I Want a Cheat Too

The Land of Fire, Konoha Ninja Village.

The new students' opening ceremony had only just ended, and Teacher Iruka was up at the lectern, energetically explaining the basic rules of being a ninja.

Below the lectern, a blond boy with six whisker-like marks on his cheeks was sprawled over his desk in utter boredom. This was Naruto.

In front of him sat a boy with black hair and black eyes, his expression focused. His name was Duanmu. Though he looked as if he was listening with complete seriousness, in truth his head was a mess. He had only just transmigrated into this world and had not figured anything out yet.

In his previous life, while rushing a manuscript late at night, he had only felt his head grow dizzy. The moment his eyes closed and opened again, he had arrived in the world of Naruto.

Fortunately, he had been a hardcore Naruto fan before, so he was still very familiar with this world.

Right now, they had only just entered the Ninja Academy. In other words, judging by the current timeline, not only had Naruto not stolen the Scroll of Seals yet, even the night of the Uchiha massacre had not begun.

However, in this world, Duanmu was completely and utterly just a background extra. He had no powerful kekkei genkai, no tailed beast inside him, and no golden finger or powerful old grandpa residing in his body. Even his clan was just a minor clan in Konoha.

Duanmu knew full well how cruel this world, where strength reigned supreme, could be. But as an ordinary person, he might never even reach Sakura's level in the story for his entire life.

While Duanmu was still thinking about this, Teacher Iruka suddenly called on Naruto behind him. "Naruto, tell us what the first rule of a ninja is!"

Naruto sprang up from the desk with a start, rubbing his head with sleepy eyes. His gaze darted around, clearly having heard none of it. He stammered for a long while, his cheeks turning bright red, before finally muttering in a small voice, "Uh... it's... don't be late?"

The classroom instantly erupted into roaring laughter.

"Hahaha, Naruto's still the same as ever!"

"He doesn't even know the basics. No wonder he's dead last!"

The jeers stabbed into Naruto's heart like needles. He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Beneath his yellow hair, his azure eyes were full of grievance and anger, but even more than that, unwillingness.

Iruka frowned slightly and clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"All right, quiet! Naruto, listen carefully!" His voice was stern, yet carried a trace of warmth that was hard to notice.

"Sasuke, you answer." Teacher Iruka then called on Sasuke.

Sasuke almost immediately stood from his seat, his movements crisp and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

His head was slightly lowered, the black bangs over his forehead covering part of his eyes and leaving only his sharply defined jaw visible.

"The first rule of a ninja is absolute obedience to orders." His voice was cold and clear, like ice in winter, carrying not a trace of unnecessary emotion, yet every word entered everyone's ears distinctly.

After saying that, he straightened his back and quietly waited for Iruka's instruction, as if answering the question just now had been nothing more than an ordinary little matter.

Iruka nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over the whole class before finally landing on Naruto again. His tone also softened somewhat. "Did you hear that, Naruto? That is the correct answer. When a ninja carries out a mission, any action that violates orders may lead to mission failure, or even endanger the lives of comrades. Therefore, obeying orders is the foremost prerequisite for being a ninja. You must remember it firmly!"

At that moment, Sakura could no longer hold herself back. She cupped her cheeks in both hands, gazing infatuatedly at Sasuke's straight-backed figure, the corners of her mouth nearly stretching to her ears.

Naruto looked at Sakura, then at Sasuke, so angry his teeth itched, yet there was nothing he could do. He could only answer Teacher Iruka and sit back down.

Duanmu took all of this in. Perhaps right now everyone only thought it was ordinary, but who could have imagined that those three would one day be the core figures who changed the fate of the entire ninja world?

Duanmu sighed softly in his heart. His gaze passed over Naruto's clenched fists, then landed on Sasuke's lowered eyelashes, and finally swept over Sakura's undisguised infatuation.

He could not compare with them. Two of them had cheats, and the other was riding along in the cheat car. How was he supposed to compete? If he wanted to grow stronger now, his only options were probably to get his hands on the Scroll of Seals or go find Orochimaru.

