"Ding-"
A crisp notification rang out deep in his mind, sweet as heavenly music, instantly hauling Old Yu out of the whirlpool of despair that was his "Uchiha hell-mode start."
Could it be... Old Yu-who now had to go by Shinji Uchiha-felt his little heart hammer uncontrollably. The last vestiges of his programmer's intuition snapped him to attention. Could this be... the legendary thing?!
Sure enough! Heaven-or the almighty system-still loved its boy! It hadn't dumped him into this lethal instance and abandoned him!
[Regretful Life Compensation System starting...] [Current instance detected-Naruto (high risk · perpetual warfare · atypical peace)] [Loading instance... 10%... 50%... 100%...] [Instance loaded successfully. World background loading complete.] [System loaded successfully. Please read the beginner's help guide carefully and begin your second life.] [We wish you a happy and enjoyable second life, free of your past regrets.] [Goodbye!]
After that string of cold electronic announcements-which sounded incredibly warm and friendly at that moment-Old Yu... no, Shinji saw a sleek, translucent panel appear in the empty air before him. Its interface was clean and straightforward, and a conspicuous envelope icon in the top-right corner flashed furiously, demanding his attention.
With a slight shift of his mind, he thought, Open. Sure enough, the envelope popped open and turned into a detailed manual.
"Dear user, welcome!" "This system is a subsidiary of this universe's fundamental service system, 'Three Thousand Great Daos.' Its purpose is to offer intelligent beings who died with profound regrets a precious opportunity to experience life anew before their life spirit particles dissipate completely." "You, Yu Zhibo, have been randomly selected as a lucky recipient (ID: ZZ-748) and have successfully qualified for this additional life experience." "Friendly reminder: your current world is a projection of the 'Naruto' world on a parallel worldline within this universe. From the moment you activated the system and your consciousness entered, this world began developing normally according to real physical, social, and energy laws. It may be regarded as a fully real world." "All living things in this world, from tailed beasts and Kage-level beings down to every blade of grass and tree, are genuine living organisms with independent minds and paths of fate. Everything you do will have real consequences for them. Please act with care." "As a lucky recipient selected by the system, you will receive its assistance in strengthening yourself during this life. By completing missions, exploring the world, training yourself, and other means, you can earn talent points, skill points, and attribute points to enhance yourself and better survive in this war-torn world full of danger." "This world is an open world offering an extremely high degree of freedom. The system will issue main and side missions from time to time, but completing them is not compulsory. Mission failure carries no penalty, except for certain special missions, while successful completion offers generous rewards." "Your time in this world will last until your current life ends, whether naturally or accidentally. Death from old age or an untimely death will both mark the end of this life experience." "Please note that after this death, your soul imprint will return to oblivion completely. You will not receive another opportunity to be reborn. Please cherish this hard-won chance to experience life." "May this life bring you fulfillment and allow you to make up for the regrets of your past!"
After reading that sprawling explanation, Shinji Uchiha let out a long, long breath. He felt at least half the weight lift from his anxious little heart.
"I've got a system! I've got a cheat! Thank god!" He practically wanted to throw back his head and howl. "I've finally got a fighting chance in this world where lunatics are everywhere and overpowered cheaters are a dime a dozen!"
As long as he hadn't been unlucky enough to arrive right before the clan massacre, he might be able to survive by keeping his head down and developing with the system's help. Maybe... if he played his cards right, he could even change that bullshit ending?
For now, all his hopes rested on this seemingly rather generous system.
"Ding~ Congratulations on receiving a second life and unlocking the achievement-[Another Bottle! (Life Edition)]! Reward received: Newbie Gift Pack ×1! Please check your inventory."
Aha! Here it comes! The transmigrator's standard issue, the beginner's blessing-the gift pack! Let's see what goodies are inside!
Shinji eagerly used his mind to open the [Inventory] tab at the bottom of the system panel. Sure enough, a gift box sat quietly inside, radiating an enticing golden glow. He focused on it and selected use!
"Ding~ You have used the [Newbie Gift Pack] and received: Random S-Rank Talent Pack ×1, Random S-Rank Skill Pack ×1, free attribute points ×20, free talent points ×10, free skill points ×10!"
