The arena was long behind him.
Kiba's pride was bruised. Sakura had promised to improve. Sasuke was whisked away by Kakashi for "special training." The other Genin scattered like leaves in the wind.
But Naruto?
He had something none of them did.
A System.
And a growing sense that something inside it was changing.
---
He stood at Training Ground 3, early the next morning.
Sweat already clung to his shirt.
He'd started with a hundred push-ups. Then 200 kicks. Then clone-assisted sprint drills.
The System tallied everything.
> Physical Conditioning Complete
+100 EXP
+0.2 STR
Clone Feedback – Processing…
+400 EXP (Taijutsu)
+35% Trait Progress: Combat Reflex II
+Skill XP: Substitution Jutsu +12%, Shadow Clone Jutsu +9%
It was like having a sensei in his blood.
Naruto grinned. "This is gonna be my month."
---
That's when he heard the toad.
Or rather — saw the man riding the toad.
A white-haired, wild-eyed shinobi with red lines beneath his eyes dropped down from the trees like a drunken myth.
"Oi! You Naruto?"
Naruto blinked. "...Who's asking?"
The man grinned.
"Your new teacher."
---
Jiraiya.
One of the Legendary Sannin.
At first, Naruto didn't take him seriously — until Jiraiya showed him what chakra really meant.
Control.
Reserves.
Manipulation.
"You've got more chakra than most jōnin, kid," Jiraiya said, lounging against a rock. "Problem is, you waste most of it like a busted pipe."
Naruto frowned. "So fix the pipe."
Jiraiya grinned. "That's what I'm here for."
---
Training shifted.
Instead of raw strength, Jiraiya drilled chakra exercises.
Leaf balancing. Tree climbing. Water walking.
But Naruto was ahead of the curve — thanks to the System.
> Skill Level Up: Chakra Control → Intermediate (Level 6)
Chakra cost reduced by 8%
Jutsu efficiency increased
Skill Trait Unlocked: Channel Efficiency I
Jiraiya raised a brow. "Huh. You're learning fast."
Naruto shrugged. "Just good instincts."
The truth was more complicated.
---
That night, Naruto sat beneath the stars.
He pulled up the System interface again. Something had changed.
> Legacy Path Fragment Detected
– Scan In Progress…
Options Available:
[Open Path Menu]
[Delay Unlock]
Heart pounding, Naruto chose: [Open Path Menu]
The world blurred.
And he was no longer sitting on the ground.
---
He stood in a darkened space — a void filled with flickering lights.
Code ran across invisible walls. Glowing kanji spun in spirals, whispering secrets he couldn't yet understand.
A voice echoed.
Not loud. Not angry. Just… there.
"Do you seek power… or purpose?"
Naruto's fists clenched.
"I want to protect. To become strong enough to never lose anyone again."
The lights shifted.
> Legacy Paths Available (Preliminary):
– Path of the Trickster Sage
– Path of the Living Storm
– Path of the Ninefold Echo
– Path of the Broken Seal (Locked)
Warning: Only one Legacy Path may be chosen. Unlock conditions vary.
Full integration at System Sync: 50%
Only one?
He hovered his hand near the glowing glyphs.
Descriptions flowed.
---
> 🌀 Path of the Trickster Sage
Focus: Illusion, Subterfuge, Clone Mastery
Enhances deception, grants Sage-variant perks, unlocks unique summoning
> ⚡ Path of the Living Storm
Focus: Speed, Lightning Chakra, Reaction Time
Enhances movement, lightning affinity, unlocks high-speed combat perks
> 🦊 Path of the Ninefold Echo
Focus: Clone Multiplication, Instinct Boosting, Memory Layering
Enhances clone-based memory sharing, reflex stacking, battle adaptation
> 🔒 Path of the Broken Seal
Locked – Condition: ??? (Kurama Sync Required)
---
Naruto's eyes lingered on the final path.
Kurama.
The Nine-Tails inside him.
He remembered the red chakra that once almost burst out when he fought Haku.
He wasn't ready for that… yet.
But the Ninefold Echo called to him. It pulsed in time with the System.
It wasn't just about clones.
It was about becoming more with each version of himself.
Every mistake. Every success. Every battle — fed back into him.
---
He backed out for now. He'd decide at 50% sync.
Back in the real world, the wind rustled through the trees.
Naruto exhaled.
The power was growing.
But so was the risk.
---
The next week of training was a blur.
Jiraiya noticed it first.
"Your taijutsu's sharper," he said, mid-spar. "And you're reacting faster."
Naruto nodded, grinning.
"Just putting in the work."
> Trait Evolved: Combat Reflex II → Combat Reflex III
– Reaction time improved
– Movement prediction active
– Unlock: Instinct Chain (Passive)
Chance to auto-continue taijutsu combos
Effect scales with clone usage
He tested it that evening with 10 clones.
Each fought him in rotation.
And when they popped — their fights flowed into him.
Patterns. Errors. Openings.
It was like fighting 10 versions of himself and absorbing everything.
The System pinged again.
> XP Gained: 2,400
Stat Points: +2
Skill Upgrade: Taijutsu → Level 10 (Advanced)
New Perk Available: "Echo Strikes" (Active)
– Briefly create clone-echoes with delayed attack overlap
– 10s cooldown
---
By day 20, even Jiraiya looked impressed.
"You might just be the real deal, brat."
Naruto wiped sweat from his brow. "Might?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "We'll see when you face Neji."
Naruto's smile faded slightly.
Neji had humiliated Hinata.
He had crushed her spirit — not just her body.
"I'm gonna punch that smug look off his face," Naruto muttered.
---
That night, the System stirred again.
He didn't summon it.
It just… opened.
> System Alert:
Intrusion Detected
Signature: Unknown Chakra Source — Internal
Scanning…
Identity: Kurama
Status: Contained – Hostile – Dormant
Attempting Communication…
Naruto's eyes widened.
The interface cracked.
And a voice — deep, ancient, monstrous — spoke directly into his soul.
"So… you've been playing with your power…"
"Try not to break yourself before I get my turn."
The screen flickered.
For the first time, the System itself shuddered.
Then it went dark.
---
Naruto woke with a gasp, drenched in sweat.
His heartbeat thundered.
Kurama had spoken. Through the System.
The Nine-Tails wasn't just watching.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Naruto to grow.
Waiting for a chance to seize control.
Naruto sat up and clenched his fists.
"Then I'll get strong enough… to make you obey me."
He opened the System again.
> Sync: 31%
System Stability: ✅
Internal Presence: Suppressed
All systems nominal
It was holding — for now.
But the real test would come soon.
---
Only a few days remained before the final round.
And Naruto wasn't just ready.
He was evolving.
One battle at a time.