Our heroine fell through an endless rift between worlds.
It was not flight.
Not a fall.
Rather, a soundless sinking through a space that knew neither time nor direction.
Her mind was still struggling to find order.
The fusion of her two souls was not yet complete.
With every heartbeat, the person who had once been Jenni was being swallowed further by Artoria.
And what would emerge from them in the end...
had not yet been decided.
From the corners of her eyes, she saw countless universes.
They floated like small spheres in the endless dark, thousands of them, perhaps millions, each one a cosmos of its own.
And she was falling toward one of them.
It drew closer and closer.
"Why did the goddess send me on my way so quickly?" she murmured. "I still had so many questions."
Suddenly, a second voice sounded within her.
Calm.
Tired.
And yet filled with a weight that sounded like ancient royal blood.
"Little girl, we must act before you die."
She flinched.
"My soul will destroy you if we do nothing. I suggest that we merge willingly. I resisted the forced fusion imposed by the goddess. That is why our memories are so fragmented."
The sphere of the target universe came closer and closer.
Then a third voice rang out.
Foreign.
Clear.
Emotionless.
Welcome to Mentor System v0.1.
The system is currently searching for your first student. Please help them reach their maximum potential. The more of their potential they unlock, the greater your reward will be.
Target found.
Follow the displayed arrow to reach your student as quickly as possible and instruct them.
Soul disturbance detected in host. Repair procedure will be initiated. Souls will merge.
"Wait—!"
"No—!"
Two voices cried out at the same time.
But it was already too late.
What had just been two was finally fused into a single soul.
Then there was only her.
Silence.
A single thought remained.
"Why did you do that?"
The system determined that, without repair, damage to the system structure might have occurred.
But do not worry, host. As compensation, you will receive a welcome gift.
A shimmering window appeared before her eyes.
Would you like to open the welcome gift?
[Yes / No]
She stared at it.
"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief. "We could have solved that differently."
A massive glowing arrow also appeared in her field of vision, so dominant that it nearly blocked half her sight.
"And this arrow," she murmured dryly. "Could it perhaps be a little smaller?"
The system has registered your complaint.
At once, the arrow shrank and moved neatly to the lower-right corner of her vision.
From now on, the navigation arrow will be displayed in the lower-right area.
Please submit further improvement suggestions during the next system review in 30 days.
How satisfied are you with the system at present?
The window instantly changed back.
Would you like to open the welcome gift?
[Yes / No]
Artoria breathed heavily.
The fall between worlds, the violent fusion, and the cold voice of the system still echoed inside her.
For a brief moment, she closed her eyes.
Then she said in a tired voice:
"Yes, system. I would like to open the welcome gift."
Before her inner eye, a shimmering window opened.
Light gathered within it and condensed into four glowing coins that slowly appeared before her.
A green coin.
A blue coin.
An orange coin.
And a rainbow-colored coin.
For one moment, Artoria forgot everything around her.
Her eyes widened.
She almost looked like a little girl seeing a rare toy for the first time when her gaze lingered on the rainbow coin.
Then she suddenly paused.
"Uh... where did that come from?" she murmured, confused. "Is that from the fusion? Did I inherit that reaction from her?"
She frowned, but for the moment pushed the thought aside and tapped the green coin.
It immediately dissolved into tiny sparks of light.
Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Fūinjutsu knowledge of the Uzumaki clan.
Artoria blinked.
"Okay," she said slowly. "That's... not bad."
Her gaze shifted to the blue coin.
"Then let's see what blue can do."
She touched it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a new message appeared.
Thank you for your participation. Better luck next time.
Silence.
Artoria stared at the window.
"What?"
A twitch passed across her face.
"A dud?" she asked in disbelief. "Is this also some damn gacha-system nonsense?"
Then she raised both hands slightly.
"Noooo!"
The blue coin dissolved as if it wanted to mock her one last time.
With noticeably less trust, Artoria turned to the orange coin.
"Fine," she muttered. "Please let this one be something useful."
She pressed it.
Light flickered again.
Congratulations, host. You have obtained the bloodline Purifier.
With this ability, the host can purify bloodlines.
Artoria was silent for a moment.
"Uh..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I don't yet know what I'm supposed to use that for," she said honestly. "But it is probably better than nothing."
Now only the rainbow-colored coin remained.
It floated calmly before her, as though it knew perfectly well that it was the most important of them all.
Artoria slowly raised her hand.
The moment she touched the coin, a colorful firework of light exploded before her eyes.
Her entire field of vision was flooded with color.
Then a new message appeared.
Congratulations, host. You have obtained the complete Ninjutsu knowledge of the world of Naruto.
Immediately below it, another line appeared.
The system hopes that the host will leave a positive review in 30 days.
Artoria stared motionlessly at the window.
For several seconds, she said nothing at all.
Then her expression shifted.
"Uhhh..."
She slowly raised one eyebrow.
"Did I get scammed?"
Just as Artoria was about to confront the system again, she felt herself break through the barrier of the target universe.
A barely noticeable jolt ran through her body.
Then the system's voice sounded in her head.
Host, welcome to the Naruto universe.
Find your student as quickly as possible.
Artoria grimaced slightly.
"Could you at least tell me the name of my student?"
For a moment, all remained silent.
Then the system answered in the same matter-of-fact voice:
No. Not until the host has accepted them.
"How helpful."
At that, the system window vanished.
What she saw instead did not please her in the slightest.
Beneath her lay a planet.
And the place she was hurtling toward at full speed consisted of nothing but sea.
Artoria's eyes narrowed.
"Of course," she muttered dryly. "Why make things simple when deadly is also an option."
The impact was tremendous.
With a thunderous crash, she struck an island already scarred by war and destruction. But the moment her body hit the ground, the ruins became nothing more than a single crater.
Dust, rock, and debris were hurled in every direction.
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then Artoria slowly rose from the center of the impact.
Broken walls.
Scorched earth.
The remains of a fallen village.
"The goddess did that on purpose," she said coldly.
At once, a small window appeared again before her eyes.
Host, congratulations. Level 1 map unlocked.
A simple map window opened and marked her current location.
Uzushiogakure
Artoria was silent for a moment.
Then she let her gaze wander across the ruins once more.
"Oh..."
There was something else in her voice now. No mockery. More a quiet, bitter understanding.
"So the Uzumaki once lived here," she said softly. "Before they were wiped out."
The wind passed through the rubble of the ruined island.
And for the first time since she had entered this world, it seemed as though even this new world had not welcomed her.