AN: This is not a full chapter! This is just an unedited, incomplete version that I'd meant to finish a long, long time ago. It has been rotting in my drive for some time now, and while I did post this on my pat reon, I had no intention of ever releasing this to public without working a ton on it.
But lately I've been getting PMs asking about the story's continuity. I hate to say this but for the foreseeable future, the story is on hold. I'm just too busy with my other three stories and have to write a minimum of 2k words per day to keep up with my schedule. Fitting this in is just not possible for me.
But if anyone's curious on how this story was supposed to proceed, read on. And checkout the AN in the end.
Hope you enjoy, however little it may be.
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I opened my eyes with a start, a gasp leaving me as the world became alive to my sense again.
The fresh smell of a new morning, the nervous chatter of children, cold harsh wind biting into my skin...
It almost brought tears to my eyes.
My heart throbbed like a drum and I had to squint my eyes slightly as they gained focus. The darkness that I'd been so accustomed to was replaced by the morning light and a bright blue sky.
Absently, I noted my heart was throbbing like a drum inside my chest, once again present and functioning.
'IT'S ALL REAL', I realized. Everything that I've just went through; My previous life, then subsequent death, then that torturous time in the void...
I shuddered slightly as the memories of my time in the dark nothingness came upfront. No mind should experience the utter horror of the void that I had to go through after death. It was a punishment that I couldn't see any human deserving.
And then came the meeting with that entity, followed by my subsequent status as the Gamer.
'It was all real.'
That fact was only strengthened by the twinkling words glowing in front of my eyes.
WELCOME
'I'm Alive.' I reiterated incredulously, even the most doubtful part finally accepting the fact. 'Someone gave me a new life, reincarnated me into a new body, a body of my own choosing, with a Gamer system to boot.'
"Next!" A rough voice bellowed up ahead, startling me out of my thoughts.
'Where exactly am I though?' I wondered, quickly looking around myself.
I took in the open courtyard where I stood between a line of children. I glanced back, peeking at the boy directly behind me. He looked young, barely 7 or 8, and was dressed in white karate robes.
The boy scrunched up his brows when he saw me peeking, a scowl marring his face as he growled out. "What?"
I snorted, giddiness and excitement spreading through my chest, bringing with it a warmth that I'd forgotten existed.
'Yup, I'm definitely alive.'
"See something funny do you, Kenzo?" The boy snapped.
I stared at the boy, confused for a second, before irritation quickly wormed inside my chest, replacing the just formed warmth.
"I do." I shot back without thinking, a mocking smirk curling up on my face. "It's standing here, right in front of me."
The boy looked stunned for a second, before his glare intensified. "Finally talking back, are you? Need me to remind you of your place again, DOBE?"
Suddenly, an alien urge to absolutely beat the crap out of the stupid boy started growing stronger and stronger inside me every second.
I took an involuntary step forward, my palm curling up in a fist...
"Oye! Silence back there!" A man yelled from the front of the line, breaking through my mind as I realised how close I'd come to assault a kid.
The urge to cause the boy some pain was still bleeding through my thoughts, as was the urge to throw my weight around to show everyone whose the boss, but my previous life's sensibilities helped me force my emotions under control, and I turned back around with a frown.
'This isn't me.' I concluded after mulling it over for a few moments. 'A child shouldn't be able to make me lose control like this. My negative traits are most likely affecting my judgement currently. '
But didn't I have Gamer's Mind to counter that?
Gamer's Mind (Passive)
Protects the Gamer's mind from external forces, while calming down any heightened emotions.
I read through the skill info once, twice, and then a third time, feeling trepidation built up in my stomach slowly as the meaning settled in.
'Wait... didn't this mean I can't voluntarily activate the skill? And heightened emotions... It must mean that it would only work when I'm feeling intense emotions. Which is why the people around are starting to look more like my playthings than actual humans.'
Did that not-R.O.B trick me?
"..Oh, that fucking bastard." I muttered under my breath.
This could cause some serious problems for me. Not now perhaps, cause I could stay hidden in the times of war. But in a more social setting?
I'll only have my previous life's wisdom to guide me.
"Next!" The man from the front yelled again, and we shuffled forward.
'Doesn't matter.' I finally decided. 'I may have selected my own poison, but I also got paid for it quite well.
