"Good afternoon, Yuichi-kun! You look cheerful today. How did you do at school? Graduation exams are tomorrow, right? Are you confident?"
On Konoha Street,
a kind-looking woman was watching a small boy pass by her shop, her eyes filled with care.
Nagano Yuichi, 12 years old, was a student at Konoha's Shinobi School.
His talent was average, his family background was ordinary. Although he had a slightly handsome face, he was nothing more than another child of Konoha.
The woman who greeted him was his neighbor.
Yuichi lifted his head, forcing a faint smile, and replied softly with just a "Hmm."
Then he continued walking.
He climbed the stairs, took out his key, and opened the door.
Home.
He tossed the key onto the table carelessly.
The small room, less than 20 square meters, held only a single bed, a small wooden table, one stool, and a window. A few faded, washed-out clothes hung by the window.
Other than that, there was nothing.
And no one else.
His parents had died a long time ago.
Yuichi sat on the edge of his bed, slowly lying back. He stared at the ceiling, resting his head on his hands.
"Three days."
"It's been three days since I came here, and it still feels unreal."
"Hokage… Ninja… Konoha… What can I even do in this world?"
Yuichi raised his hand, staring at his palm.
"Normal talent, ordinary life. Even if I manage to graduate, I'll just be another background character."
[Ding! System restart successful!]
The sudden sound in his mind made Yuichi freeze.
He had heard this voice once—three days ago, right after he arrived in this world. But back then, it had glitched, saying something about an error and needing to restart.
At the time, Yuichi had just regained consciousness. His mind was a mess. He thought it was just an auditory hallucination and ignored it.
But clearly… it hadn't been.
So why had it failed before?
[God-Level Selection System reboot complete. Beginning host scan.]
[Host: Nagano Yuichi]
[Age: 12]
[Chakra Attribute: Water]
[Mastered Ninjutsu: Clone Technique (10/100), Body Replacement Technique (15/100), Transformation Technique (5/100)]
[Mastered Taijutsu: Basic Academy Style (20/100)]
[Genjutsu: None]
[Special Physique: None]
[Bloodline Limit: None]
[Scanning chakra reserves…]
[Beep… Beep… Beep…]
[Warning! Warning! Value exceeds upper limit!]
"…Exceeds the upper limit? What does that mean?"
Yuichi frowned. How could his small amount of chakra be beyond the system's detection range?
[Scan complete.]
[Chakra amount: Null]
"Eh!?"
The system couldn't even measure it. That didn't make sense.
For the past three days, he had tried molding chakra according to the memories in his head. His reserves were small, but definitely real.
"This system is garbage…" Yuichi muttered.
"You can't detect it? Fine. I'll tell you myself—my chakra is barely enough to reach a Genin's passing line. I'll be lucky if I can graduate tomorrow."
[Host recognized. Character panel regenerated.]
[Host: Nagano Yuichi]
[Age: 12]
[Chakra Reserves: Slightly below Genin level]
"Ah… so you can just define things however you want, huh? Whatever."
"Then tell me—what functions do you even have?"
[God-Level Selection System bound successfully. Daily Selection unlocked.]
[Please choose one option within 24 hours to receive a reward.]
[1] Practicing ninjutsu increases proficiency of any ninjutsu by +10. Reward: Water Clone Technique.
[2] Practicing ninjutsu until any jutsu reaches Intermediate level. Reward: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
"Proficiency…" Yuichi thought, recalling the numbers on his earlier panel. So that's what they meant.
He nodded.
"That makes sense."
Between the two options, he didn't even hesitate. He chose the first one.
Over the past three days, he had realized how pitiful his talent was. His chakra reserves were tiny. He could barely perform the Three Basic Jutsu twice before exhausting himself.
If each successful cast increased proficiency by one point, he could rest and try again, eventually reaching the requirement for option one.
Option two, however, was impossible. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't complete it in time for tomorrow's graduation exam.
"The system changes things… but for now, I just need to pass tomorrow."
Yuichi clenched his fists.
"Alright then… let's practice ninjutsu."
He formed a clumsy hand seal in front of his bed.
Bang!
Chakra surged, and a puff of smoke appeared. A clone identical to Yuichi stood beside him.
[Clone Technique performed successfully. Proficiency +1]
[Clone Technique (11/100)]
"Sure enough… one successful cast increases proficiency."
But—Yuichi's eyes widened.
"…My chakra didn't decrease?"
He quickly tried again.
"Clone Technique!"
Bang!!
Two clones appeared this time, one on each side.
[Clone Technique performed successfully. Proficiency +1]
But Yuichi barely glanced at the system notification. Instead, his eyes slowly closed.
A moment later, they snapped open, glowing with realization.
"…My chakra isn't decreasing at all."