Leaf Village, Ninja Academy
Inside a classroom packed with children, a single boy sat at the very back, next to the window. His dull eyes drifted across the room, taking in familiar faces with the detached calm of someone already tired of disappointment.
It had been a year since classes began.
Back then, when he realized he would be attending the academy alongside the two protagonists of the show, his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest. He had imagined himself rising to become a protagonist as well—competing with Sasuke for first place, stealing the spotlight, getting the girl, becoming Naruto's closest friend.
Reality, however, was merciless.
At this point, he seriously considered quitting the game early and hoping for a New Game Plus after reincarnation. Maybe next time he could at least be reborn as a Hyuga. A Byakugan during the Boruto era didn't sound so bad.
Unfortunately, he wasn't confident that dying again would grant him another chance. One reincarnation was already miraculous. Two would imply that something—or someone—was deliberately pulling strings.
And that thought unsettled him.
The problem was simple: he was painfully average.
A pure civilian, no ninja lineage, no hidden bloodline. His shuriken accuracy hovered around fifty percent. His chakra reserves were barely on par with Sakura's. His chakra control was mediocre at best. Worst of all, his fighting style looked more like a street thug's brawl than anything resembling a shinobi's taijutsu.
Meanwhile, the Hyuga kid nearby was said to already possess strength close to a genin's. Sasuke could perform mid-air somersaults and land flawless kicks like it was second nature. Naruto—idiot though he was—could take beatings that would put most people in the hospital.
Compared to them, Haru felt like the textbook definition of a random NPC.
The kind that gets flattened in a single frame during Madara's Fourth War AMV.
He had tried compensating through effort, training like Rock Lee possessed. The result? A torn muscle and a hospital bed.
"…Now then," Iruka-sensei said cheerfully, clapping his hands. "Who would like to come to the front and demonstrate the Clone Technique?"
Hands shot up instantly, enthusiasm overflowing.
Haru shrank into his seat, lowering his head and wishing with all his might to fade into the background.
"Hm…" Iruka scanned the room. "Haru, why don't you come up?"
Haru froze.
What the hell? Was Iruka secretly one of those black-bellied teachers who specifically targeted students trying to stay invisible?
Cursing under his breath, he stood and walked to the front. Under dozens of gazes, he formed hand seals at a speed best described as adequate.
"Clone Technique."
Smoke puffed.
A clone appeared.
At first glance, it looked fine—certainly better than Naruto's distorted monstrosities. But upon closer inspection, several details were missing from the clothes. Anyone paying attention could immediately tell which was real.
"Not bad," Iruka nodded. "But there's plenty of room for improvement."
A checkmark was added next to Haru's name.
That was it.
Haru bowed slightly and returned to his seat without stirring a ripple. No whispers. No stares. The girls hadn't even noticed—too busy watching Sasuke exist.
Then Sakura went up.
"Clone Technique!"
A perfect copy appeared beside her.
Even at six years old, her exceptional chakra control was already evident.
One by one, members of the main cast followed. Aside from Naruto, every single one outperformed him.
The only students Haru could confidently compete with were the other civilians—and even then, Sakura stood in a league of her own.
"…No," he thought, clenching his jaw. "I can't sink into this mindset."
So what if they were better now? The future wasn't written yet.
He knew the formula.
If he could obtain the Chimera Technique someday, he might be able to reshape himself entirely. Maybe—just maybe—he could build a body approaching that of a perfect Ōtsutsuki.
With that thought anchoring him, Haru lowered his gaze back to his book.
Inside his mind, he assembled a list: medical ninjutsu, fuinjutsu, chakra control, physical conditioning. Every single one would need to be pushed to the absolute limit.
A stronger body meant greater chakra reserves. Chakra control formed the foundation for both medical ninjutsu and fuinjutsu. And those two disciplines would be essential for refining the Chimera Technique once he acquired it.
When the academy day ended, Haru left without speaking to anyone.
He liked the main cast well enough—but he had no relationship with them now. Forcing an interaction would only feel unnatural. Opportunities could wait.
Over the following days, he wrote down everything he remembered from the anime, filling a notebook with training plans and half-formed theories.
Most of his time went into physical training.
Some days were dedicated to endurance—long runs until his lungs burned. Other days focused purely on strength. As an orphan, he had no one to scold him for pushing too far, no schedule to obey.
Since he had no access to medical or sealing techniques yet, he practiced only the academy ninjutsu: the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique.
When he wasn't doing that, he trained tree-walking while simultaneously increasing his hand seal speed.
Unfortunately, he wasn't Naruto.
Even after a full week, he still couldn't reliably stick to the tree.
He also practiced shurikenjutsu, though he never placed much hope in it—only enough to ensure he wouldn't fail his evaluations.
And so, time passed.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Crawling forward at the pace of a turtle.
Before long, another year passed.
During this time, his body improved quite a bit, but not so much that he could compete with Lee, still, good enough that he could always keep pace during running exercises with the best students in class.
His body was stronger, his chakra reserves had increased significantly, have even surpassed Sakura's, and his strength did leap to another level.
He had to thank his Chakra control for that. Ever since he graduated from Tree Climbing and started Water Walking, he noticed that using Ninjutsu became a whole lot easier. Chakra obeyed him as if it was a second limb, and with that, he could use it much better.
