Reborn In The World Of Naruto

A few hours later…

Uchiha Ryuuji was finally discharged from the hospital, with the doctors insisting he was "fine"—even though his mind was anything but. If anything, he was in full-blown panic mode, endlessly spiraling over the infamous massacre that would obliterate his clan just one year from now.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I—" Ryuuji muttered, repeating himself in a futile attempt to boost the author's word cou—AHEM. Sorry. Moving on…

Ryuuji paced back and forth in his room like a caffeinated squirrel, frantically running through every possible way to dodge his grim future.

"Should I just leave the village? No, that's about as smart as jumping off a cliff and expecting to fly."

"Maybe I can reason with the clan leader and convince them to drop this whole coup thing? Hah! They'd probably just stare at me like I'd lost all my marbles."

"What about talking to Itachi and Shisui? But no... they're both like, 'Team Will of Fire' superfans. They'd just turn me in faster than I can say 'Sharingan.'"

"…!" Ryuuji's eyes widened suddenly, as if struck by a flash of insight, though deep down, he knew what the answer was all along, and it tasted bitter. He sighed heavily.

"Power… it all comes down to power."

{Following part you can skip if you want.}

Why power, you ask? Well, let's take a little detour into what Ryuuji liked to call "Global History for Dummies." Ever wonder why a certain "United States" from another world can do whatever it wants, meddling like it's nobody's business? The answer is simple: they have power. Power in the form of the strongest military, the wealthiest economy, and the ability to smooth over PR disasters with phrases like "We're still investigating." Even if they, you know, accidentally blew up an entire city.

But back to Ryuuji.

"Okay, so power it is. But how do I get it?" Ryuuji wondered aloud, his brow furrowed.

[DING!]

[Congratulations!]

[An S-Rank Quest has been triggered!]

[Quest: Survive The Massacre]

[Description: In one year, the Low-level Kage-stage powerhouse Uchiha Itachi will single-handedly destroy the entire Uchiha clan, sparing only his kid brother, Uchiha Sasuke.]

[Objective: Survive.]

[Reward: ???]

[Penalty: Death]

"…"

Ryuuji's face lit up when he saw the quest, only to darken as he took in the details.

"Survive? Just survive? No helpful power-up, no shiny new jutsu? Worthless hunk of text," he grumbled, questioning the purpose of this so-called "System." Then a thought hit him: in most stories he read, these systems came with a cute or cool assistant. Maybe, just maybe…

"Hey, system…?" he asked in a low, hesitant voice.

The silence was deafening. He was about to give up, when—

[Yes?]

Ryuuji's jaw dropped as a mechanical voice echoed in his head. 'YES! IT WORKED!' he cheered internally, barely containing his excitement.

"Ahem… uh, why didn't you say anything sooner?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

[You didn't call for me.] The voice responded as bluntly as a brick.

"…"

He couldn't even argue with that.

"Touché," Ryuuji muttered, feeling a tad embarrassed.

"Alright, so… let's get serious. How do I get stronger?" he asked with newfound determination. After all, his life depended on it.

[You're currently at the Genin Stage's 3rd Level, specifically High-level in Energy Cultivation. You need to—]

"Chotto Matte, Chotto Matte" Ryuuji interrupted, confused.

"Levels? Stages? That stuff's never mentioned in the original story. Also, do you have a name, or do I just keep calling you 'System'? It feels weird."

[I am a non-human construct; names are irrelevant to me. However, you may refer to me as the 'Surpasser Cultivation System' if you wish.]

"Fancy," Ryuuji nodded.

[Continuing. As you, a reincarnated soul, might know, not all shinobi of the same rank are equally strong. For example, consider the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin. Both may technically be at the Kage stage, but their power levels are… incomparable.]

"Got it," Ryuuji said. "So, how many stages and levels are there?"

[There are more than five main stages with five levels each: Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, and Kage. Each stage has ranks: Low, Mid, High, Elite, and Peak. Beyond this, monsters like Hashirama Senju, Uchiha Madara, Asura Otsutsuki, Indra Otsutsuki, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Hamura Otsutsuki and Kaguya Otsutsuki exist on an entirely different plane of power.]

"Ah. So they're basically on Steroids," Ryuuji said, nodding to himself as he imagined the kind of energy it'd take to get there.

"So, how do I increase my strength?" Ryuuji asked, trying to stay focused despite the System's cryptic vibe.

[You need to cultivate. Both your Body and Energy.]

"Did you just say… cultivation?" Ryuuji squinted, half wondering if he'd misheard.

[Yes.] The System replied in its typical monotone.

"Wait, what the—?" Ryuuji's eye twitched.

'Cultivation? Seriously?' Was he reborn in some off-brand Chinese translation of the Naruto universe? Any second now, he half-expected the System to tell him to join a Sect, where he'd have to deal with smug "Young Masters" in gaudy robes saying things like, 'You dare offend this young master?!'

The thought alone made him cringe.

"Ugh, no thanks. I'd rather fight Itachi twice than deal with that." He shivered at the idea before getting back on track. "Fine, fine. What exactly is Body Cultivation and Energy Cultivation?"

[It's simple. Body Cultivation enhances the physical strength, speed, agility, dexterity, density, and resilience of your body. Energy Cultivation increases your chakra reserves, allowing you to cast more jutsu without passing out like a rookie.]

"Okay, now that I get it!" Ryuuji said, nodding with satisfaction. Maybe "cultivation" wasn't so bad after all, as long as he didn't have to call anyone "Sect Master."

"So, what stage did you say I'm at again?" he asked, hoping for something impressive.

[You're at the High-level Genin stage in Energy Cultivation,] the System answered.

"Hmm, disappointing," Ryuuji nodded, feeling a bit despondent. "And my Body Cultivation?"

The System seemed to hesitate. Or maybe it was just a pause, but it was long enough for Ryuuji's mind to spiral.

'Wait, why the suspense? Could it be? Could I already be on the same level as Kaguya Otsutsuki?! I mean, I knew I felt a bit stronger lately…'

[You are at…]

He held his breath, visions of godlike power dancing in his mind.

[The Low-level Genin stage in Body Cultivation.]

"...."

***

Shoutout to:

Gokage_Sensumo

Stefan_N

Thank you for the support!