Darkness.
Then light. Blinding, sudden, and way too close.
His eyes burst open, lungs heaving as if they'd forgotten how to breathe. The acrid scent of dry wood and cup ramen filled his nostrils at the same time.
He sat up on the bed—no, a futon—and realized right away that something was wrong.
His body was… smaller.
He threw off the blanket and looked down. Small hands. Tanned arms. Frayed orange pajamas. His heart racing.
"What the hell—?"
[Welcome, Player.]
You have successfully transmigrated.
Host: Uzumaki Naruto
Age: 6
Timeline: Pre-Academy Graduation
Difficulty: Hardcore
Unique Perks: [Gamer System], [Meta-Knowledge: Naruto Plot]
Main Quest: Change Fate.
Failure: Permanent Death.
Good luck, Player.
A blue, translucent screen floated in front of his face.
He blinked once. Twice.
"This isn't a dream," he muttered. "I've… transmigrated? Into Naruto? With a Gamer System?"
He stared at the screen, his mind reeling. Last thing he remembered was pulling an all-nighter, rereading the Fourth Shinobi War arc for the tenth time. Then there was darkness.
And now?
He was Naruto Uzumaki.
In his actual body.
In his actual world.
"Ah, this is nuts."
[Passive Skill Acquired: Gamer's Mind]
Effect: Resistance to mental stress. Emotional stability. Enhanced concentration.
[Passive Skill Acquired: Gamer's Body]
Effect: Physical healing operates on game logic. Regeneration was increased. Sleep heals all HP/Chakra/Status Effects.
".Alright," he breathed out. "Alright. That's… really sick."
His heart rate decreased. The fear faded—Gamer's Mind doing its thing.
First things first: check the stats.
"Status," he said automatically.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Level: 1
Race: Human (Jinchūriki - Sealed)
Title: Orphan, Pariah
HP: 100/100
Chakra: 150/150
STR: 5
AGI: 6
VIT: 8
INT: 4
WIS: 3
LUK: 20
Stat Points Available: 5
Perks: [Plot Knowledge], [Gamer's Body], [Gamer's Mind]
He looked at the stats. "So that's what being Naruto feels like."
His physical abilities were average for a six-year-old. Chakra was slightly higher due to the Nine-Tails, but Intelligence and Wisdom? Garbage.
"Alright," he mentally calculated. "Let's buff INT and WIS. I need brain power in order to be able to use everything that I know to its maximum extent."
+3 to INT.
+2 to WIS.
[You've unlocked the skill: Chakra Control (Beginner)]
Chakra control is within reach. Leaf Exercise is recommended.
[You learned the skill: Observe (Lv 1)]
Get basic info on targets. Level and details increase with skill level.
He felt it change right away. His mind clearer, mind quicker. Even his memory felt smoother—like navigating wiki pages.
He got up and looked around the apartment. Peeling paint. Broken windows. Cup ramen half eaten on the table.
Naruto's life had literally sucked.
And it made him angry.
Not for himself—but for the boy whose life he now inhabited. Alone, hated, used, and manipulated. He remembered it all—the beatings, the stares, the way no one told him about the fox sealed inside him until it exploded in his face.
Not this time.
He clenched his fists. "If I'm stuck in this world… I'm not going to live Naruto's life. I'm going to live my own."
Another notification popped up.
[Quest Received: Rewrite the Future]
Objective: Change key moments in Naruto's fate.
Rewards: Skill unlocks, titles, stat boosts, and ???
Bonus: Prevent at least one major death in Part I.
Failure: Death or Timeline Collapse.
He nodded. "Challenge accepted."
He grabbed a worn scroll from under the bed—one of Iruka's old chakra guides, half-burned at the edges—and unrolled it onto the floor.
"Let's start with chakra control."
And like any good RPG player—
He began grinding.