I sat at the top of a tree, grinning as I looked out over the vast landscape. The breeze rustled through the leaves, and a warm sun hung lazily in the sky. To think I'd already mastered Tree Climbing. This world was really starting to open up for me.
There were still five hours before I had to head to work. More than enough time. I was going to master Water Surface Walking next.
Without hesitation, I jumped down, sliding down the trunk like my feet were magnetized to the bark—smooth and seamless, like a train gliding along a rail. When I landed, I made my way straight to the river.
I stripped down, leaving only my boxers.
"Huff..." I took a deep breath, then formed a simple tiger seal. Chakra flowed down toward the soles of my feet. I focused, trying to capture and recall that exact feeling—light but firm, flowing but grounded. Once it clicked, I stepped forward onto the river.
"Holy..." The sensation was surreal. Like stepping onto solid concrete. "I feel like..." I brought the other foot forward. "Hell yeah!"
I probably looked like a crazy monkey—but I didn't care. I jumped around like an excited brat. I mean, come on! I was walking on water! Just like him. Like someone I used to know back on Earth.
I did a backflip, slid across the surface like a penguin, did a hundred push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and even ran a full 10 kilometers on the water. Because I could.
[Inventory]
Ichiraku Building Blueprint ×1
Flying Thunder God Scroll ×1
Kunai ×61
Shuriken ×57
Fuma Shuriken ×5
Wire Rope ×7
Smoke Bomb ×3
Empty Scroll ×9
UV Cream ×5
Gold Bar ×3
Uchiha Crest Black Shirt ×10
Energy Drink ×6
Spatula ×3
Wok Pan ×2
Cigarette Pack ×5
Tsunade's Milk ×1
Scalpel ×1
Winter Coat ×1
Condom x3
It's only been four days since I got this system, and I already have this much loot from Random Gifts?
Anyway, I pulled out the milk and drank it.
"This is life..." I emptied the bottle, then frowned. "Wait... it's written in English?" It had been ages since I'd seen that.
Fwish!
I froze.
Six ANBU appeared out of nowhere, circling me.
But I'd sensed them before they revealed themselves—Enhanced Nose for the win. Still, this was the first time they'd actually shown themselves.
"What's the meaning of this?" I asked.
No response. They stood silently, unreadable.
Then it hit me. A rush of feedback slammed into my brain. A Shadow Clone I'd left to work at Ichiraku had just vanished. Not because he finished his shift—he was forcefully dispelled.
Tsunade!
She must've discovered something. The milk? But it was labeled in English—how could she even know what it was?
Wait. Of course.
I used a forbidden jutsu like Shadow Clone. Four days ago, I was just a chakraless nobody, and now I'm pulling off advanced ninjutsu. Tsunade must've figured it out. And now... she's pissed!
Two small white spheres formed in my palms. As I slammed them into the water, the ANBU lunged.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
I summoned a hundred Shadow Clones. Each one moved immediately, scattering in all directions.
"Stop this instant!"
ANBU chased down each clone like wolves. I could hear the puff of vanishing clones behind m. Eevery time one died, I felt the feedback: stabbed by kunai, wrapped in wire, kicked into trees, smashed into rocks—fuck!
BOOM!
The ground shook violently. A crater formed nearby, blasting dust and debris everywhere. Most of my clones disappeared from the shockwave. I was down to maybe twenty.
"KENNNN! COME OUT!"
That voice—loud, furious, and all too familiar. Tsunade had arrived!
I ran deeper into the forest, heart pounding, chakra thinning.
Fwish! Fwish!
Two ANBU dropped down in front of me, landing softly.
"We won't hurt you. Please surrender immediately," one of them said, calmly.
"Hmm..."
Did they really think I wouldn't fight back? I made a quick stop at the Shops and used half of my saved points to buy a jutsu.
Ding!
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu has been added to the status.
"Oh yeah?" I grinned.
My hands blurred through the signs. I inhaled deeply, chakra gathering in my lungs.
[Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu]
A blazing fireball, at least ten meters, burst from my mouth and scorched the forest in its path.
Water surged up in front of the ANBU, forming a towering wall, the two jutsus collided.
BOOM! SHHHH!
Steam hissed and filled the forest in a thick mist.
As the haze began to clear, I raised an eyebrow. The ANBU were already on their knees. I smirked, feeling the upper hand... wait a fucking minute. This feeling—an eerie silence behind me. There's something behind me, isn't there?
I turned. Tsunade was smiling. But not in a good way. Her fist was already halfway to my face.
---
I woke up to find myself tied to a chair in the Hokage's office. My head throbbed slightly, and a faint headache reminded me of Tsunade's fist from earlier.
I looked around and spotted a few familiar faces.
There was Ino, arms crossed and watching me carefully. Sakura stood beside her, tense. Shizune looked concerned, and on her shoulder sat Tonton, snorting quietly. And of course—Tsunade herself, sitting behind her desk, hands steepled, her expression dead serious.
"You're finally awake," she said, her voice calm, but edged with steel.
"…Am I in trouble?" I asked, more out of habit than confusion.
"You are, kid." Tsunade didn't waste time. "I'll get straight to the point. How could a civilian orphan—no clan ties, no basic Academy training—suddenly make a hundred Shadow Clones and master a C-rank Fireball Jutsu?"
The room fell silent. Everyone's eyes were on me.
"Everyone has at least one secret up their sleeve, right?" I replied with a weak grin.
"That's true," Shizune said, "but hiding the fact you've mastered a forbidden jutsu like Shadow Clone while still considered a civilian is a major violation, Ken. Normally, you'd go straight to jail… or worse—be charged as a spy. That's a death sentence."
I let out a long sigh. Looks like I couldn't keep everything hidden after all.
"Fine. I can't explain everything yet… but I decided to train myself. Recently, I found out I'm... a little different. And I've come across some very interesting information."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "What kind of information?"
"I know where the Sanbi is. The Three-Tails. Its exact location."
The room's energy shifted immediately.
Shizune blinked. "That Sanbi? But… after the Fourth Mizukage died, Sanbi was lost. Everyone knows tailed beasts don't die, but they eventually revive at unknown locations. You're saying… you know where it is?"
I nodded.
Tsunade's gaze hardened. "So what? You want us to go after it?"
I looked her dead in the eye.
"I want to become Sanbi's Jinchūriki."
Tsunade slammed her desk with both palms. Papers jumped. Tonton squealed.
"Kid! You have no idea what you're dealing with! You couldn't even handle its chakra, let alone become its vessel!"
I stared back at her, unblinking. "Then are you saying it's better if the Akatsuki just takes it for free?" Her rage wavered. For a moment, the stern Hokage looked… shaken.
"…How do you know about Akatsuki?" she asked quietly.
"Akatsuki?" Ino frowned. "That's the group after Naruto, right?" Sakura glanced at her and nodded, making Ino's confusion deepen.
"So," I said, turning back to Tsunade, "what will you do now, Lady Hokage?"