'Status'
Kenzo
Title: Genin
Health: 40/40
Stamina: 40/40
Chakra: 255/255
Chakra Control: 19%
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 5
Vitality: 4
Perception: 6
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 18
Elixer: 0
Emeralds: 0
Frowning, I checked some of the other kids to compare my stats with.
Shinji Murasma
Title: Genin
Health: 90/90
Stamina: 90/90
Chakra: 85/85
Chakra Control: 27%
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 9
Vitality: 9
Perception: 8
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 9
Observing a few other kids gave me a better idea of where I stood currently. Most of the other children were similar to Shinji, with perhaps a difference of 1 or 2 stats. All of them were undoubtedly above me physically, but had less chakra and mental stats.
That was unacceptable. I didn't even bother resisting the irritation growing inside me at this info.
I should be the best in this world, bar none. Plain and simple. And I needed to get to the top as fast as I can. Especially in a world like this one, where a simple hand sign can kill you in a moment.
'I need to become the strongest.'
"Next!" The man yelled again and my turn finally came.
My focus shifted to the man dressed in dark khaki pants and flak jacket, sitting on a small bench and ticking down names on a sheet of paper.
"Name?" He asked impatiently.
"Kenzo." The name came to me instinctively as bits and pieces of new memories started to assault my mind.
Kenzo the original was a 5 year old boy who never knew his parents, and had been in the orphanage for as long as he could remember. Extremely quiet and non-talkative, the boy had barest of presence in life, and most who met him simply forgot he existed after the first time, even though he was the prettiest child anywhere he went.
He was enrolled for the lambs project 3 months ago, but showed absolutely no affinity for ninja life, being the deadlast of his group. Most of the time he was forgotten, and would normally never become a Genin, but the village cannot afford to be picky in these desperate times, and so they had no choice but to promote him.
Today was supposed to be a big day, as the current batch of lambs were to be deployed on field. Kenzo wasn't expected to survive, and most of his teachers simply hoped the boy could become a decent distraction on the battlefield so his sacrifice would not be in vain.
I'll have to make sure to change that. And I will, of course. That wasn't even a question.
Unfortunately, our march to the battlefield would barely take more than a couple of days, and even with my Gamer system, I wasn't confident in surviving a ninja war when I wasn't even a real Genin.
"Kenzo no-name..." The man in front of me muttered, his eyes flicking through the pages. "Yeah, you are... in team Dis17. Your team-leader's Oishi Satoru. Go straight Outta the academy, and be at the village gate in 15 minutes top. Stay with your team till a Chunin arrives, and no funny business or you're getting a beating."
My teeth bared themselves into a snarl and I had to forcefully move my legs before I did something I'd regret.
'The man would pay for his words, no doubt about it. Beat me huh? I'll show the fucking bastard who–'
I shut off the thought abruptly, taking deep breaths to calm myself. But even as a part of me focused on keeping my legs moving, another part was planning the man's demise. Once again, I had to force myself to focus.
'Fuck.' I breathed out in a sigh.
I really needed to get a hold of myself before I did something stupid. To be honest, even I was surprised by my...lack of subtlety. Weren't psychopaths known to be massive manipulators who lied and cheated to get what they want?
I'd actually be fine with that. In a cut-throat world like this, lying and cheating might just be an asset. But this... aggression towards beings much superior than me was just stupid. And might land me 6 feet in the ground, dead before I even had a way to grow.
A sudden twinkle in my peripheral captured my attention, and the moment I focused on it, it took over my vision.
[Skill Leveled Up: Gamer's Mind] Lvl 2
For the second time that day, I felt a genuine smile creep up on my face.
"Well...that solves the issue."
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My team was waiting for me just outside Konoha's gates. They weren't the only ones though, as there were over 30 fresh Genins already assembled on the clearing. Two older boys, around 12-13, were keeping the children quiet.
One of them turned to me as I arrived, and I had to force down a dark mocking chuckle as I saw his face.
A long ugly scar was etched under his lips, twisting them in a permanent sneer. It was horrible to look at, and I would've no doubt felt deep pity well up in me...in my previous life.
As I was, I just felt amused. Of course, I did my best to not let it show.
"Hey." The boy greeted cheerfully, waving his hands. "Are you one of the lam–ahh...I mean, one of the new Genins?"
I gave a nod, my eyes scanning through his status.
