Chapter 92 - My SI Stash #92 - Game of Shadows by Adrian King1 (Naruto) (2/2)

At that moment I went and sat in a shadow. I needed to think.

'So, summary. I am in the Naruto world. I have a name that isn't mine and I have a really nerfed version of the Gamer. Is that all? Am I forgetting something?... Right, Inventory.' At that I received yet another disappointment.

The screen showed me at the top and what I was wearing. I had a pair of dark brown shorts, a white t-shirt with the Konoha symbol in black in the middle and a pair of 'shinobi' sandals in black. The shocking thing was my face. I looked like f_u_c_k_i_n_g Shisui! Or maybe a son of Kurenai would be more precise. I wasn't sure. I had short and messy pitch-black hair and red eyes so it could go either way with one having the Sharingan and the other natural red eyes. I doubted I was related to either though, the surname didn't match and there was no mention of Eiji in canon… although this could be an AU…

The disappointing part though, was that I only had five spaces in the inventory. I spent all of a second lamenting that fact before I desperately tried to expand the screen to see if there was more. There wasn't. 'I wonder if it works with one of my stats?' I thought dejectedly. In my mind, it was too much coincidence that I had five inventory spaces and all my stats were five.

Still with my mood down I summoned my Status screen once more. It was so plain and empty that it hurt to look at. I tried to see if I could get more information on everything. Nothing worked. It was a good thing that everything seemed to be pretty self-explanatory.

Wondering if the title did anything, I had an idea. 'Titles'.

[Academy Student: Improves the rate at which your stats and skills increase by 5%]

'Underwhelming, but useful all the same.' I decided to see my Skills next.

[Running (Active) – Lvl 1

When used increases the speed of the user while running by 10%.

Consumption 10 Energy Points per second.]

[Physical Conditioning (Passive) – Lvl 1

Improves the rate at which your Strength and Constitution increase during training by 5%.]

I did a doubletake at the cost of Running. What the hell was up with that overly high cost? I would get tired of running after 10 seconds. What the f_u_c_k? Re-reading the skill several times I came to a conclusion. The skill wouldn't apply every time I ran. It was actually a boost to be applied on top of my normal running as it said that it increased my speed when I activated it and while running. I hoped I was right.

As I felt myself get hungry, I sighed. No cheat of not needing to eat for me. I probably needed to sleep too.

Standing up, I checked my inventory again. This time I ignored the disappointment of the five spaces and checked its actual content. One of the spaces was occupied by what seemed to be some kind of notebook. Taking it out was dangerous. You couldn't know when you were being spied on while inside a NinjaVillage. The mere thought was surreal though.

I made my way back to the classroom and to what seemed to be my seat, at least for the day. I had… my? Backpack there, it was a simple beige color, and I decided to use it. Taking a moment to check it, I only had a notebook and pencil case. The notebook was blank. Probably for the Academy. With that out of the way, I decided to take out the other notebook from the inventory while my hands where inside the backpack.

Taking a look at it, I didn't have much problem guessing what it was. It was the diary of the real Eiji Satou. I felt my blood run cold.

It seemed to have started last year. First year of actual Ninja Academy, he said. He explained that before that they had pretty much the same education as the other kids. Last year they had started being taught the shinobi rules, the ranks, missions, etc. It was a How to be a Ninja for Dummies without being taught any actual Jutsu be it nin, gen, tai, or any other.

I also learned that he was an orphan, his parents died during the Kyuubi Attack. When he was around a month old or so. From there we lived in the same orphanage as Naruto until we both started the Academy. How did I know that? It was mentioned how the matron told the other kids to stay away from the blonde because he was dangerous. I didn't take kindly to that. The original Eiji though, seemed to take her word for it.

Anyway, as we entered the Academy, we were given a place to stay at and a stipend to live with. It was a program available for all orphans apparently. It was a bit shitty, I thought, that the best option for orphans was to be a shinobi. It was practically forcing us to be ninjas. But considering a lot of the things that happened in this world, it wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't the only option we had.

When I had a pretty good idea of what my situation was, I decided to think. The first thought was: Did I actually want to be a ninja? Sure, everyone wanted to be one while watching Naruto. But once you seriously thought about it. This world was plagued with death and worse. They were 'ninja' not 'superheroes' as they made you believe. They were assassins, thieves and spies. If there was a shitty job to be done, it would probably end up in the mission hub of a Ninja village.

It wasn't the type of life I wanted to live. Not at all.

Despite that though, I had to be a ninja. Why? Simple. As someone that had watched the show and read the manga, even if I wasn't as big a fan as others and had forgotten lots of things, I knew things. Things like the Sound/Sand invasion, like Pain's Assault, like the Fourth Shinobi War.

No, I refused to die as a mere civilian would in any of those scenarios. I would have the power to defend myself. Even if I didn't reach Madara and Hashirama's absurd power levels, anything would be better than nothing. I would stay as far away from the void that was death for as long as possible.

So, I would be a ninja.

With that decided, I took the diary and started reading again. During the whole thing, I couldn't help but wonder, had I taken over the body of Eiji? But I didn't dwell on that for long. I hadn't chosen this. I hadn't done anything. I was just dead and then I wasn't. If someone was responsible for this. It wasn't me.