Unfortunately, it was only good enough to place him ahead of other civilians. But he still couldn't even see the corners of Sasuke nor Hinata's clothes during sparring matches.
Regardless of what the anime might make you believe, those two were incredibly powerful, even at this age.
Hinata might get beaten by Neji, but here he gets beaten by her.
Unfortunately, he had recently hit a wall.
His high-intensity training was finally demanding a price.
When he was younger, he could get by with little food, his body recovering almost magically no matter how recklessly he pushed himself. Now…
His stomach growled loudly.
Haru slowed his steps, falling into contemplation.
Unless he found a way to earn money soon, his progress would inevitably slow. Chakra control alone wasn't enough. Without proper nutrition, without strengthening the body alongside it, all he'd be doing was bottlenecking his own growth.
When the bell rang, announcing the end of class, Haru once again ignored his classmates and left on his own.
He didn't care anymore.
Especially after they'd started calling him a loner.
Making his way down to the market street, he mulled over possible jobs—something that paid decently, didn't interfere with training, and wouldn't exhaust him completely.
Before long, he stopped in front of a weapons shop and stepped inside.
The moment his eyes landed on the counter, they narrowed slightly.
He recognized that face.
"Welcome, customer!" a bright voice rang out. "How may I help you today? Practice weapons? Real weapons? Training dummies? We've got everything you need!"
A girl bounced in her seat, twin ponytails swaying wildly with her movements. That clear, energetic voice was unmistakable.
Ten Ten.
"…Ten Ten?" Haru blinked. "How is it you?"
"Huh?" She widened her eyes and stared at him. "You know me?"
Then her expression lit up in exaggerated realization. She pointed at him dramatically.
"I see! You're a fan, aren't you?" she declared smugly. "Sorry, sorry, but I'm not interested in having a boyfriend! Shoo, shoo! Don't crowd my store!"
Haru's face darkened.
Fan?
What kind of delusion was this? And fans? For her? She was—at best—average. If she'd said Hinata or Ino, maybe he'd believe it.
"Oi," he said flatly. "Don't insult me. I just recognized you from the academy."
"Oh." Ten Ten nodded casually, instantly losing interest. "So… you're a customer then?"
"Uh… no."
Now it was her turn to look at him with disdain. Her eyes practically screamed, I know your type. Don't even try.
Haru rolled his eyes, swallowing his irritation.
"I'm looking for a job," he explained. "Do you need a handyman? I can carry inventory, clean the shop, watch the place when needed. I can work every day after class and on weekends."
"You?" Ten Ten scanned him from head to toe skeptically.
"…What kind of look is that?"
"You look skinny."
The blunt honesty struck like a kunai.
"…That's why I'm looking for a job," he said stiffly. "I need to eat. So? Are you hiring? Just give me a chance. You won't regret it."
Ten Ten crossed her arms, still eyeing him doubtfully.
"Hm…"
"I don't know…" She pointed toward the back door. "Can you even carry that?"
Resting near the wall was a massive scythe, its long handle and curved blade radiating an intimidating presence.
Haru didn't bother replying.
He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, gripping the weapon with both hands. He tightened his hold and lifted—
Nothing.
The scythe didn't move an inch.
His eyes widened. What the hell? This thing had to weigh over twenty kilos at least. He had never even touched a weapon this heavy before. Gritting his teeth, he loosened his grip, then tried again—this time planting his feet apart, lowering his center of gravity, twisting his waist, and channeling chakra through his arms and legs.
"Swoosh!"
The movement was far from graceful, but the scythe finally left the ground. He hoisted it above his head, face twisting in strain, breath held tight, veins bulging on his forehead. Step by step, he carried it forward and slammed it onto the counter.
Bang.
Ten Ten watched the entire scene with sparkling eyes, clearly entertained, as if she had just witnessed something amusing.
"There," Haru said, panting slightly. "Satisfied now? So—can I have the job?"
"You're pretty funny," Ten Ten said, grinning. "Why didn't you remove the weighted seal?"
"…Huh?"
Weighted what?
Before he could process her words, she casually peeled off a small paper talisman stuck to the scythe's handle. Then, with one hand, she lifted the massive weapon as if it weighed no more than a bamboo sword.
Haru froze.
His face slowly heated up.
So that's how it is. This black-bellied girl—she did it on purpose. She knew. She absolutely knew. Damn troll! I'm reporting your profile! Ptui!
Ten Ten burst out laughing, completely unbothered by his silent outrage. She laughed so hard tears formed at the corners of her eyes. After a moment, she wiped them away, coughed lightly, and straightened her clothes.
"Alright, kiddo," she said. "You can work here. Salary is thirteen ryo per hour—no more, no less. You'll also need to come in during holidays. That's when the store gets the busiest."
She paused, eyeing him meaningfully.
"You'll be carrying a lot of heavy stuff every day. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Inside, Haru was practically cheering.
Carrying heavy things? That was just training with extra benefits. As a wise man once said—the grind never stops.
"I can do it!"
"Good," Ten Ten nodded. "Then you start today. Be here from four to eight every weekday, and from noon to eight on weekends. Don't be late."