'Uzumaki Kurayami' stood before the ninja academy instructor, the blackboard behind him. This was the regular classroom, and today was graduation day!
That's right, it was the exam! In order to become a ninja, this was the test that would determine his future within this village.
In the end, that was what the children thought. Who would have known that a man who had been reincarnated would see failing the exam as merely one option? It wasn't that failing meant he couldn't become a ninja.
This world valued strength above all. As long as one was powerful, the path to becoming a ninja was as easy as flipping one's palm.
Kurayami smiled lightly when the proctor encouraged him with a joking tone. Everyone knew that Kurayami was the most outstanding student in the class, both academically and in ninja skills. He was without a doubt the strongest student of this year.
He formed hand seals. White smoke burst forth, and after the mist dispersed, an identical body appeared beside him.
"An excellent pass. Good!" The examiner nodded with a proud smile.
He handed Kurayami a forehead protector with the leaf emblem, the symbol of Konoha.
So this is the forehead protector…
Kurayami wasn't particularly excited about obtaining it. However, possessing this forehead protector would confirm his status as a Genin, and once that happened, his mission would be processed!
[Mission: Become a Genin]
[Reward: Unknown]
Looking at the square window panel beside him, Kurayami curled the corner of his lips. His hands, hardened from intense training, reached out to take the forehead protector.
[Ding!]
[Mission completed: Become a Genin!]
[Reward: Processing]
As the forehead protector came into his hand, he slowly traced the leaf symbol with his thumb. The faint smile on his handsome youthful face widened further.
He felt excited, but as a man who had already experienced adulthood, he wouldn't allow such emotions to cloud his current judgment.
His body moved on its own. Kurayami thanked the examiner and walked out of the room. At the same time, the system announced the reward.
[Ding! Processing complete. Reward: Sleepless Potion]
"…"
Kurayami's first reaction was that he felt like he was seeing things. At this moment, the boy had become completely speechless.
"Kurayami! Did you pass?" A student outside asked anxiously. Those who hadn't taken the exam yet couldn't help but worry.
But Kurayami remained silent. He didn't even hear or respond to his excited classmates, walking past them like a wandering soul. His pitch-black eyes, once calm, now looked even emptier, like a bottomless abyss.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Don't mind those show-offs."
The students behind whispered among themselves. Only after Kurayami walked out of the building and sunlight hit his eyes did he finally come back to his senses.
"Hey… this isn't funny. Are you telling me I'm in the Naruto world but got powers from LOTM or something?" His newly deepened voice murmured to himself, as if he hoped the system could hear him.
But of course, it couldn't. The system didn't have AI functions.
Kurayami felt the corner of his mouth twitch repeatedly as his gaze shifted to the words that followed.
[Receive now / Store for later]
[Warning: The system can store it within you for only 7 days. If it exceeds 7 days, the system will grant it to you immediately.]
So you're not even giving me the option to refuse, huh.
Kurayami sighed. Though mentally mature beyond his age, he couldn't help but wonder: if he became a Beyonder in the Naruto world, what would happen?
If I drink the potion, will I die immediately? Go mad? No… I don't even know whether those rules still exist. Convergence and divergence, the law of conservation of energy, godhood… If they really exist, then becoming a low-Sequence Beyonder shouldn't be difficult. But the real question is: am I the only Beyonder in this universe?
As he pondered, Kurayami realized he had already returned to his old rented room. Yet he still couldn't come up with any conspiracy theory to answer his questions.
Tch, there are too many variables. I don't even know whether this Naruto world is merely a universe constructed from dimensional symbols and the painting of some higher-dimensional overseer, or whether it is completely separate, governed by the symbol of the Original Creator, who is said to be the exception to everything.
"He" is "the exception," "the unknowable," "the incomprehensible," "the indescribable." Everything that should not exist might exist before "Him." Nothing can be predicted. Everything is possible and impossible at the same time.
Under such symbols, perhaps the Naruto universe is completely separate from LOTM? But even if I can't find the answer, so be it.
Kurayami entered his shabby rented room. Though old and creaky, it was clean and neatly arranged. He threw himself onto his hard mattress.
He tilted his head toward the window. His red hair glowed under the sunlight, and his dark eyes gazed at the sky, as if trying to peer into the depths of the universe beyond.
A quiet, unfathomable smile appeared on his youthful face.
That's right. As long as there are no Outer Deities—under the premise that they don't exist here since I'm not being corrupted even though I almost know everything about them—drinking the Sleepless Potion shouldn't be a problem.
Without Outer Deities, it was reasonable to assume those rules wouldn't apply here. Perhaps the system… a system that might have been created by some higher being… would protect me from all dangers related to the power structure of the LOTM universe. So there shouldn't be any danger.
