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The orphanage slept, its silence heavy as stone. Moonlight wove silver threads across the dormitory floor, catching on the uneven planks between rows of sagging cots. Ren sat upright, spine straight, eyes closed. A faint snore drifted from a nearby bed, but he ignored it. His mind was a blade—honed and restless.
It's time.
With a thought, he summoned the system.
[Elemental Nexus – Interface Online]
Welcome, Ren Saito.
Status: Stable
Chakra Sense: Active
Affinity: Fire (Primary)
Essence Points (EP): 15
Nexus Depth: Tier 0
Sub-Protocols:
— Skill Tree [Locked]
— Elemental Manipulation [Locked – Tier 1 Required]
— Memory Echoes [1 Unread Entry]
— Essence Conversion [Available]
— System AI Core: Dormant
A spark flared in Ren's chest—curiosity, cold and precise. The system was a puzzle, its pieces scattered yet promising power. He would master it, as he would master this world.
He selected Memory Echoes.
[Memory Echo #1: The First Spark]
Visualizing…
His vision lurched. A battlefield unfolded—charred earth, the tang of blood and ozone. Shinobi clashed in a storm of steel and chakra, fireballs erupting like dying stars. At the center stood a man, flames coiling around him like living serpents. His eyes, sharp as Ren's own, scanned the chaos with surgical calm. A flick of his wrist incinerated an enemy, leaving only ash.
Ren's perspective was the man's. He felt the heat, the weight of intent behind each strike. Then—darkness.
He blinked, back in the dormitory. His pulse ticked upward, betraying his composure. Not his memory, yet it resonated. A past user of the system? A shadow of what he could become? The figure's precision intrigued him, but its ruthlessness lingered like a warning.
He pushed the thought aside and selected Essence Conversion.
[Convert Chakra Reserves into Essence Points?]
Warning: Temporary fatigue may result.
[Confirm? Y/N]
Ren's jaw tightened. Power demanded sacrifice. He confirmed.
[Conversion in Progress…]
Chakra Pool: 22%
EP Gained: +5
Total EP: 20
A dull ache bloomed in his core, like embers fading to ash. His limbs grew heavy, his breath shallow. Outside, a night bird's cry pierced the quiet, sharp against the system's hum in his mind. The cost was steep, but the gain was his.
The interface shifted. A new option pulsed:
[Unlock Skill Tree – Tier 0]
Cost: 20 EP
Unlocking will reveal foundational talents.
Proceed?
"Yes," Ren whispered, voice barely audible.
[Skill Tree: Initiated]
Basic Tree Unlocked:
— Chakra Control I
— Observation I
— Tactics: Passive Planning
— Fire Affinity I
He studied each option with predatory focus:
Chakra Control I: Increases precision when channeling chakra. Accelerates jutsu mastery.
Observation I: Heightens combat awareness. Sharpens intuition by a fraction.
Tactics: Passive Planning: Enables subconscious battlefield analysis. Boosts reaction time and foresight.
Fire Affinity I: Grants minor heat resistance. Enhances fire jutsu potency by 5%.
Tactics called to him. In a world of monsters, foresight was survival. He selected it.
[Skill Acquired: Tactics: Passive Planning]
Neural calibration in progress…
A ripple coursed through his mind, like threads snapping into alignment. The dormitory sharpened—every creak, every shadow, every breath from sleeping orphans mapped itself in his awareness. His thoughts felt... cleaner, as if the system had carved new channels for them to flow.
This is no mere tool, Ren realized. It reshapes the user—mind, body, will.
Then, unbidden, the interface flickered.
[Nexus Reaction Detected]
System AI Core: Booting…
Lines of code cascaded across his vision, too fast to parse.
[Persona Integration: 1%]
AI Designation: [REDACTED]
Role: Data Interpreter / Advisor
Status: Locked
Unlock Requirements: 50 EP or 3 Memory Echoes
Ren's eyes narrowed. A sentient core—watching, waiting. Was it an ally or a leash? The system's depths hid more than it revealed, but he would pry them open in time.
He dismissed the interface. Fatigue clawed at him, but a cold satisfaction steadied his resolve. The Naruto world was a crucible of jutsu, ambition, and betrayal. He recalled fragments from another life—Konoha's scars from the Nine-Tails, whispers of clans plotting in the shadows. Power ruled here, and now he held a key to it.
Ren lay back on his cot, eyes tracing the moonlit ceiling. The system wasn't just a weapon—it was a loom, weaving him into something greater. He would survive, not as a pawn, but as a player.
And when the board burned, he would stand above the flames.