The morning sun began its slow climb above the horizon, casting long, gentle rays across the rooftops of Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village. The air held a crisp, cool edge, a promise of the day to come. Inside a small, worn apartment room, a young figure stood captivated. Blonde hair framed a face marked by three distinct whisker-like lines on each cheek. His blue eyes, bright and shining, were fixed intently on empty space before him. Clad in an orange jumpsuit, this was Naruto Uzumaki.
A message seemed to hang in the air, that only seen to him.
[The Overpowered Apex Mission System Loading..]
He watched the progress bar.
[Loading Completed.. 99%]
A slight impatience surfaced, quickly followed by a swell of excitement. "Just Load already!" he said, his voice a low murmur.
It had been two days since a soul from another world inhabiting the body of Naruto Uzumaki. His past life memories provided a comprehensive knowledge of this new reality, the world of the Naruto anime. Fortunately, this transmigration came with a system, though its sluggish loading speed for the past forty-eight hours had been a source of minor irritation. It felt slower than dial-up internet from his previous life.
During these two days, armed with his dual sets of memories – those of the original Naruto and his own from the previous life – he had found nothing to genuinely complain about regarding his current situation.
He knew intellectually that Naruto was ostracized by the villagers, fueled by rumors of him being the Nine-Tails' reincarnation. Experiencing that animosity firsthand, however, was undeniably distasteful. It stirred a desire to leave this village entirely, though he understood such a move was impossible for the moment. His immediate priority was the system completing its loading sequence.
The constant murmuring of curses and the cold, piercing glares directed at him whenever he ventured outside felt like a personal hell, despite his lack of concern for what others thought. Yet, there was one redeeming aspect to his timing. He had transmigrated just one month before the Genin Graduation Exam, meaning the main storyline was on the cusp of beginning. Now, only twenty-eight days remained.
Even as the twelve-year-old Naruto, a few individuals showed genuine kindness and could be considered friends.
This small circle included Iruka, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Teuchi Ōtsutsuki and the quiet and shy Byakugan Princess, Hinata Hyuga. In the past two days, his primary focus had been on attempting to train himself in chakra control, which proved to be a frustrating endeavor. Thanks to the Nine-Tails, Kurama, disrupting his chakra flow, he had fallen flat on his face practicing Tree Walking over a hundred times. "But doesn't matter now, system is about to completely Load!" He couldn't suppress the surge of excitement, a wide smile spreading across his face. The floating message updated.
[Loading Completed.. 99%]
[Loading Completed.. 100%]
Then, it shifted. "FINALLY!" he exclaimed, the word escaping him in a burst of triumph. He quickly lowered his voice, to avoid alerting any ANBU who might be monitoring him. While he couldn't be sure of their exact numbers or locations, their presence was a low-level annoyance he was always aware of.
[The Overpowered Apex Mission System generating Missions..]
Naruto addressed the system, "System, don't you think you should first tell me about your functions...?" he asked. The system responded immediately.
[This System is as name suggests, an overpowered system that provides Host missions.]
[This System issues missions to Host that are usually simple in objectives, upon completion Host will gain extraordinary Rewards.]
'Simple missions but high levels rewards,' Naruto thought, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. 'No wonder it's written overpowered system!' he concluded, feeling quite pleased with this development. A new message appeared.
[Mission : Mastered Your Own Foundation]
[Task : Successfully perform Chakra Control exercises - Tree Walking and Water Walking.]
[Reward : Full Forceful Control over Yang Kurama's Chakra - Will able to use all Tail Beast Modes regardless of relationship with Bijuu.]
Naruto stared at the mission and the reward, momentarily speechless. The reward was truly extraordinary, just as the system had promised. "But Mission isn't exactly simple as system tells me...!" he grumbled softly, a hint of complaint in his tone. He instantly recalled the embarrassing, repeated falls he endured while trying to master Tree Walking over the last two days.
"Not only Tree Walking but it also wants me to master Water Walking, haa." He let out a light sigh. While the mission was not technically complex and seemed simple compared to the immense reward, it was a significant challenge for him given his current abilities. Only four weeks remained until the Genin Graduation Exam. "It might take me all these weeks Just to master these exercises."
He paused, considering another angle. "But there's also one more benefit here, i will be able to perform those 3 basic E-rank Ninjutsus if I master Tree Walking and Water Walking." He said this to himself, a form of reassurance and self-motivation.
He then walked to the window, looking out at the steadily rising morning sun. "Today is academy day as well," he murmured. "but I quit going there, it's not like they teaching anything good there, just whole lot of bullshit about will of fire." He had made his decision. "I should just focus to completing mission, this reward will easily makes me strong enough to destroy this village completely," he thought, a fleeting idea crossing his mind, though he immediately dismissed it, 'though I have no desire of that.'
With his course of action decided, he moved towards the small bathroom to attend to his morning routine. He took care of his business and then stepped into the shower. After showering, he emerged, a towel wrapped around his lower body, his blonde hair damp. He quickly grabbed a fresh set of clothes from a drawer and dressed. He then made himself a cup of instant noodles he has in his apartment's tiny fridge. Finishing his simple meal, he headed out, walking towards a training ground.
...
The sun had fully risen by now, and vendors and shop owners were beginning to open their shops and establishments for the day. Naruto made his way to Training Ground Forty. Upon reaching the edge of a dense patch of trees, he stopped. He would begin with Tree Walking. He focused his chakra, gathering it in the soles of his feet. With that concentration, he stepped onto the trunk of a large tree and began to climb vertically.
He ascended only a short distance. Bang! He fell abruptly, hitting the ground below. But he didn't allow himself to dwell on the failure. He had fallen countless times over the past two days; this was nothing new. The reward for the mission was far too enticing to be discouraged by a few falls.
Naruto diligently practiced Tree Walking, unlike the more half-hearted attempts of the previous days. Hours passed slowly as he focused on channeling chakra to his feet and trying to climb the tree. Meanwhile, at the Academy, classes had already begun. Inside the classroom, Iruka Umino started his lecture. He scanned the familiar faces of his students, noticing one absent. Seeing that Naruto was not present didn't particularly shock him. "That kid," Iruka sighed quietly to himself. 'What kind of prank is he doing now,' he wondered.
He decided to worry about finding Naruto later and focused on the task at hand. "Alright kids be quiet now!" Iruka called out, quieting the class's chatter. With the students settled, he began the day's lesson.
***