Kurayami decided to drink the Sleepless Potion.
As a reincarnator who had nearly fully understood both universes, he clearly knew their complexity and terror, though they were profoundly different.
In the world of LOTM, what Kurayami feared most was madness and loss of control. But those shouldn't be an issue if he had the system to protect him.
In the Naruto world, what was terrifying were the Otsutsuki, beings who resembled gods in this universe. They were powerful aliens, difficult for humans to oppose.
But… if he drank the Sleepless Potion, even the Otsutsuki, he believed, could be defeated if he was lucky enough. As long as he reached Sequence 7 and used Dream Shaping to force his target into sleep, no matter how powerful the enemy was, as long as they were within range, Kurayami was confident that no one could resist his forced sleep! Except for sufficiently strong ocular powers… which would require actual combat to analyze.
All of this was thanks to the seniors in the LOTM community who shared their ideas about authority and symbols. A Beyonder's attacks targeted authority and concepts, so power levels were fundamentally different.
Thus, once Kurayami became a Beyonder, he stepped onto the path toward godhood, completely controlling the authority beneath him. Even at Sequence 7, if there was no equivalent existence, no one could resist him.
Dream Shaping was an ability whose essence reached the level of concepts. Therefore, nothing could interfere with forced sleep unless the opponent was a being with the same path to godhood as him.
In short, Kurayami as a Beyonder used spiritual power, a force beyond the understanding of this world and originating from a higher dimension than chakra. Therefore, no one in this world could resist his forced sleep—unless they stimulated themselves awake through extreme pain.
Speaking of this, Kurayami suddenly realized that he was too lazy to keep constructing logical explanations and theories to connect the two universes and their different power systems.
"Spiritual power comes from the spirit world, while authority comes from the astral world. Damn it, I don't want to build theories just to justify merging two universes. So I won't look for reasons anymore. Let's end it here."
Kurayami muttered, rolling his eyes, as he reached out and pressed the option to receive the potion.
[Receive]
Whoosh!
In the thin air above his palm, a transparent bottle filled with liquid suddenly appeared. His jet-black eyes stared at the liquid with interest.
"A black liquid with a foul smell." The boy immediately gave his evaluation of the Sleepless Potion after analyzing it.
Kurayami pursed his lips, held his breath, and lifted the bottle to his mouth.
Glug. Glug. Glug.
The black liquid was swallowed completely. The next second, the taste he never wanted to experience again disappeared from his tongue, while on another level, his spirit erupted with a loud roar.
His surroundings began to blur. Kurayami felt himself sinking into a calm and silent darkness, until whispers echoed from a pitch-black room in ancient Hermes.
"Amanises… Amanises."
His black eyes widened in shock, but he quickly regained his composure.
That was the true name of the Goddess of Evernight
Kurayami silently analyzed the situation, until a loud bang sounded again, and the atmosphere and sensations slowly returned.
So this is the reaction after drinking the potion. That bang must have been the system's countermeasure to protect me from danger. Pretty thorough.
This entire process required a great deal of concentration for the system to function at maximum efficiency.
His red hair fluttered in the wind, sweat forming on his youthful face. Moments later, his large eyes opened again, the black pupils becoming even calmer, as a faint cold smile slowly appeared.
"So this is the power of the Sleepless, huh?" Kurayami clenched his fist, then opened it with keen interest.
In his mind, all the abilities of Sequence 9 Sleepless had appeared.
[Nocturnality : The later it gets, the stronger the Sleepless becomes. Physical strength, mental strength, and instincts are enhanced, including chakra. They can see clearly at night even without light. Darkness is no longer dangerous because they can perceive it. In terms of sleep, you only need 3–4 hours per day.]
"…I'll call this path the Six Paths Otaku." The boy said jokingly.
[Ding! Your status has changed. Please check.]
Hm?
Kurayami raised an eyebrow and looked at the system panel with interest.
[Name: Uzumaki Kurayami
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Pathway: Darkness, Sequence 9 Sleepless
Symbol: "Eternal Darkness"
Status: Blessed by Eternal Darkness
Chakra: A+
Vitality: S
Chakra Control: A
Nature Transformation: Unknown
Known Jutsu: Three basic academy techniques
Abilities:
– Swordsmanship Skill: C+
– Innate Sealing Technique (Status Unknown)
– Martial Arts Skill: C
Rank: Genin (official), Chunin (skill-based)]
Kurayami blinked repeatedly when he saw that his status panel had changed again. It was far more detailed than before! In the past, it only displayed his name, gender, and age. Now, it had many more entries.
But his sharp gaze stopped on two lines: Eternal Darkness and Blessed by Eternal Darkness!
"…"
Ah… the path to becoming strong really doesn't seem that troublesome anymore.
…
End of Chapter One