Land of Fire, Konoha Village, Ninja Academy.
Today was the annual entrance ceremony for the Ninja Academy. The normally empty training grounds were bustling with people. Scores of young children craned their necks, waiting for the village's Kage--Sarutobi Hiruzen--to speak.
For this day, Sarutobi Hiruzen had specially donned the ceremonial robes symbolizing his station as Hokage.
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream silenced the entire field.
"AAAGH!!!"
The voice came from a young Uchiha boy named Uchiha Riku. At this very moment, however, his body was occupied by a young man from Blue Star.
Along with a searing headache, the previous owner's memories crashed over Riku like a tidal wave.
Thanks to the powerful psyche he'd brought with him from his transmigration, Riku quickly digested all of his predecessor's memories.
The original owner was named Uchiha Riku, born in the 34th year of Konoha. He was the same age as Hatake Kakashi and the others. His parents, both Uchiha chunin, had tragically died in the Second Great Ninja War, leaving behind only some savings and a house.
"I've transmigrated? And into my favorite world, the world of Naruto?"
"With my knowledge of the plot, I won't live a mediocre life this time around!"
"I'll fix the regrets that couldn't be fixed, achieve unprecedented success, and live my life to the absolute fullest!"
Just as Riku's body began to tremble slightly with the excitement of his recent transmigration, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[System binding successful. This is the Head-Patting System. Pat someone's head to acquire a portion of their abilities.]
The concise words were short and forceful, but they made the already-excited Riku's pupils shrink.
"Based on my experience reading web novels, this has to be my golden finger!"
"But this system has some weird tastes. So, to get stronger, I just have to keep patting people on the head, huh?"
Although Riku's mind had been racing ever since he transmigrated, from an outsider's perspective, all they saw was a young Uchiha boy suddenly scream in the middle of the entrance ceremony, then lower his head and start muttering to himself.
This strange behavior naturally drew surprised looks. The first to notice Riku was a fellow Uchiha clan member, Uchiha Obito.
After Riku was orphaned, Obito and his grandmother had helped him out a great deal, and the two had become friends.
"Riku! Are you okay? Did you get so excited about starting school that you awakened your Sharingan?!"
The hot-blooded idiot Obito's blunt question provoked a round of laughter from a group of other Uchiha boys.
"Obito, if it was that easy to awaken it, I'd have a three-tomoe Sharingan by now! Hahahaha!"
The laughter from his clansmen made Obito's face flush red. He tightened his goggles and fell silent.
But just as Riku finished processing everything that had happened, an unexpected person appeared before him.
The Third Hokage--Sarutobi Hiruzen!
Drawn by the scream from earlier, he had used a Body Flicker Technique to appear directly in front of Riku and was now slowly crouching down.
"You're a fine Uchiha boy. What's your name?"
Looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen, Riku felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
The Hiruzen before him was not the kindly old man from the anime.
Although his face showed signs of age, the man exuded an unparalleled aura, both in his presence and his features. It was clear to anyone that this was the Kage of the world's number one ninja village, Konoha--Sarutobi Hiruzen, the "Professor" of jutsu and master of a thousand techniques.
The Third Hokage's question was unhurried, but it carried a subtle weight that brooked no refusal.
Having lived two lives, Riku couldn't escape the pressure of Hiruzen's sheer power, but the pressure from his status had little to no effect on him.
At that moment, Riku stared at the crouching Third Hokage and fell deep into thought.
His eyes darted, and in an instant, a "wicked" plan sprang to mind.
Riku's eyes widened, and he gazed at the Third Hokage with a look of pure innocence.
"Lord Hokage, it's nothing, it's just..."
"Uchiha Obito insulted my dream of becoming Hokage!!!"
Obito: (;￣O￣)!!!
"Get lost, Riku! When did I ever insult you? Besides, I'm the one who's going to be Hokage!"
Seeing it was just a childish squabble, the Third Hokage paid it no mind.
"So you both want to be Hokage? Then work hard together. One day, you can achieve it."
Riku was waiting for the Hokage to say just that. Seeing him about to stand up, he quickly spoke.
"Thank you, Lord Third! Can I touch your Hokage hat to inspire myself?"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage was visibly taken aback. He hadn't expected the boy to make such a request.
Fearing the Hokage would refuse, Riku immediately reached out and patted his head.
[Ding! You have patted an S-rank ninja: Third Hokage--Sarutobi Hiruzen. Please choose five of the following rewards.]
[Five Basic Chakra Natures and Their Transformations]
[Sealing Jutsu: Dead Demon Consuming Seal]
[Kage-Level Chakra Control]
[Kage-Level Hand Seal Speed]
[Ten Random Ninjutsu]
[One Combination Ninjutsu of Your Choice]
[Proficiency with a big, thick, black staff]
The cold system voice sounded like heavenly music in Riku's mind.
Staring at the dazzling array of rewards, Riku's breathing grew heavy.
"The gamble paid off!"
"I've hit the jackpot! I've got my startup capital for taking on the ninja world!"
The Third Hokage, having been patted on the head, was oblivious to Riku's true intentions. Seeing the boy's visible excitement, he assumed he had genuinely inspired the youth and smiled kindly.
It seems the Uchiha clan has some spirited young people after all.
Standing to the side, Uchiha Obito saw his best friend receiving such treatment and was green with envy.
"Lord... Hokage... um... I want to, too..."
Before Obito could finish, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already flickered back to the podium, ending the little spectacle.
Riku nudged Obito with his elbow.
"See? Fortune favors the prepared."
Obito: (ToT)
Inspired by Riku's "Hokage dream," the Third Hokage was greatly encouraged and ended up extending his speech by a full hour.
The children below looked as if they'd lost the will to live, clearly dazed by the old man's rhetoric.
Riku, however, was brimming with excitement.
It wasn't because he was actually moved by the Hokage's words, but because he was paralyzed by an unprecedented case of analysis paralysis.
"I want them all! The rewards for an S-rank ninja are just too good!"
"But... '[Proficiency with a big, thick, black staff]'... what the hell is that?"
"Still, it's pick five out of seven. I've done this kind of problem before!"
[Five Basic Chakra Natures and Their Transformations]. I definitely need this one. It's the foundation for making a name for myself in the ninja world.
[Dead Demon Consuming Seal] is powerful, but unnecessary. It's in the Scroll of Seals, and using it would probably get me killed, too.
I really want to pick [Chakra Control] and [Hand Seal Speed], too.
Even though all the god-tier characters later on just clap their hands and summon whatever jutsu they want, hand seal speed is incredibly important in the early stages. Zabuza's ridiculously long forty-three seals for a single Water Dragon Jutsu is proof enough.
With fast hand seals, you can really gain the upper hand in the current ninja world.
[Chakra Control] goes without saying. It's standard for any powerful ninja.
After thinking for a long time, Riku finally made his decision.