As spring gave way to winter, time slipped silently past like sand through our fingers, unnoticed, like a wonderful dream that was over in an instant. The sunset's afterglow spilled over the earth, the deep vermilion sun on the horizon slowly melting into a soft orange radiance. Just then, a streak of gold gradually appeared on the distant horizon, long golden hair shining warmly in the fading sunlight, its owner's gaze firm and his steps easy.
It was our Naruto Uzumaki. Before he knew it, so much time had passed since that melodramatic incident involving the Hyuga Clan. Naruto had gradually grown from a tiny little bean to a child old enough to attend school.
During that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi had visited Naruto at every opportunity, frequently explaining the inheritance of the Will of Fire. He had even taken a two-pronged approach: while showing Naruto concern every day, he had also increased his monthly allowance, waiting for Naruto to become a staunch inheritor of the Will of Fire.
Little did he know that Naruto had long since changed on the inside. To Naruto, everything that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi did was merely touching himself with his own supposed kindness. He was giving Naruto money from his parents' inheritance, then dressing it up as extra generosity. The old geezer was truly shameless. Fortunately, Naruto was no fool. Once he became powerful, neither this old geezer nor that scheming old bastard Danzo would escape. Even if they died, he would dig them up and flog their corpses.
"My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, and I am the leader of Konoha. I always thought that an upright man need not fear a crooked shadow. Even though some of my personal reasons led to the deaths of geniuses in the village, I do not believe I was wrong. They were in the way. Until today, when I saw a child. Although everything remained under my control, seeing that face so reminiscent of an old acquaintance inevitably left me somewhat melancholy. Feeling a little worried, I decided to put more effort into nurturing this child."
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi kept visiting Naruto and fussing over his well-being.
Nor had Naruto spent those years idly. The most obvious change was his long golden hair, which had silenced the villagers who had once hurled abuse at him. The resemblance was uncanny, especially when he smiled. He looked as though he had been cast from the same mold as their former Fourth Hokage... Even a hint of that resemblance unsettled them.
His fashion sense was beyond comparison with the old Naruto's, too. At the very least, he no longer wore the same shit-yellow tracksuit for years on end.
Naruto glanced at his personal panel. After all this time, he was finally about to enter school and begin the main storyline.
Host: Naruto Uzumaki Strength: Chunin, tier one (can defeat students fresh out of the Ninja Academy) Abilities: Shadow Clone, Clone Great Explosion, Gallant Rasengan, Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, Chidori, Lightning Release: Kirin, Byakugan, Sharingan... Combat power: 100861 Chakra: 16,000 System evaluation: (To think you are still a bot after all these years.)
The system's evaluation made Naruto's mouth twitch uncontrollably. Did it seriously not know why his combat power had increased so slowly?
For a long time, he had had no idea whether the system had bugged out or broken.
The Shinobi World Recruitment alone had been stuck on [Gate of Death Guy] the entire time, while ranked matches in the arena remained inaccessible. Other features, such as artifacts, were grayed out entirely; he could not even open them. There were far too few ways to earn gold each day, which left Naruto rather anxious.
If he could not beat Uchiha Sasuke when the time came, wouldn't he be screwed?
On top of that, his luck was terrible. After all this time, every draw still went to pity, and this pity system was different from MoreFun's. At least MoreFun guaranteed five S-rank fragments every fifty draws, while this system only guaranteed one S-rank fragment per ten-pull. The difference was immediately apparent.
Naruto suddenly found himself missing MoreFun. This system was fucking stingy.
Even after all this time, he still had not pulled [Gate of Death Guy]. He could not play ranked matches, Shinobi World Recruitment tickets were scarce, and gold was hard to earn. He did not dare spend his gold recklessly buying them in bulk, either. If the draw pool updated one day and he had no gold left, wouldn't he be screwed?
Sure enough, just as Naruto had imagined, the system, which had gone ages without an update, announced one as he entered the Ninja Academy.
[Ding. The host has officially entered the Naruto storyline. The system is updating. Please wait before checking.]
When Naruto saw the newly added content, he became utterly excited.
"Holy shit, Lord [Kizaru]!"
Once the update finished, Naruto eagerly checked it and discovered many familiar new features. What thrilled him most, however, was that the premium recruitment S-rank had finally changed. This time, it was Lord [Kizaru], whom he knew well: easy to play and overpowered.
Looking at the new premium recruitment S-rank [Kizaru] and his recruitment rebates, Naruto finally felt that life was becoming more and more promising.
He was overjoyed. After all, this character had dominated the arena for a long time after his initial release.
Known as an overpowered ninja who could reach Kage rank just by holding down basic attack, he was clearly both absurdly strong and infuriating to face.
The update had also added plenty of features that could increase combat power, such as summoning beasts, secret scrolls, accessories, artifacts, and more. Best of all, it had added a check-in system.
