Konohagakure, Year 63, Spring.
The opening test of the final semester at the Ninja Academy.
"Uzumaki Naruto, taijutsu test... Failed!"
"If you don't work harder, you'll be held back after the graduation exam in six months!"
As the chūnin teacher Iruka-sensei sighed, muffled laughter echoed around them. As expected, Naruto had once again become the "dead last" of the class. Naruto lowered his head, silently brushing the dust off himself.
His iconic bright orange tracksuit was particularly conspicuous under the setting sun, and his wretched appearance resembled a stray dog.
"I knew it, that dead last really is useless."
"Did you hear? He previously used the Oiroke no Jutsu to turn into a naked..."
"Shh, keep your voice down, that guy is..."
Scattered whispers buzzed around his ears like mosquitoes. Naruto's hand paused, but then, as usual, he put on a carefree smile.
"Tch! I just slipped up! I'll scare the life out of all of you during the graduation exam!"
He shouted loudly, trying to mask his embarrassment with volume. But no one paid attention to his clamor. They merely glanced at him indifferently before leaving in twos and threes, as if he didn't exist.
In the crowd, Sasuke walked past coldly with his hands in his pockets, not even sparing him a look. Sakura chased after Sasuke's retreating figure, circling around Naruto with a look of distaste. Only Akimichi Chōji and Nara Shikamaru nodded slightly to Naruto before heading home, which counted as a greeting.
Naruto felt encouraged and was about to talk to them, but then he saw them leave, greeted by their families. The noise faded. Only Naruto was left standing there, the swing set creaking in the wind...
Late at night, at Naruto's home.
A pungent smell of instant ramen permeated the messy, cramped space. Naruto lay spread-eagled on the bed, his bright blue eyes staring at the mildew stains on the ceiling.
"Slipped up my ass..."
At this moment, there was no trace of the silly grin he wore during the day.
"Why won't they look at me, no matter what I do? I want to become stronger, too. I want to pass the test, but why am I always failing? If only someone could teach me..."
An unprecedented sense of loneliness submerged Naruto like a tide. Just as he was about to close his eyes and welcome another lonely dream,
[Ding!]
A crisp electronic sound suddenly rang in his ear.
"Huh? Is that the alarm clock?"
Naruto was utterly confused. He picked up his alarm clock and looked at it for a long time, but couldn't find anything unusual.
[Detecting intense need. The Advice-Heeding System has been bound.]
[The Myriad Worlds Forum has been connected.]
As a pale blue screen unfolded before his eyes, Naruto was stunned.
"What is this? A new type of genjutsu?"
Naruto rubbed his eyes, but the light screen remained steadily suspended in the center of his vision. Not only that, the light screen displayed strange titles:
"Help, my Alchemy: Human Transmutation failed, and I accidentally transmuted my younger brother away. What should I do? Waiting online, urgent!"
"Rational discussion: Can someone become the Pirate King relying purely on taijutsu, without Devil Fruit or Haki?"
"Newbie report: Just got trucked to another world. Current job is Villager. How should I level up to defeat the Demon King?"
..."Forum? Mutual aid?"
Although Naruto was a poor student, he could still read the words. He tentatively poked the posts with his finger, tried for a moment, and discovered he could control the interface directly with his consciousness.
"Fun!"
Naruto was no longer sleepy. He tried to click on a post, but it only displayed [Insufficient Authority]. After clicking several posts with the same prompt, Naruto immediately felt bored.
"Damn it! It requires authority! What kind of authority do I need to get in!"
Just as Naruto was about to exit, he noticed another option in the lower right corner of the interface.
[Post Thread]
With a mindset of just trying it out, Naruto clicked the button. Unexpectedly, this one opened. Perhaps because he was too lonely, on an impulse, Naruto began to edit his own content, mimicking the threads above. After deleting and revising, he finally posted his first thread on the forum:
[Um... Is anyone there? How can I become more popular?]
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm about to face the graduation exam, but my grades are a complete mess... Can someone teach me what I should do to gain everyone's approval? I'll do anything! Please!"
He even attached a silly selfie at the end of the text. After the post was sent, Naruto nervously hugged his knees, staring intently at the screen. Would anyone respond? Or would he be completely ignored, just like in the village?
But only three seconds passed.
[Ding, you have a new reply.]
Naruto's pupils contracted, and his heart began to pound violently. Someone actually replied!
Floor 1 [Yorozuya Gin]:
"Ah, the troubles of youth. Want to be popular? Simple! Go buy a case of strawberry milk and treat the whole class, because no one can refuse a cup of sweet strawberry milk! If they do, just give them another cup."
[Suggestion collected: Treat the entire class to milk] [Mission requirement: Treat the entire class to strawberry milk] [Mission reward: E-rank Treasure Chest]
Naruto's mouth twitched. "Strawberry milk? What is he talking about..."
Then, another post appeared.
Floor 2 [Wanting a Peaceful Life]:
"The suggestion above is far too inelegant. Host, the first step to becoming stronger is self-cultivation and refinement. I suggest you drink a cup of hot milk before bed every night, do twenty minutes of stretching exercises, and ensure eight hours of sleep."
[Daily suggestion collected: Health preservation] [Mission requirement: Drink hot milk before bed, do twenty minutes of exercises, and sleep for eight hours] [Mission reward: E-rank Treasure Chest]
Naruto scratched his head, feeling this suggestion was slightly more normal, but he couldn't figure out how it related to his predicament.
Floor 3 [Strongest Creature]:
"Woro-roro-roro... Brat, your worries are utterly boring! Want to get stronger? Want to be recognized? Then, like me, first get a barrel of the strongest liquor and drink until you drop. Then, go find the strongest person you know there and challenge them to a duel! If you die, it proves you weren't much. If you don't die, you'll become famous! That's the shortcut! Woro-roro-roro!"
[Suggestion collected: Challenge a Strong Expert] [Mission requirement: Drink a barrel of strong liquor, then challenge the strongest person you know, victory or death] [Mission reward: S-rank Treasure Chest]
"Duel, and then die in battle..."
Naruto was stunned; even through the text, he could feel the overwhelming dominance radiating from it. Although, in his opinion, this suggestion was still useless. After all, he wasn't an idiot. A student who hasn't even graduated from the Academy going to fight the Sandaime-jiji, who is hailed as the strongest Hokage, and one of them has to die... No matter how he looked at it, he was definitely going to die, right?
Scrolling down, there were similar frivolous and inexplicable replies. After reading for a long time, Naruto didn't find any reliable advice. Yet, he was still extremely happy. Because finally, someone was communicating with him on equal terms. No one cared about his background, and no one inexplicably hated him.
Just then, another reply appeared.