But I felt guilty. So, I made a bow. I would follow Eiji's goal. It seemed pretty reasonable too, so that helped.

He had been told of his parents. His mother had been a Chunin while his father had been a Tokubetsu Jonin specialized in Taijutsu. Eiji's goal had been to reach further than both of them had. His thought process was that had they not been killed they would have both reached Jonin level. As such, he would make it for both of them as well as himself. He also thought that they would be proud of him if he followed their steps.

It was a goal I could get behind anyway, as it aligned with my own of getting enough power to survive this crazy world. So, I was on the path to Jonin level from now on.

There wasn't much more in the diary, sadly. Even though it was a diary, Eiji seemed to write only when something out of the ordinary happened or when he thought about something he thought diary worthy. As such, it gave me a good idea of the important stuff but it still felt a bit dull written like that. I couldn't help but wonder, was all this made up by whoever had put me in here in the first place?

I shook my head. There was no way for me to know. Sighing once more, I made a summary of the important stuff in the blank pages of the diary, leaving it separated from Eiji's original stuff. I was glad I could kind of guess where he lived by bits of information spread over several entries. He seemed to live in the same building as Naruto. And despite what a lot of fanfics said, it didn't sound so bad a building. Several others that were part of the orphan shinobi program lived there too.

With everything noted down, I put the diary back into the inventory, making sure to do so from inside the backpack for good measure. Then I sighed and checked my pockets. I had money, thank God… er, Kami? Those things would be confusing for a while. Anyway, with the reassurance that I had money I stood up and made my way outside to buy food. It was lunch break after a-

”Where are you going, Eiji?” I heard Iruka's voice from behind me. I turned around with a confused expression. ”We are about to start classes again.” My despair must have showed because he started chuckling as he made his way back inside the classroom.

Fuming, I went after him. As I sat down and the rest of the class made their way inside, I sighed. 'Maybe Naruto can show me where Ichiraku is, after classes.' I thought idly. Then my thoughts froze.

What was I going to do in the friendsh_i_p_s department? Befriending Naruto out of the blue would be suspicious at best. The Hokage would surely keep an eye on me if I got close to him without reason. And he would be the least of my worries. What would Danzo do if I got close to the Jinchuriki? There were a ton of people that could cause trouble for me if I befriended Naruto, I thought as I looked at the blonde.

He seemed to be fine anyway, this didn't seem to be one of those worlds where he was constantly attacked and shunned. Look at that goofy grin as he blatantly ignores Iruka's lecture. He was fine…

That's what I wanted to think. But he wasn't, I knew. I had Eiji's note on how kids were told to stay away from Naruto. That was all the proof I needed. Maybe he wasn't physically attacked, but there was some resentment directed at him, at the very least. The problem was, was I brave enough to do something about it?... I was disgusted at the fact that I didn't know.

Trying to keep my thoughts away I turned them to the others. Sasuke would be difficult. The only thing he respected and wanted was power. And I wasn't sure of the first part. It was pretty obvious that we were post massacre just by looking at him. Befriending him while I was a weakling was out of the question. And I kind of disliked him, so there's that.

Ino and Sakura were out too. From what I knew, they wouldn't take kindly to some random guy approaching them. Ino seemed to tolerate Chouji and Shikamaru because she probably knew they would end up as a next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho or because their parents were the previous one. I didn't have that benefit. And I refused to be treated like another Naruto by Sakura. Nope.

I wouldn't go anywhere near Kiba until I could kick his ass. I was sure if I did, he would just put me down while boosting his own ego. He looked the type. And that mixed with the fact that he was as knuckleheaded as Naruto, I would end up killing him if I ever got strong enough.

Shikamaru… would be a difficult one. He was sure to notice something was amiss, he was scary smart after all. I would have to be careful when around him specially, there was no need to add a friendship to the mix. At least not until I had a better grasp of everything in this world that I would have to know. Choji was out because being near him meant being near Shikamaru.

Shino was creepy, yes, but he wasn't too bad. He could probably use a friend as much as Naruto. His clan was sure to face some scorn. He was pretty smart himself if I recalled correctly but not overly so. He would probably not notice anything wrong if I was careful.

Hinata was extremely shy, but she wasn't too bad either. Actually, she would probably make a great friend. I couldn't think of anything bad about her, personally at least. He extreme shyness wasn't a real problem unless you were Naruto.

But first I would have to know this world. I would need a week or so to get used to Konoha. Making a map would surely help in that regard. I would have to follow Naruto around to know some places. I knew what apartment of the building I lived in due to the diary but I didn't know where the building actually was. After I got that I would have to explore the city to know where to buy stuff and all that. It would be a busy week for me.

While I thought all this, Iruka had been explaining the uses of Shurikenjutsu. It didn't mean only Shuriken though, as some may believe, it also included Kunai and Senbon. I barely listened though. Everything was pretty simple so far. Kunai can be used both as ranged and melee weapons. Shuriken are good only in range but they are easier and lighter. Senbon are the most difficult but the most useful and dangerous if used right. After that I tuned him out a bit, only keeping an ear open just in case.