"System, you're amazing! How did I never notice how great you were?"
[Heh. Host, stop shouting. You cursed me plenty while playing duel matches over the past few years. Of course, most of your abuse went to that designer named Chiyo. According to my statistics, he should be the person you cursed the most.]
"Ahem. Thanks for your hard work, System. You've put up with a lot these past few years, but our good days are coming."
[Heh. The work wasn't hard. My life was.]
The moment Naruto stepped through the Ninja Academy's gates, the system in his mind announced a successful check-in.
[Ding. Congratulations, host. Check-in successful. You received 30,000 copper coins. Successfully check in for one month to receive the title: "Perseverance."]
Looking at everything so familiar, Naruto sighed inwardly. It was back. Everything was back.
He failed to notice the people behind him staring at him in bewilderment.
Sasuke Uchiha had been brought to school by his older brother, the Uchiha clan's famously filial son, Uchiha Itachi. He had not expected to encounter his lifelong rival, Naruto Uzumaki, right at the school gates.
At this point, however, the two had yet to meet.
"Big brother, look at that person. He's so weird."
Sasuke pointed at Naruto, who was laughing wildly in the distance, unable to understand his performance art. Little did he know that his future self would be far more unhinged.
Itachi noticed the strange little fellow, too. Why was a child with such a nice little face acting so crazy? He did not understand, but he respected it.
"All right, Sasuke. Don't point at people. It's rude."
Itachi tapped Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle fingers, making him cry out in pain.
"Oh, fine, big brother."
Sasuke pouted unhappily, but obediently walked through the school gates, turning back repeatedly to look at Itachi. Itachi could only smile helplessly and wave him on, signaling for him to hurry inside.
Having finished his fit of madness, Naruto noticed the brothers, too. His happiness faded somewhat. In his previous life, he had looked so much like Sasuke that he had assumed he would become Sasuke if he transmigrated into the Naruto world. Tsk, tsk. Instead, he had become Naruto Uzumaki. Thinking about all the love and hatred that awaited him with Sasuke gave him a headache. Fortunately, his cheats had come earlier and in greater numbers than Sasuke's; otherwise, dealing with him really would have been difficult. When the time came, he would make sure Sasuke knew who was boss.
For now, though, Sasuke was still that smug, tsundere little fellow who spent every day trailing after his older brother and acting spoiled. He was still a long way from becoming the Uchiha Sasuke who thought he was hot shit again whenever the rain stopped.
Seemingly sensing Naruto's gaze, Itachi looked over and saw a streak of gold, rather dazzling in the sunlight.
"This little fellow is interesting."
"Naruto, you're here early today!"
"Of course! Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, you're here, too."
Naruto turned around and greeted the new-generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had arrived at a leisurely pace.
"Naruto, want a taste? Today's chips are stinky tofu flavored."
While stuffing chips into his mouth, Choji pushed the bag toward Naruto.
Naruto's eyelids twitched as he looked at the black chips giving off a peculiar smell. What genius had invented these? Had their creator become completely immersed in his own art? Were these really edible?
"Thank you, Choji. I'm not very hungry right now."
Ino immediately shoved Choji aside with an elbow.
"Move, Choji! Who would want chips in that flavor? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were eating shit."
Facing Choji and Shikamaru, Ino looked terrifying, with sharklike teeth. Yet the moment she turned to Naruto, she became exceptionally gentle.
"Good morning, Naruto. Does my outfit look nice today?"
Watching Ino change faces without spending a single token, Naruto could not help his mouth twitching, even though he had witnessed it before. Was this what women were like? Truly terrifying. Still, he played along.
"Wow, Ino, that outfit really suits you. Purple really gives you charm."
Naruto's words left Ino bashful, her cheeks red as she struggled to look at him.
Today, Naruto wore an oversized white T-shirt and black shorts. His simple outfit complemented his perfectly modeled face, while his long golden hair stirred in the breeze. When he smiled, he looked even more like a little sun, warming both body and soul.
Ino: Now that's the handsome guy I've been looking for!
Having transmigrated into Naruto, he knew exactly how good-looking he was. Unlike the original Naruto, who wore that shit-yellow outfit every day, he would not waste such a handsome face. After all, so many people had tried cosplaying Naruto and failed to achieve the look despite enormous effort, precisely because it depended so heavily on the face.
Heaven had given him this opportunity; how could he fail to treasure it? After transmigrating, he had decisively grown out his hair. He could dress better than the original Naruto without even trying, and with his long golden hair, signature smile, and occasional emotional support, he made people feel as though a little sun were warming their bodies and souls.
Many passersby noticed Naruto because he stood out so much, solely because of his striking resemblance to the former Fourth Hokage. Even a hint of his likeness unsettles me. That was how many of them truly felt, and they vaguely began to suspect something.
