The moment Haruto began cultivating chakra, something extraordinary appeared in his mind—the Gamer System.
As the name suggests, this system's function is to help enhance strength by clearing dungeons one by one and improving combat abilities through extensive actual battle experience.
Dying in a dungeon doesn't result in real death; instead, you'll experience the sensation of death. So, it's best to be cautious unless you're curious to know what it feels like.
The dungeons in front of him were diverse. There were simple novice dungeons, like those featuring Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, then progressively tougher ones like the graduation period of the Konoha Twelve, followed by the adult period of the same group. Even famous Jonin like Kakashi, Guy, and Kurenai were included. Ultimately, the toughest dungeons involved characters like Pain, Madara, and the Six Paths of Pain.
Each dungeon would drop skills associated with the characters it featured, as well as useful items and experience books.
Now, let me explain the unique experience system of this dungeon: rather than simply leveling up to gain power, each skill has its own specific level. For example, physical attributes are divided into agility, constitution, and spirit.
Focusing on agility alone:
Low-level ninja agility: Requires [x] experience points to reach.
Chunin-level agility: Requires 1,000 experience points to achieve.
Chunin-level agility experience books only drop in agile-type Chunin dungeons. The same applies from lower Ninja-level to Kage level attributes. Once you reach the maximum level of a Kage level attribute, a challenge task will appear, unlocking a mystery upon completion.
Some examples of special abilities unlocked include:
Super-speed nerve response (reflex nerves with almost no delay).
Super-speed regeneration (similar to the First Hokage's abilities).
Mental manipulation of tailed beasts, and more.
Ninjutsu is divided into seven basic attributes: water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, yang, and yin. These attributes are also divided into levels: lower ninja level, middle ninja level, upper ninja level, and Kage level. These determine your attribute affinity, which can also be leveled up through specific experience books.
In fact, everyone is born with a certain degree of attribute affinity. For example, if a person's natural attribute is water, the level of their attribute affinity will determine what level of ninjutsu they can use. They will naturally excel at that affinity's techniques, but they will consume more chakra compared to those with higher talents in other attributes.
Of course, everyone can improve their attribute affinity level through understanding and familiarity with the element. When an attribute reaches the Kage level, it can also unlock secret techniques. The same principle applies to illusion techniques and chakra manipulation.
Furthermore, meeting the basic attribute standards doesn't necessarily equate to unleashing maximum power. It also depends on the skill level. The proficiency levels for skills are divided into: elementary, intermediate, advanced, master, and secret, which all exert different amounts of power.
For instance, the Water Dragon Bullet Technique requires a minimum affinity of Chunin level, but even at that level, the power would be weaker than the Jonin level version, and the technique would have less proficiency compared to the advanced level.
Additionally, the dungeon system imposes a limit on the number of dungeon runs per day. The lower ninja can enter dungeons twice a day, the middle ninja three times, the upper ninja four times, and the Kage level can enter five times a day.
After the system introduction, though Haruto was a bit dizzy, he grasped most of it. Without further hesitation, he chose a novice-level dungeon featuring Konohamaru and proceeded. In a short while, Haruto found himself lying on the ground, not wanting to get up.
Why? Because Haruto had been killed in the dungeon. The time inside the dungeon moved almost at a standstill compared to the real world. So when the dungeon ended, only a moment passed in the outside world, and Haruto had been killed in that brief moment.
Haruto had forgotten one crucial thing: no matter how sloppy Konohamaru might seem, he was still a force to be reckoned with, and not someone easily defeated by a kid with only basic chakra control and a little bit of physical skill training.
It took Haruto a long time to recover. Death was truly an unpleasant experience. With nowhere to vent his frustration, he angrily shouted, "Konohamaru, wait for me! I'll show you what happens when I catch up!"
And thus, Konohamaru, who wasn't even born yet, was destined for a tragic life.
It seemed he could only rely on training himself. That's what Haruto thought—until he checked his attributes and was nearly blinded by what he saw.
All seven elemental affinities were empty.What kind of sick joke was this? Most people were born with at least one natural chakra attribute—some even had two. But Haruto? Nothing. And chakra control: zero. That wasn't even enough to meet the most basic requirements for an E-rank jutsu.
And what was this now—chakra capacity locked until his chakra pathway rank increased?Seriously? Was the system mocking him?
At that moment, Haruto realized he had been completely disconnected from the world of ninjutsu. And with illusion resistance: 0, did that mean even a random academy kid could knock him out with genjutsu?
Looking further down the stats screen:
Physical Strength: 20/1000
Agility: 25/1000
He figured those were the result of the half-year he'd spent secretly training. And yet, the progress was barely measurable.
