning flickered weakly—
Then vanished.
Zack stood there in silence.
"…Yeah. That's a problem."
"Kid! What was that noise?"
Zack turned.
A neighbor was walking over—an older woman, concerned.
He reacted instantly.
"Ah—nothing! My radio blew up!"
She frowned.
"Be careful. You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine, Mrs. Xiji," Zack said, forcing a small smile.
She studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. Take care of yourself."
And just like that—
She left.
Zack exhaled.
"…Understanding isn't mastery."
Obvious.
But now confirmed.
He looked down at his hand.
Then—
Activated it.
[Sharingan: Three-Tomoe]
The world sharpened.
Slowed.
Clarified.
"…Three tomoe already…"
He knew why.
And he didn't question it.
Didn't need to.
"Good."
Because strength—
Was the only thing that mattered now.
"…With this… and in two months…"
His gaze hardened slightly.
"…everything starts."
The next day—
School.
"Zack, are you okay?"
"Hey, we heard about your parents…"
Voices surrounded him.
Questions.
Concern.
Noise.
He endured it silently until class started.
Later—
The teacher called him in.
"I know what happened," she said gently. "If you need help, come to me."
Then—
Grades.
Expectations.
Future.
Zack nodded.
"Understood."
He left as soon as possible.
…
That afternoon—
On his way home—
He saw someone.
A familiar figure.
Blonde.
Young.
But—
Wrong.
"…A girl?"
Zack frowned.
In his memory…
Ben Tennyson wasn't a girl.
"…Guess I'm imagining things."
He shook his head and walked on.
Time passed.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks into months.
Training.
School.
Silence.
Routine.
And then—
Summer arrived.
Zack stood by his window, eyes distant.
"…Two months."
His reflection stared back at him—
Red eyes faintly visible beneath the surface.
The [Sharingan] waiting.
The [System] silent.
The world…
On the edge of change.
"…It's starting."