The first few days after visiting the barrier were dedicated to rest, though I didn't abandon my physical exercises—in fact, I ramped them up significantly. It was just so frustrating that some noob rats nearly ate me, and even my victory over them was hard-won. Main characters are supposed to overcome challenges, sure, but rats? That's just humiliating.
I also browsed the forum for any useful articles, but there was nothing worthwhile. One article stood out, but its content was pure garbage. The author asked everyone to refrain from using summoning techniques and any spatial skills, just in case. That's it—no explanation of why, for how long, or what the consequences might be. I'm not counting the vague note about a chance of attracting HIM as an explanation.
Who the heck is this HIM? It's way too unclear. They could've written something useful—like how to get a rare skill or achievement—but no, they post this nonsense.
— Hapsiel, love him for me.
After resting, I had to figure out what to do next. Even though I now had decent weapons, I seriously doubted I could clear another barrier in a few hours. I might end up stuck there again for who knows how long, so I needed to sort out provisions. This time, I got lucky—rats are conditionally edible—but if I ended up in a barrier with zombies, I'd definitely starve.
In theory, it's not a problem to bring a stockpile of provisions, but I had nowhere to get that stockpile. The allowance I get barely stretches until the next one, and that's if I eat nothing but instant noodles. Sure, I can now farm rat meat in the sewer—turns out, rat meat cooked properly on a stove with spices is actually pretty good. I could also buy food in the game shop; they sold meals there, but the prices! All the loot I got from the rats—91 Minor Essence Crystals—would only cover three not-so-filling meals.
Essence Crystals had a tier system: mobs from levels 1 to 10 dropped Minor ones, levels 10 to 15 dropped Medium, levels 15 to 20 dropped regular Essence Crystals, and so on—the higher the mob's level, the more valuable the crystal. The standard currency, like with Soul Crystals, was the Essence Crystal. Minors exchanged at a 1:10 rate, Mediums at 1:3.
So, buying food from the game shop wasn't happening anytime soon. My inner toad saw those prices and immediately wrapped its cold paws around my neck. The shop had everything—dumplings, borscht, fish soup, fried potatoes. I had to stop browsing the menu to avoid drowning in my own drool or spending all my hard-earned loot on food.
But the problem needed solving somehow. The issue with the allowance wasn't that it was small—it was actually decent. It's just that I, specifically, had a hard time buying anything with it.
I needed a way to go unrecognized. The Henge technique would solve everything, but I couldn't buy it yet, and waiting to learn it at the Academy would take too long.
I had to get creative and manage without techniques. Asking the system was pointless—I'd tried, with zero results. So, I recalled my student days when I desperately wanted to attend an anime fest but had no money. Instead of buying a costume, I had to make one myself. While altering a shirt five sizes too big, I got the skill "Seamstress," and by the time I finished the costume, I'd leveled it up to 12.
To complete the look, I bought hair dye and foundation cream from the game shop to cover my most noticeable feature.
But before that, I made a show of "making" the dye myself—my paranoia doesn't sleep, so I had to keep up the act. I gathered herbs and flowers, boiling them with random chemicals I found. After all, dye appearing out of nowhere would be pretty suspicious.
The system evaluated my concoction and identified it as chemical weaponry. I had to spend extra on a special container—I didn't want to throw it out, and I was curious to test its effectiveness.
I grabbed my brew and the outfit I'd made, then locked myself in the bathroom. I covered the whisker marks on my cheeks with foundation, dyed my hair light chestnut and tied it into two ponytails on the sides of my head, and put on the dress I'd made from the shirt and a curtain. I braced myself for the consequences. I honestly expected the system to give me an achievement like "Transvestite" or something worse—I'd even mentally accepted it. My sense of dignity had already died in the sewer on the second day when I had to eat rat meat to survive. But surprisingly, the system gave me a completely normal and useful skill.
Param-pam-pam.
Congratulations!!!
Skill created through action: "Disguise" Level 28.
I'm starting to get seriously worried. This is the umpteenth time the system's given me a decent skill. This "bzz-bzz-bzz" isn't random—I feel like the moon's about to align unfavorably again, and a streak of bad luck will hit. But while things are good, I'll make the most of it. I spent another two hours in front of the mirror, practicing cute expressions to better fit the role, and that paid off too.
Param-pam-pam.
Congratulations!!!
Skill created through action: "Puss in Boots Eyes" Level MAX.
"Puss in Boots Eyes":
+5000 to Cuteness.
It's a killer skill—I tested it on myself. When I looked in the mirror and activated it, I nearly melted into a puddle from the sheer adorableness. It even affected the system! I got a reward for a hidden quest, though it's suspicious that the quest had no description, and the reward is… unique.
Param-pam-pam.
Congratulations!!!
You've completed a hidden quest.
Reward: Rare Potion.
P.S.
Use as intended.
Now I'm staring at a vial of glowing pink liquid, wondering who to give it to. My selective Observation identifies it as:
"Gender Swap Potion"
Changes the drinker's gender to the opposite one.
Effect is irreversible, except through divine intervention.