Tanuma Kikunojo
Title: Genin
Health: 110/110
Stamina: 110/110
Chakra Energy: 113/113
Chakra Control: 15% (E-Rank)
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 13
Vitality: 11
Perception: 9
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 11
This was the strongest Genin that I've observed, but I felt absolutely no respect for him. My eyes were instead more interested in his scars.
"Great! Please state your team's name."
"Dis-seventeen."
"Ah, one second!" The boy exclaimed, his eyes searching in the crowd of children before lighting up. "There! That one in the back, to the far left. You're their last member, so go and introduce yourself. Good luck!"
I gave another nod and quickly turned around, finally letting my mouth twist in a sneer.
'Stupid kid, looked like he was mauled by a bear. I wonder how loud his screams would've been. Eh, I could probably do a better job.'
I gave an involuntary giggle, feeling a little guilty but unable to stop myself.
Shaking my head to clear the thoughts, I weaved between the groups of other lambs to at last reach my team.
There were three kids in total, two boys and a girl, all standing away from the others. While the other two were clearly my age, one of the boys was older than us, sporting a severe expression as he turned to me.
"You Kenzo?" He asked, his eyes scanning me up and down.
The boy was most likely their leader, Oishi Satoru. Taller than all of us, the boy stood with straight shoulders and clasped hands, perfectly nailing the look of a soldier in attendance.
"I am." I replied, my eyes taking the other two in.
The other boy was just an year older than me, and had a bright grin on his face, trying to look brave. But his shaky hands and restless movements easily gave away his nervousness.
The girl on the other hand was 8 or 9 at most, and looked not at all ready for a war. She seemed just as restless as the boy, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
'Pretty little thing.' My mind whispered. 'Would look even more pretty tied up to–'
'Nope!' I quickly cut the line of thought. 'Not going there.'
"You Kenzo?" The younger of the two boys repeated, his nervous grin turning sly. "Who Kenzo? Dumb-As-A-Brick, Weak-As-A-Feather, THAT Kenzo?"
The boy chuckled, looking proud at inciting a light giggle from the girl.
"Ha-Ha, very funny." I sneered up at the two. "You must truly be the joker in your family. Oh wait, I'm sorry. I forgot they're DEAD."
The laughter was killed as quickly as it came. The girl gaped down at me while the boy took a step forward. "Y-you bastard..."
"Enough." The older boy finally spoke, and a look from him had the younger one backing off. "Save your anger for the war. Both of you."
The rest of our meeting passed in comfortable silence. Well, comfortable for me at least. And I chose this moment to checkout the rest of my status window.
Kenzo
Title: Genin
Health: 40/40
Stamina: 40/40
Chakra: 255/255
Chakra Control: 19%
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 5
Vitality: 4
Perception: 6
Intelligence: 18
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 18
Elixer: 0
Emeralds: 0
Perks:
Skills:
Gamer Skills–
Gamer's Mind (Lvl 2) [Passive]
Gamer's Body (Lvl 1) [Passive]
Ninja Skills–
The first thing that caught my eyes was the perk; Sharingan.
Currently I was woefully weak, but Sharingan can be my answer to solve that.
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AN: Aaand yeah, that's it. Pretty short and amateur I know, but like I said above, its incomplete and completely unedited. Also, this was written a few months ago, and I'd like to think I've grown as a writer considerably since then.
The immediate plot after this was Kenzo marching to war along with the rest, where they'd be ambushed mid-way by enemy shinobis and Kenzo would reap the rewards. I had many things planned for this, including a full Band of Brothers type war, and Kenzo becoming Elite-Jonin level before the Kyuubi attack (with Mangekyou in the bag)...but that's all gone down the drain now...at least, for the foreseeable future.
Cause I, unfortunately, haven't written a single word for this fic since Christmas. And even though I get bouts of inspiration here and there to continue this, they're quickly suppressed by my current schedule.
Will I continue it after one of my current fics is finished? Idk, I'll probably forget even the little plot that I still remember for it by then, and may have to create something entirely new. But that's still a year or two away so no point in hoping.
Anyways, apologies for the disappointing news, its difficult for me to shut down one of my stories like this but eh, better than giving false hope.
Will I write in Naruto verse again? In some point in the future, yeah definitely. But not till I finish at least one fic.
Well that's about it for now. Check out my other fics if you like my writing. Peace!