As evening approached…
"Don't rush, Naruto. Everyone's chakra is unstable when they first begin extracting it. You've already grasped the basics. From here on, just follow the training step by step. After all, you've only just started learning about chakra and ninjutsu."
Watching Naruto attempt chakra extraction again and again—finally forming the Tiger hand seal to prepare the Transformation Jutsu, only to freeze midway—the Third Hokage assumed the boy had been discouraged by repeated failure and offered a few gentle words of reassurance.
"I understand, Hokage-sama. Thank you for your patience and guidance."
Naruto lowered his head slightly in thought. Then, he dispersed the Transformation Jutsu he had been preparing and bowed deeply, his movements carrying an almost formal air.
"Heh heh. Little Naruto, don't forget what you promised—to work hard. I'll come visit again when I have time."
The Third Hokage's face softened once more with a warm smile.
"Of course. I'll do my best!" Naruto replied, knowing it was time for the Hokage to conclude his visit.
And with that, the Hokage left.
As he descended the stairs and stepped outside, a trace of guilt flickered in his eyes. Naruto's behavior was far too mature—utterly unlike that of a normal child.
Originally, he had planned to place Naruto in the orphanage.
But the orphanage was under the control of the Foundation.
And the Foundation would never relinquish that authority. It was their primary source of recruits. Even as Hokage, he lacked the power to interfere. Konoha's political structure was not one where the Hokage held absolute control.
And who led the Foundation?
Shimura Danzō.
A childhood friend—now completely consumed by darkness. His methods had grown increasingly ruthless over the years. Hiruzen could not deny that his own leniency had allowed matters to reach this point. Still, there was one absolute line that could not be crossed.
The jinchūriki must never fall into Danzō's hands.
The Nine-Tails had to remain under the Hokage's control. This was no longer merely about peace in the shinobi world—it was about Konoha's survival.
At that thought, the Third Hokage's gaze hardened. He reached for the Hokage hat at his waist and placed it firmly atop his head. A mountain of paperwork awaited him back at the office; he had already spent too much time here.
Upstairs, Naruto stood quietly by the window.
He watched as the ANBU stationed near the door stepped forward and closed it the instant the Hokage left.
A faint sense of displeasure stirred in Naruto's chest.
The scene reminded him of depictions from ancient dramas in his previous life—when a visitor left a prison cell, and the jailer would immediately slam the door shut, as if afraid the prisoner might escape.
Still…
Today, he had accomplished something incredible.
He had learned how to extract chakra.
That alone meant the door to cultivation had finally opened.
After a short pause, Naruto's eyes sharpened. He gently closed the window, walked into his bedroom, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He began extracting chakra once more, carefully following the method he had just learned.
"Minimum energy threshold reached. Do you wish to activate the Mirror World?"
The moment chakra surged within his body, a mechanical prompt echoed inside his mind.
"So it wasn't my imagination… The invitation is still active!"
He had first heard the voice earlier that day—right when he successfully extracted chakra for the first time and was about to use the Transformation Jutsu.
It had caught him completely off guard.
Even as the Third Hokage reassured him, the voice had repeated itself every ten seconds in his mind. Only then did Naruto realize that the prompt was something only he could hear.
He hadn't dared respond at the time, afraid of exposing himself. Instead, he had bowed to the Hokage and mentally rejected the invitation.
The voice disappeared.
After the Hokage left, Naruto tried calling it back—nothing happened. Once he felt safe, he guessed the invitation must be tied to chakra extraction.
And sure enough, the moment he gathered enough chakra again, the prompt returned:
"Do you wish to activate the Mirror World?"
Naruto thought for a few seconds.
Then, he decided.
Activate.
A translucent virtual window appeared before him. Lines of text streamed across it as the mechanical voice echoed calmly in his mind.
"Activating Mirror World…""User Guide: Transmitting…""Transmission complete. Current bound user: Uzumaki Naruto.""Current authority level: Tier-1 World Owner.""Commencing data collection of the current world. Data integrity: 1%. Please complete data collection as soon as possible.""Activation complete. Welcome to the Mirror World."
As the final words faded, Naruto felt a sudden jolt.
Before he could react, his surroundings changed completely.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing at the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki stood guard on either side. They looked identical to their real counterparts—but their faces were devoid of human emotion.
From the guide, Naruto understood that these were data-based replicas—puppets modeled after real individuals. The entire Leaf Village here was nothing more than a replicated scene.
Yet within this Mirror World, he could challenge these puppet versions in combat.
Win or lose, his performance would be evaluated and rewarded.
Rewards could include jutsu proficiency, combat experience, or even greater benefits if he performed well.
Naturally, there were rules.
He had entered as a projection of his consciousness, fueled by chakra. With the system's data still incomplete, each entry consumed a fixed amount of chakra.
If his chakra was exhausted, he would be forcibly ejected.
He could also choose to leave at any time.
Injuries sustained here wouldn't affect his real body, though they would drain his mental stamina. Time also flowed differently compared to the real world.
To possess a place like this…
Wasn't this essentially a cheat?
He had spent four cautious years simply surviving in this world. Now, at last, he had a path to grow stronger—to truly gain a foothold.
Suppressing his excitement, Naruto approached Izumo Kamizuki.
A prompt appeared.
"Initiate Challenge?"
Naruto selected Yes without hesitation.
The emotionless system voice responded:
"Notice: Your current projection has ten minutes of chakra available for this challenge."
The moment the words vanished, the scenery shifted again.
Naruto and Izumo now stood on a combat platform.
Across from him, Izumo suddenly seemed to come alive.
Naruto barely had time to marvel at the realism when Izumo inhaled sharply and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"I—"
Naruto didn't even finish the sentence.
A massive fireball—nearly a meter in diameter—roared toward him.
He froze.
Just like that, his first battle ended.
Three seconds later, he was back at the village gates.
"I just got insta-killed…"
Naruto muttered, feeling slightly defeated.
But thinking it over, it made sense.
From the anime he had watched to completion in his previous life, he knew Kotetsu and Izumo were Chūnin-level shinobi.
He had only learned chakra extraction today—losing was perfectly normal.
Still… hadn't the guide said rewards were granted regardless of victory or defeat?
Why hadn't he received anything?
Was the loss simply too humiliating?
After pondering for two minutes, Naruto decided to try again.
He still had chakra left.
The scene shifted once more. He and Izumo stood on the platform again.
This time, Naruto was ready.
Before Izumo could move, Naruto immediately retreated and began circling the arena.
"No matter what—I'm not getting insta-killed again!"
His sharp blue eyes locked onto Izumo, tracking every movement.
Izumo's gaze followed him smoothly.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Izumo vanished.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of Naruto, rapidly closing the distance.
"Damn—it's the Body Flicker Technique!"
Naruto had just begun to turn—there was no time to evade.
Izumo suddenly leapt into the air.
"Water Style: Syrup Capture Field!"
And this time… Izumo spat.
Sticky liquid erupted, spreading rapidly across the ground.
Naruto couldn't stop in time.
The moment he stepped into it, his feet were glued firmly in place.
There was no suspense.
Izumo followed up with another Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu.
The battle ended.
But this time, as Naruto lay defeated, the system voice finally echoed again:
"Congratulations. You have gained training experience in Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu (Izumo Kamizuki)."
(End of Chapter)