Holy shit! Daddy System, you're generous! Shinji screamed inwardly. These starting resources were downright luxurious! Two S-rank random packs right off the bat, plus twenty attribute points and ten each of talent and skill points! In the Naruto world, an S rank had to mean Kage-level potential, or something close to it, right?
He just didn't know how valuable the attribute points were or how much each point would add. He hurriedly opened the [Attributes] panel to check.
Name: Shinji Uchiha Age: 0 years, 1 day Rank: None (a weakling infant who isn't even a Genin) Strength: 0 (infant attributes are far below 1 and therefore are not displayed; the same applies below) Agility: 0 Endurance: 0 Reflexes: 5 (thanks to an adult soul) Chakra: 0 (inactive) Ninjutsu: 0 Taijutsu: 0 Genjutsu: 0
"Huh?" Shinji froze. "Shinji Uchiha? Wasn't it Uchiha Xīnjī?" Oh, right. The Japanese pronunciation sounded like the Chinese word for "scheming," but writing it with the characters for "Shinji" was perfectly reasonable. Better than actually being named "Scheming," anyway. That sounded like a villain's name.
Almost every attribute was zero, which made perfect sense. He was a newborn baby, after all. What strength or agility could anyone expect from him? His reflexes were at five, though, probably thanks to his adult soul. Sure enough, a gray plus sign followed each attribute, but none could be clicked yet. Apparently, infancy came with plenty of restrictions.
Next, he opened the [Talents] tab. This was where things got interesting.
[Uchiha bloodline (A/S) 6/10]: You were born into the Uchiha Clan, a prestigious clan of the shinobi world, and inherited this kekkei genkai symbolizing both power and a curse. Even within the Uchiha Clan, which produces geniuses in abundance, your aptitude is outstanding, marking you as a promising prospect in your clansmen's eyes. In all fairness, however, a readily apparent gap remains between your talent and that of truly peerless geniuses such as Madara Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi. This bloodline grants you excellent chakra control, chakra reserves and output far beyond those of ordinary people, and a natural affinity for and enhancement to Fire Release Ninjutsu. As you awaken and advance your Sharingan and develop its associated ocular techniques, this talent's effects will improve dramatically. (Upgradeable) [Uzumaki bloodline (C/S) 1/10]: Your mother is a distant relative of the Uzumaki Clan with an extremely diluted bloodline, a fact of which she herself is unaware. This nearly negligible bloodline currently provides only a minuscule increase in chakra reserves and slightly more tenacious vitality than an ordinary infant's. (Upgradeable) [Mental abnormality (A)]: As someone reborn through soul transmigration, your soul has crossed between worlds and undergone the reconstruction of its physical vessel. Some fundamental mutation has occurred, making your mental energy exceptionally resilient and active. Effects: you possess extremely high natural resistance to mental/soul attacks, including but not limited to genjutsu, psychic assaults, and soul sealing; your tolerance for negative conditions such as pain, fatigue, and drowsiness also far exceeds that of ordinary people. (Note: according to the system's assessment, this talent has no relation to whether your mental state is normal. Please use it with confidence.)
?
Shinji Uchiha stared at the talent tab, a huge question mark forming in his tiny head.
The Uchiha bloodline made sense, and an initial rating of 6/10 was decent enough-not the best, but better than plenty of others. But what was this Uzumaki bloodline doing here? That hadn't been in the original Naruto story! Which Uchiha had Uzumaki ancestry? If he developed this, wouldn't he practically have a sage body and sage eyes reserved in advance?
But one look at that pitiful 1/10 level and C rating told Shinji everything. This was just a nearly negligible extra tossed in by the system. Some incredibly distant ancestor on his mother's side probably had a little Uzumaki ancestry, which the system had detected and converted into stats.
What left him most speechless was the [Mental abnormality] talent.
Sure, an A-Rank rating was high, and the effects looked useful: sky-high genjutsu resistance, pain tolerance, fatigue tolerance... but couldn't it have a friendlier name?!
"Mental abnormality"? System, why not just call me a lunatic outright?! Who the hell would believe me if I told them about this?!