"Half a year of sweat, and this is all I've got?"He imagined Konohamaru's smug little face and felt the darkness closing in."At this rate, how many years will it take to beat him? Ten? Twenty?!"
But then, something caught his eye—a small blinking icon in the corner of the system interface.[Daily Task]: Do one good deedReward: Random ninja-level +10 experience book
"So the system does give me a way forward," Haruto thought, hope reigniting in his chest.
The next morning, he walked alone down the main street of Konoha, determination firm in every step.
"Boss! Come play with us!" several familiar kids called out, running toward him.
"Call me Fourth Hokage-sama. I have important matters to attend to. Go play without me."
Then, after a pause, Haruto glanced back slightly.
"I probably won't have much time to play with you all anymore. You should find another boss."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off. His heart ached just a little.
Because I'm not like them anymore...
"Hey, what's up with the boss today?" one of the kids asked, confused. "He seems kinda... different."
"Idiot! He's probably mad because you called him Boss. Didn't you hear? You're supposed to say Fourth Hokage-sama, got it?"
"Yeah, he's clearly in a bad mood today. Let's just try again tomorrow."
Hearing their hushed voices behind him, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of Haruto's mouth."Bunch of idiots," he muttered to himself.
Right... what was today's task again?Oh yeah—feed 20 stray cats and dogs.
Come to think of it, Konoha was a fairly prosperous village. You didn't see many strays wandering around. Most of the decent-looking ones got adopted quickly, and the really unfortunate-looking ones... well, the Inuzuka clan usually took them in.
After wandering for a while, Haruto managed to feed two scruffy, ragged-looking cats rummaging through a garbage pile.
Still far from hitting the goal, he glanced around and asked a nearby villager,"Hey, do you know where there might be more stray cats or dogs around here?"
Is it here? Haruto thought, glancing at the cemetery in front of him. There was nothing to eat, and it didn't look like a place where cats and dogs would gather. Was it because it was so quiet here?
As he ventured further into the area, Haruto was stunned to find a group of stray animals gathered together—cats, dogs, foxes, and various unknown small creatures all mixed together, some missing limbs, others with visible scars from their past.
After a rough count, Haruto estimated there were at least forty or fifty, and he couldn't help but be amazed.
He didn't overthink it and simply took out the food he had prepared, offering it to the animals. They didn't hesitate, immediately digging in as though they'd been waiting for someone to care for them.
As he watched, Haruto found the sight of so many different animals, so peaceful and united, to be oddly beautiful. His task was now complete, and the system rewarded him with a ninja-level physique experience book, which would have taken him months of training to accumulate on his own. He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.
"I didn't think anyone would come here, especially not a child like you," the woman said, her voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
He turned around to see a woman with two red fang marks on her face, her eyes thoughtful and intrigued.
"Little brother, what brings you here?" The woman's voice was calm, her gaze curious and tinged with amusement as she looked at Haruto—yes, amused, as though he were an unexpected but interesting discovery.
"I… I just saw a bunch of stray animals and wanted to feed them," Haruto replied, suddenly feeling like he'd seen her somewhere before. Her face looked familiar.
"You're quite the kind-hearted little guy," she said with a chuckle, pulling out some food of her own and joining him in feeding the animals.
"Beautiful sister," Haruto said, defaulting to one of his tried-and-true survival tactics, "you said you come here often—why are there so many animals in a place like this?"
The woman gave a small smile, then sighed. "I come here whenever I can. As for these animals…"She paused, her eyes scanning the gravestones. "They're here to accompany their masters."
"Masters?" Haruto blinked, then looked at the rows of weathered tombstones. The realization slowly settled in.
"These aren't just ordinary animals," she explained softly. "They were trained by shinobi. Their partners—those shinobi—died in battle, or passed from illness. The animals return here because they miss them."
"We from the Inuzuka clan have tried to take them in and care for them, but they always come back—no matter how well we treat them. This is where they belong now."
Haruto didn't know how to respond. He stood there quietly, unsure whether the heaviness in his chest was sadness, respect, or something else entirely.
They stayed with the animals a little longer, feeding and quietly watching them interact.
Just as the woman was about to leave, she turned around with a faint smile. "By the way, my name is Inuzuka Tsume. What about you, little brother?"
"…I'm Itsuki Haruto."Wait a second… Isn't this Kiba's mom? Her face clicked in his memory.
"Well then, Haruto," she said, hands on her hips with casual confidence, "you should stop by the Inuzuka clan sometime. A boy who shows kindness to animals at your age will definitely grow up to be a good man. I might just introduce you to my daughter, Hana."
With that, she turned and walked away—leaving behind a very stunned Haruto.
Big sis… can you not see how old I am?!Sweat trickled down his forehead as he stood there frozen, caught between laughter and embarrassment.