Morning sunlight filtered through the tall trees of Konohagakure's training grounds, 3 of which were new discoveries made by our little blonde retard.
*Ping*
3 New training grounds discovered 17/101
Naruto stood at the base of a massive oak tree, staring upward.
The Shinobi Codex hovered beside him.
Training Module Active
Basic Chakra ControlExercise: Tree Walking
Objective:Channel chakra into feet and adhere to vertical surfaces.
Difficulty: Easy → Moderate
Naruto cracked his knuckles. After inspecting his newly acquired chakra control exercise he was met with the deceptively simple title of Tree walking
"Alright… how hard can it be?"
He placed one foot against the tree trunk.
Focused chakra into the sole.
Then stepped forward.
For half a second—
It worked.
Then—
SLIP
Naruto slid down the bark and landed flat on his back.
"OW!"
The Codex chimed.
New Skill Acquired: Tree Walking LVL1 (1/10)
Training Feedback: Chakra output unstable.
Naruto sat up and glared at the tree.
"You're mocking me."
The tree remained silent.
Naruto made the cross hand sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF POOF POOF
Five Narutos appeared instantly.
One clone cracked his neck.
"Tree climbing training?"
Another nodded.
"Got it."
Within minutes the forest turned chaotic.
Clones ran up the trunk—
SLIP
THUD
Another tried.
SLIP
CRASH
One clone made it halfway up before losing balance.
"HAHA I'M DOING IT—"
He fell directly onto two other clones.
POOF
POOF
POOF
Memories slammed into the original Naruto.
Naruto clutched his head.
"Ow ow ow OW!"
The Shinobi Codex chimed.
Progress Detected
Basic Chakra Control Improving
By the afternoon—
Naruto finally stuck to the trunk.
He blinked.
Then looked down.
He was three meters above the ground.
"...WAIT."
Naruto grinned.
"I DID IT!"
He took another step upward.
Then another.
As he progressed his way up the trunk he couldn't help but call out:
"I'M THE KING OF TREES!"
A clone slipped past him and fell screaming.
Naruto watched him drop.
"...Work in progress."
The Codex chimed again.
Chakra Control Progress Updated: Skill level up!
Tree Walking LVL2 (1/20)
Later That Day
Team 7 stood inside the Hokage's office.
At the desk sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Stacks of mission requests covered his desk.
Beside the team stood their sensei.
Kakashi lazily flipped a page in his orange book.
Hiruzen studied the team calmly.
"You've completed several D-rank missions successfully."
Naruto groaned immediately.
"Those missions are lame!"
Sakura elbowed him.
"Naruto!"
Naruto pointed dramatically.
"I'm a ninja! Not a babysitter for cats!"
Hiruzen chuckled softly.
"I see."
Naruto crossed his arms.
"We need something bigger."
Sasuke remained quiet.
Sakura sighed.
But Naruto continued.
"We've trained hard, and Team 7 works great together!"
Naruto gestured proudly to his teammates.
Sakura blinked.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Naruto continued confidently.
"If you give us a harder mission, we'll prove we deserve it!"
Hiruzen studied Naruto carefully.
The room grew quiet.
Then the old Hokage smiled slightly.
"You did well just now, Naruto."
Naruto blinked.
"What?"
Hiruzen gestured toward the team.
"Instead of asking for glory, you spoke about Team 7's teamwork."
His eyes softened slightly.
"A shinobi who values their comrades is already thinking like a leader."
The Shinobi Codex chimed quietly.
Charisma Check Passed
Stat Increase:
Charisma 7 → 8
Naruto blinked.
"...Nice."
Hiruzen flipped through a stack of papers.
Then pulled one out.
"I believe I have something suitable."
He placed the request on the desk.
Mission Assigned
Escort the bridge builder Tazuna safely to the Land of Waves
Mission Rank: C-Rank
Difficulty: Moderate
Objectives:
• Protect the client during travel• Ensure safe arrival in the Land of Waves• Neutralize any bandit threats encountered
System Rewards:
+5 Strength
+3 Agility
+4 Endurance
+2 Intelligence
+3 Charisma
+40 System Points
1 New Jutsu
Failure Penalty:
• Reduced mission reputation• Loss of potential rewards
• Death
Naruto leaned forward with wide eyes. Death? Is this just a slim chance or are C ranks really that much more dangerous?
"We'll escort the crap out of this guy old man, Believe it!"
Sweatdrops hung all around. Kakashi glanced at the paper.
"Escort mission, huh."
The door behind them creaked open.
An older man named Tazuna walked inside carrying a bottle.
He smelled faintly of alcohol.
He squinted at the team.
"...These are the ninja?"
His eyes landed on Naruto.
"This one's the worst."
Naruto gasped.
"HEY!"
Sakura groaned.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Hiruzen chuckled quietly.
But before the briefing ended—
Naruto suddenly spoke up again.
"Oh yeah!"
Everyone looked at him.
Naruto scratched his head.
"Old man Hokage?"
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Naruto tilted his head.
"Have you ever heard of something called the Hidden Whirlpool Village?"
The room went silent.
Kakashi's visible eye flickered slightly.
Hiruzen leaned back slowly in his chair.
"...The Hidden Whirlpool Village?"
Naruto nodded.
"The Uzumaki Clan clan too, know anything about them?"
Sasuke and Sakura's gazes turned toward their teammate and narrowed. The Uzumaki clan?
'As if he has a clan' 'Naruto has a clan? How come i was never tought anything about this hidden village' was thought by his teammates respectively.
Hiruzen's expression changed.
Just slightly.
He tapped his pipe against the desk thoughtfully.
"...Where did you hear that name?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Just curious."
The old Hokage stared at him for a long moment.
Then spoke quietly.
"...It's been many years since anyone mentioned that place."
Naruto leaned forward eagerly.
"So it was real?!"
Hiruzen gave a slow nod.
"It was."
His eyes drifted toward the window.
"A powerful village… and an old ally of Konoha."
Naruto's heart skipped.
"But it was destroyed long ago."
Naruto frowned.
"...Destroyed?"
Hiruzen folded his hands.
"Yes."
"During the 2nd great ninja war."
The room remained quiet.
Naruto scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"Huh."
The Hokage watched him carefully.
But before he could press further—
Kakashi closed his book.
"Well then."
He gestured toward the door.
"Team 7."
"Our first C-rank mission awaits."
Naruto grinned widely.
"YES!"
The Shinobi Codex pulsed quietly.
New Mission Started
Escort Tazuna to the Land of Waves
Naruto pumped his fist.
Adventure had officially begun.
And far away—
Across the sea—
The Land of Waves waited.
After the initial excitement of their first C-rank mission assignment ran out, our knuckleheaded blonde couldn't help but think on his way home,
'The old man didn't answer my question about the Uzumaki...'
Legendary Mission Update:
Asking the Hokage about your lineage yielded questionable results. +1 Intelligence for perceptive reasoning. You know more about the Hidden Whirlpool village, dig deeper for further updates.