[Select Character Background] The words hovered over my head. As I clasped the central unit, three rectangular, blue screens, enclosed me.
Each screen exhibited something distinct.
On the left screen, I could pick the place or village I wanted to be born in. I could also select the period for the advent of the playthrough.
On the right screen, there were various techniques, weapons, and skills correlating to members of specific regions or clans.
Both the left and the right screens changed the choices available on the center display. Primarily, if, for example, I chose the Sharingan on the right monitor or chose Konoha on the left, I would be able to see a new type of character on the central screen.
Those two screens just seemed to influence the type of character I would be using.
Speaking of the Uchihas, for some odd reason, I couldn't choose to play as one. The character appearing in the main screen was greyed out and couldn't be selected. Maybe there was some kind of condition needed before I could use one.
When I discovered this, I guessed something stirring:
"Does that mean I can replay the game?"
In every game, most, if not all, characters, classes, or races were available at one point. Perhaps I just lacked the conditions needed to unlock Uchihas for now.
I smirked in anticipation. I wasn't sure how playing such a game would help me getting powerful, but if it was my golden finger, then testing it was urgent. I couldn't pass up this graceful opportunity, not when I heard about an SS+ skill, which perhaps referred to my own.
"So, which clan should I choose? Should I just go for a civilian?" That's what I was thinking right now. I didn't know the rules of this "game." I also watched Naruto, and I knew that internal matters inside clans such as the Hyuuga wasn't all rosy.
"What I want to know is if this is just a simulation or If I can die in this game?" I thought seriously before the voice spoke:
[This simulation should be considered as an alternate life...]It told mechanically.
"As I thought." I was shocked when it sounded again. "Can I die in this simulation?" But I used the chance to inquire before It vanished.
[The host dying in the simulation has significances only for those in it.] It replied simply.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Could you rephrase that for casuals?" I asked a bit confused.
[Yes, in other words, the host cannot die in the real world. Death inside just means the beginning of another playthrough, if the host so chooses to continue...] The voice answered a bit more informally.
As for me, I was already jumping for joy. I had too many questions to ask the system, which I had finally confirmed to be one.
Half an hour passed that way; the system answered questions patiently and clarified a few things for me. My ability called "Hardware Purificator," was originally an upper rank S innate skill. The only issue was that the power wasn't supposed to personify before I turned sixteen.
The golden finger or system, as I liked to call it now, was glad to elaborate on why it manifested so late:
[The ability originally called 'Lightning Purification.' feeds on an unnaturally large amount of lifeforce before its awakening. The host never had a strong vitality, so the only alternative was to feed on mana...]
"So you're the reason why I've always had such weak mana?!" I asked grudgingly. Yes, that thing I liked to call the system due to my cultural knowledge as an Otaku, was, in fact, a conscious skill, something I didn't know existed before now. But there were a lot of things I didn't know after all.
The ability was initially S+ grade—something unseen before Heihachi Genjo, our first ancestor.
The difference called the "Otaku lifestyle" just caused it to mutate and skip several grades...I know, ridiculous as it seemed, the system was reluctant to explain it for some reason.
After the transfer was done, he would fade away and only answer questions when asked, not giving any sort of help besides the future F.A.Q. Function.
[Hit on the confirm button once you're done with character creation...] The system said after I thanked him profusely. I was too excited to care about the whys and the hows.
After confirming the ins and out of this ability, how helpful it would be, and that death wasn't the end, I looked back towards the screens and made my choices:
[Edit Period and Affiliations:
Era: Third Shinobi World War
Heritage: Kawa no Kuni
Elements: Water, Earth, Lightning
Affiliation: Konoha]
The system had told me that I could choose the elements I wanted, depending on my birthplace. No matter which world I visited, I would always have the possibility to add a lightning affinity.
So, I chose to live in Konoha, with relatives migrating from the land of rivers. I planned to use lightning and water for offense and earth for defensive skills.
My most significant advantage, which should be seen as a cheat, was that a year spent inside the game was equivalent to a day outside.
It meant that a month spent in the game was just two hours outside.
I couldn't keep the strength I had gained when I died, but the knowledge and the skills I acquired would forever stay with me, even in the real world. When I learned this, I was shocked by how broken the power was, and I regretted not being able to be an Uchiha.
Having the Sharingan from the beginning with this kind of power would be unfair. But I was not going to play fair; my life would be at stake in a few months.
I couldn't use the Senju, Uzumaki, or any Bijuu type of character with a bloodline limit in my first playthrough. I figured that I couldn't use the Senju due to the nature of my system. Maybe I could get the Mokuton from the get-go. As for the other races and classes, it was a no-brainer.
[Edit Class and Talents:
Classes available:
Weaponsmith: Talent with weapons and smithing enhanced
Noble: Intelligence enhanced
Citizen: Good chakra control
Farmer: Good vitality.]
I didn't waste any time and picked the farmer class. The country didn't have much to offer in terms of renown families. I just picked what I always lacked in most.
[Edit Character Sheet:
Name: Hibari Genjo
Age: 8
Residence: Konoha
Foremost Cast contemporary: Kakashi Hatake (8)
Talents:
Taijutsu:
Good
Fuinjutsu:
Bad
Bukijutsu:
Average
Chakra Reserve:
High
Chakra Control:
Average
Ninjutsu:
High
Genjutsu:
Bad]
"I guess learning fuinjutsu and genjutsu will be out of the question in this one, huh?"
I didn't care all that much for the genjutsu because I couldn't be an Uchiha. Illusions without the Sharingan in Naruto had shallow potential in front of those eyes after all. Especially useless when the doujutsu gets passed around that often.
I always made this inside joke on the Sharingan. It should have been called "Sharing one" instead.
I clicked on confirm before the interface vanished. The next moment I was left screaming when the central unit sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner.
The system had told me that I could pause and evacuate the digital world at any time of my choosing, even if the gaming material was unplugged or destroyed, so I wasn't worried.
No one would come to see me beside my sister anyways, and she would train with my father for several hours once she got back from school.