I'm torn now. My list of people to slip this to is huge, but I can't pick just one. If only I had a tank of this potion instead of a vial—now that'd be fun. I'd pour it into the village's water supply. Dreams, dreams. For now, I'll save it for later—I've still got the Academy to attend, so I might find the perfect target.
I spent another hour walking around the apartment, practicing my gait, which raised my Disguise skill by another three levels. All that people-watching paid off—I could mimic their walk and little mannerisms. If I level up this skill and combine it with Henge, no one will recognize me—at least not regular civilians. It's harder to say with experienced shinobi; I'll need to experiment. Iruka, just you wait.
The field test of my disguise went perfectly. Passersby paid me no attention, and shopkeepers didn't recognize me as a demon, selling to me without issue. I also tested Puss in Boots Eyes—what a killer move.
I'd grab a bunch of groceries, then look at my wallet, say I was a bit short on cash, and use the skill. The shopkeeper would melt into a sappy smile, give me a discount, and even throw in something extra for the road. With the groceries I got this way, I can now live for a month, eating to my heart's content five times a day.
— Man, my mom Madara and dad Hashirama, I should've done this ages ago. — Behind me, I heard rustling leaves and the sound of something heavy falling, but I ignored it, too busy mentally listing the dishes I could make with my new groceries.
ANBU Codename: Cat
This little brat will be the death of me someday. What did I do to deserve this from the Hokage, getting assigned to watch this demon? And I'm not calling him a demon because of the Fox sealed in him—he's a hellspawn all on his own. It's terrifying to think about what he pulled off recently. Those howls and drumbeats still haunt my nightmares. After that incident, he seemed to quiet down—oh, how wrong I was.
This morning, he started brewing something, mixing ink, bleach, shampoo, insect repellent, and a bunch of random herbs. The fumes from that concoction were so bad that the leaves on the tree closest to his kitchen window dried up and fell off. The mixture itself bubbled ominously, threatening to explode with every stir. The whole time he was cooking it, I was on edge, ready to jump in and pull this little experimenter out of an explosion at any moment.
When he took the resulting sludge to the bathroom, I relaxed a bit. It was odd that he brought along a dress he'd spent all day yesterday sewing, but still. Then a strange girl walked out of the bathroom, and I nearly had a heart attack—until I looked closer and realized it was him. His movement patterns and reflexes were the same, as were his eyes, but the disguise was still impressively good. After he practiced and slightly adjusted his gait, it got even better. Unexpected talents are popping up in our little demon—I'll have to watch him even more closely now.
He's definitely a demon, I'm sure of it. No normal kid could fool people like that—either that, or he's a genius.
— Man, my mom Madara and dad Hashirama, I should've done this ages ago. — The little monster said, and I fell out of the tree.
He really said that! Good thing no Uchiha heard him—they'd kill him on the spot.
— Screw it all to the Bijuu's tails, I'm going for a drink or two to calm my nerves.
The next month was dedicated to training and farming rats. The sword I found during my first sewer run turned out to be really convenient and effective—it took down rats in one hit. My brewed concoction also proved useful, especially against the Rat King. One vial to the head, and he'd lose his sight, making him easy to finish off. Now, clearing the sewer took five to seven hours, not four days like the first time. Though three or four of those hours were spent carving up the corpses.
During that time, I leveled up and reached level 9. My stats only grew by a few points, but my skills improved a lot—especially "Skinner," which hit level 36. At level 30, the system gave me a special carving knife. Honestly, I'm sick of the sight of sewers and rats. I've been exterminating these rodents on an industrial scale, and I've stockpiled their meat—my inventory is a third full of it. Naturally, I only stored the cooked stuff, since nothing spoils or cools down in the inventory.
Now I need to find a new place to grind. Rats don't give any experience anymore—only the King and Queen do, and even that's been nerfed. I only gained so many levels because I got 3,000 bonus experience for killing 1,000 rats, then more for 5,000 and 10,000. After that, I got the achievement "Terror of Ratkind." Once I got it, the rats started avoiding me, making hunting them a pain. I found a passage to the second level of the sewer in one of the tunnel branches, but I didn't dare go in—the system warned that it's recommended for level 15 and up. I'll come back later.
Game Forum
Naruto Worlds Group
Pompous Dominator (Naruto Uzumaki): Everyone, let's take a moment for Hell Guardian.
Phantom Avenger (Sasuke Uchiha): What happened to him?
Great Strategist (Shikamaru Nara): I'm curious too.
Pompous Dominator (Naruto Uzumaki): HE got to him.
Great Strategist (Shikamaru Nara): HOW?
Phantom Avenger (Sasuke Uchiha): *#$@%!!!
Food Priest (Choji Akimichi): ";"%:;:"%;"%» and ;@$@$%^$^$^$ on ;";»%;@$@%@%*&%^$/.
Life Mistress (Sakura Haruno): Can you say that more politely?
Phantom Avenger (Sasuke Uchiha): When HE pays you a visit, then we'll talk about politeness.
Pompous Dominator (Naruto Uzumaki): Do what you want, but I'm off to convince Jiraiya to extend our training trip by another year.