But both paths were practically fantasy.

The Scroll of Seals was hidden in the underground chamber beneath the Hokage's office, protected by layers upon layers of barriers set up by the Hokage of past generations. Even elite jonin might not be able to approach it, let alone a brand-new Ninja Academy student who had not even mastered basic ninjutsu. Back then, Naruto getting his hands on it might well have been because the Third Hokage had allowed it.

As for Orochimaru, that was even more unthinkable. That man was probably already carrying out all kinds of forbidden experiments in the underground base of Otogakure by now. Never mind finding him—even if Duanmu really ran into him, with his paltry aptitude, he probably would not even qualify to become experimental material. At most, he would be a disposable foot soldier casually dealt with.

Duanmu's fingers unconsciously tapped on the surface of the desk, his brows twisted into a knot.

Was this really all he could do? As a transmigrator who knew the direction of the plot, could he only watch those key events happen with his eyes wide open, while he himself was like an outsider, without even the qualifications to take part?

He was unwilling. In his previous life, when he struck words out in front of the keyboard, the characters under his pen could always survive desperate situations. Yet now that he was truly in this crisis-ridden ninja world, he felt so powerless.

"Duanmu!" Iruka's voice rang out again, interrupting his thoughts.

Duanmu jolted and hurriedly stood from his seat, his heart pounding. "Here!"

"What are you spacing out for? Can you repeat the basic theory of the Three Body Technique I just explained?" Iruka's gaze carried inquiry and did not seem to hold any reproach.

Duanmu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He had been so focused on thinking about ways to grow stronger that he really had not listened too carefully to what the teacher had explained afterward.

The Three Body Technique... the Clone Technique, the Substitution Technique, and the Transformation Technique. These were the most basic survival skills for ninja, and also the key content taught at the Ninja Academy.

He tried hard to recall the details from the anime he had watched in his previous life, along with the few keywords that had drifted into his ears while Teacher Iruka was explaining just now.

"Uh... the Three Body Technique is the foundation of the foundation for ninja," Duanmu said, organizing his words and trying to make his answer sound less hollow.

"The Clone Technique creates clones with a certain degree of mobility, used to confuse enemies or carry out simple tasks. The Substitution Technique is when, at the instant one is attacked, one uses a previously prepared object, such as a piece of wood or stone, to replace oneself, thereby avoiding damage. The Transformation Technique changes one's own appearance to imitate other living beings or objects."

As he spoke, he observed Iruka's expression, feeling somewhat uneasy. These were only the most surface-level definitions. He did not know whether the teacher wanted a deeper understanding.

After listening, Iruka nodded slightly, seeming fairly satisfied with the answer. "Mm, the basic concepts are correct. But remember, theory is only the foundation. What is more important is practical application and precise control of chakra. For example, with the Clone Technique, beginners can often only create low-quality clones without substance that scatter at the slightest touch. This is the result of improper chakra refinement and distribution."

Iruka paused, his gaze sweeping over all the students in the class, his tone turning solemn. "Starting tomorrow, we will enter the practical training stage for the Three Body Technique. I hope each of you will take it seriously. This is not only the first threshold for you to become ninja, but also the very foundation you will rely on to preserve your lives on future battlefields of life and death. All right, today's theory class ends here. Before class is dismissed, I will emphasize it one more time. For tomorrow's practical class, everyone must arrive at school ten minutes early and wear your training clothes. Anyone who is late will be punished!"

As Teacher Iruka announced the end of class, the classroom immediately grew noisy.

The students packed their things in twos and threes, excitedly discussing tomorrow's practical class.

Sasuke still had that aloof look. After swiftly tidying his desk, he was the first to walk out of the classroom alone, radiating an aura that kept strangers away. Sakura and several other girls hurriedly chased after him, chattering as they crowded around him.

Naruto, meanwhile, sat listlessly in his seat. The mocking laughter from earlier still seemed to echo in his ears. He lowered his head and looked at his hands, where the marks left by his fingernails seemed to still remain. Duanmu looked at his back, hesitated for a moment, then still packed up his things and slowly walked over.