I would need to write down everything that I could when I arrived at the apartment that night. I needed to save as much information as I could. Even if this was an AU of some sort, or if my mere presence changed everything. Some information could be useful. I couldn't turn down anything in my situation.

I couldn't plan much more than that. Get to know Konoha and the Naruto world. Get stronger in order to survive future attacks/wars. Simple but effective. Or at least I hoped so.

”Let's go to the practice targets to start with your Shurikenjutsu practice.” And it had arrived at last. The moment I dreaded. I was sure I couldn't hit a target with a Kunai, a Shuriken or Kami forbid, a Senbon, to save my life. That wasn't even counting that I was still getting used to actually having a body again. This was going to be embarrassing.

As it turned out, everyone s_u_c_k_e_d. Well, everyone that wasn't in the main cast. Naruto s_u_c_k_e_d too, but he didn't have anyone to teach him. He would get there. As would I, if I got my way. 'After all,' I thought while grinning. 'Nerfed or not, the Gamer ability is the Gamer ability.' And to prove that point there was a screen in front of me.

[New Skill Acquired: Shurikenjutsu

New Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Shuriken Throwing (Passive) – Lvl 1

New Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Kunai Throwing (Passive) – Lvl 1

New Skill Tree Branch Unlocked: Senbon Throwing (Passive) – Lvl 1]

That had been a pleasant surprise. What wasn't so pleasant was the meagre 10% chance of hitting the target that each of them gave me with their respective weapons. And that was on a stationary target. The fact that the other students s_u_c_k_e_d too would help me in that regard. If all students could do this kind of things already it would have been bad for me. That would have been enough to rise some flags that I didn't want appearing anytime soon.

Back to the skills though, the Skill Tree thing had been a surprise. Once I opened the skills screen everything made a little more sense. Instead of as a list, skills appeared according to their skill trees extending to the right. I only had to think about a particular skill and it would show me the details. So far, the only one with more than one branch or branches at all was Shurikenjutsu. It was good to know that things like that could happen though.

”Eiji, your turn again.” Iruka said, his tone showing no mockery whatsoever to the previous student lack of skill or mine for that matter. Taking a deep breath in, and relishing in how amazing it felt to be able to do so again, I stepped forward to embarrass myself once again. Even with that, I tried to follow the technique the clan heirs had used. I tried to follow Iruka's instructions. And I tried my best.

I had read about that in certain Gamer fanfics. The fact that some became so overconfident in the system that they forgot that it was a real world where they lived. I couldn't let that happen to me. Because my world was less game than most of those. If I made a mistake, I could get myself killed pretty quickly. That wouldn't happen. I was alive again. I wouldn't throw my life out the window.

I looked at my results. Three shuriken and one kunai were embedded in the targets. Not anywhere near the specific spots we were supposed to aim for. But I had hit the targets and four times out of twenty. That was better than the games percentage. As for senbon, we wouldn't be using them for practice in the academy until later and even then, we had to specifically ask for it.

I walked back to the class swelling in pride. Excitement rushed through my veins. Everything had been wonderful since I appeared here. Even the annoying nerfed Game and the, I hope the Nara don't give me a strike, troublesome situation were awesome. It felt so amazing to be and feel alive again. I couldn't wait for my turn again. I would beat the percentage again, I was sure of it.

And I did it. When my turn came I two shuriken and two kunai hit the target. One shuriken even came close to one of the circles on the target. I went back to the group while someone else took their turn. I wasn't paying attention to the others though. I was thinking to myself.

[Shuriken Throwing has gone up a level.]

And as that new notification appeared in front of me, I came up with my nindo.

Live life to the fullest.

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How's it going?

To anyone that follows my other stories and thinks this is Project Gamer, it's not. Project Gamer is a DxD story. This is more of a prototype and a series for when I want to take a breath of fresh air after working so much on DxD.

To people that are new to my work welcome, I hope you like it and if you are interested in DxD stories feel free to check out my other series.

Now, onto the story. I don't have plans for this, not really. But I have wanted to write a Gamer fic for a long time. I'm pretty tired of the extremely broken Gamer fics that are everywhere. I know it's part of the Gamer thing but really, is having a somewhat balanced game so wrong?

So that's what I'm going for. Eiji will still be pretty broken eventually but I consider it somewhat balanced anyway because the Gamer will work as a sort of Bloodline Limit. They are unfair in the world of Naruto, and so is the Gamer ability. And now that I've mentioned it, I will answer that question right now. I pretty much doubt I'll make Eiji unlock any Bloodline limit through the system.

To justify that, I'll just say this. You can be powerful without a bloodline. Look at the Yondaime, look at the Sandaime, look at Jiraiya, and correct me if I'm wrong but the Nidaime didn't have a Bloodline limit either. So, Eiji probably won't have one.

Pairings… I'm not sure as of yet. You are welcome to try and convince me though. Just, no slash.

Any ideas you have are welcome too. I'm working on this on the fly so everything you want to suggest feel free to do so. From skills, to missions, to quests, to weapons, to jutsu, you get the gist of it.

Please, leave a review, we writers feed off them.

See you.