Even the older Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who had come together to drop off their children, visibly froze when they saw Naruto. They truly had not expected him to look so similar.
"He looks like him. So very much like him."
Watching Naruto laughing and chatting with his child, Shikaku felt somewhat dazed. It seemed as though the Fourth Hokage had come looking for him only yesterday. He had not expected so much time to pass in the blink of an eye.
Beside him, Ino's father, Inoichi Yamanaka, chimed in. "He really does. Ah, the Fourth..."
Before Inoichi could finish, Shikaku silenced him with a look.
"Quiet. Careful, the walls have ears. This isn't something we can discuss casually."
"Still, Inoichi, it looks like someone's about to steal your daughter away."
Shikaku looked at Ino and Naruto in the distance, then glanced at his old friend.
"Ah, it's fine. As their old father, I won't interfere in the children's affairs."
In truth, Inoichi had already noticed what was happening in the distance. Being open-minded, however, he decided not to interfere and simply let things develop.
Meanwhile, Naruto was chatting with Shikamaru and the others.
"Well, Naruto, I didn't expect you to come to school, too. I really don't get what's so great about attending this Ninja Academy. What a drag."
"Yeah, yeah. Naruto, are you really not going to try my chips? I think this flavor's pretty good."
"Thanks, but I really don't need any, Choji."
As for Ino beside them, her eyes were practically glued to Naruto. The healing smiles that occasionally appeared on his face kept tugging at her heart. After all, in the Naruto world, most boys and girls matured early and understood plenty of things...
Handsome. He's so handsome! He's exactly my type! How did I never notice that these two pigs had such a handsome friend? Why couldn't they have introduced me sooner?
At that thought, Ino could not help furiously grumbling about Shikamaru and Choji in her mind. She had only met Naruto because she had secretly followed those two yet again. At the same time, she was secretly delighted. Being in the same class as such a handsome boy meant she had the advantage of proximity!
Ino was secretly thrilled. After all, who could resist a handsome guy?
Soon, the parents left, and Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared to preach his Will of Fire. Listening below, Naruto grew drowsy and utterly uncomfortable. He truly did not want to hear that old geezer drone on up there.
"The Will of Fire means that wherever leaves dance, fire also burns unceasingly. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout..."
After an unknown length of torment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech finally ended. Only then could the little ones head to their classrooms, take their seats, and begin their first lesson at the Ninja Academy.
By the time Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others entered, nearly all the classroom seats were occupied. Naruto looked around and headed to that familiar spot: the back row by the window, the king's homeland. Most importantly, Hinata was there, too. Being shy, she had wanted to hide at the very back of the classroom, never expecting to encounter Naruto.
Wonderful! I get to sit with Naruto-kun.
Hinata was delighted when Naruto sat beside her, while Naruto simply smiled and patted her head.
That instantly turned Hinata into a steam princess, her flushed cheeks making her look even cuter.
Only after everyone had taken their seats did Umino Iruka leisurely enter the classroom. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Ahem. Everyone, quiet down. I'm your homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Next, please come up and introduce yourselves. You can talk about your hobbies, dreams, and so on."
"Hello, everyone. My name is Sakura Haruno. The person I like most is... My dream is to marry him and have a daughter with him..."
"My name is Saika Shasha. My hobby is strolling the streets..."
"Umekawa Kuko. I like handsome guys and want to be with a handsome guy."
"Suzume Arako. I like afternoon naps, and my hobby is peace."
"Umekawa Kuko. Male. Interested in women."
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like training with my older brother, and my dream is to become someone as strong as him."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My hobby is Ichiraku Ramen, and my dream is to gain everyone's acknowledgment..."
Naruto really had nothing to say, so he casually borrowed a couple of lines from the original Naruto. Yet when Iruka heard the name Naruto Uzumaki, an inexplicable wave of disgust rose in his heart, though he quickly suppressed it.
Even such a subtle change failed to escape Naruto's eyes. He merely gave Iruka a cold glance. He was not the foolish original Naruto, who could be moved by a few casual words. Since Iruka disliked him, he was happy to enjoy some peace and simply leave him alone.
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Iruka began the day's lesson.
"Please open your textbooks to page one: the Will of Fire of the great God of Shinobi."
Naruto merely glanced at the text and immediately lost interest. That old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi truly had no shame, even giving himself the title of God of Shinobi. Naruto wondered what expressions Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju would wear if they found out.
Still, only someone as shameless as him could pull off such brazen behavior. He was living up to the stereotype.
Unwilling to listen to this brainwashing about the Will of Fire, Naruto simply put his head down on his desk and went to sleep. His consciousness entered his system to prepare for the upcoming premium recruitment rebates. After all, this was Lord [Kizaru]!