Despite his grumbling, Shinji keenly noticed that both bloodline talents had clear "+" signs beside them, indicating they could be upgraded. [Mental abnormality], however, had none.
"Talent points can upgrade bloodlines? You can actually purify these things?" Shinji's interest perked up. He had ten free talent points on hand, just enough to test the waters.
He tried clicking [Uchiha bloodline], and a prompt told him the upgrade would cost five talent points.
"So expensive!" He gritted his teeth and clicked! Light flashed, and the rating changed to (A/S) 7/10. The description's "promising prospect" became "renowned young genius," but it still noted a gap between him and Madara and Itachi.
With five talent points left, he turned to [Uzumaki bloodline]. The first upgrade cost only one point.
He clicked! The rating became (C/S) 2/10, with almost no change to the description.
The next upgrade cost two points, bringing it to (B/S) 4/10. The description became "Your bloodline concentration has unexpectedly reached a considerable level." Riding that momentum, Shinji poured his final two talent points into it as well!
[Uzumaki bloodline (B/S) 5/10]: Your mother belongs to a distant branch of the Uzumaki Clan with a diluted bloodline. Even she is unaware of her Uzumaki ancestry. In you, however, this dormant bloodline has inexplicably displayed astonishing potency and purity, its concentration surpassing even that of many full-fledged Uzumaki clansmen! Effects: your chakra reserves have become immense, and your physique far exceeds that of others your age, robust and brimming with vigor. You possess abundant vitality and significantly enhanced recovery.
"Awesome!" Shinji was overjoyed. Those five talent points had turned a useless extra straight into an incredible ability! From C rank to B rank, the difference was night and day! Immense chakra reserves, a robust physique, and abundant vitality-this was practically the golden combination of the ninja world!
Just as he was congratulating himself on his wise investment, the system chimed again:
"Ding~ Detected that you possess both [Uchiha bloodline (7/10)] and [Uzumaki bloodline (5/10)]. Both talents grant bonuses related to 'massive chakra reserves' and are highly compatible. Their chakra reserve and recovery effects will now be automatically integrated to generate a new independent talent!" "Ding~ Congratulations! Through a combination of talents, you have independently developed the new talent [Human tailed beast (S)]!" "Ding~ Having successfully developed a new talent, you have unlocked the achievement [Talent Pioneer]! Reward issued: free talent points ×5!"
Holy shit? It can do that, too? Buy one, get one free, with an extra reward on top? Shinji felt almost knocked senseless by this sudden windfall. He hurried to inspect his new talent:
[Human tailed beast (S)]: Your innate chakra reserves have reached an incredible level. Their sheer magnitude and recovery speed lead those who know the truth to wonder whether you are the jinchūriki of some unknown tailed beast. Strange rumors that you are a "human tailed beast" have even begun circulating in the shinobi world. Effects: total chakra receives a massive bonus (base value ×500%), and natural chakra recovery is extremely fast.
As this S-rank talent activated, the [Chakra] value on Shinji's attribute panel instantly jumped from zero to five! Although he was still an infant and couldn't manipulate even a fraction of it, the sensation of some vast energy filling his body, as though he possessed endless potential, was absolutely real!
"This system... is way too generous!" Shinji was so moved he nearly burst into tears. "Great rewards, easy achievements, and surprise combinations, too! I love it!"
He happily glanced at his remaining five talent points, then at his two bloodline talents, now at 7/10 and 5/10. He decided against spending any more for the moment, saving them for a rainy day.
Next, he browsed the other panels. The [Skills] tab was completely empty. After all, he didn't know how to do anything yet.
The [Missions] tab also held only a single, lonely main mission: [Survival: Stay Alive (0/1)]. Its time limit was... his entire lifetime. In the [Achievements] tab, everything except [New Arrival] (birth), [Another Bottle], and [Talent Pioneer] was a gray question mark, with no details visible.
"All right, time for the main event!" Shinji focused his consciousness on the two S-rank random packs shining enticingly in his [Inventory].
"Talent pack first! Superstition won't save bad luck, and spending won't change fate! Daddy System, let the god of luck possess me! Give me something badass!"
Filled with excitement, he mentally clicked the [Random S-Rank Talent Pack].
"Ding~"
Before you continue