A/N: This is my second attempt at writing an opening to a story that's been on my mind for quite a while. It's still kinda weak, because I really don't like having my computer say more than my characters, but that's kind of part and parcel with the first chapter of something like this.

Anyway, yeah. I twist clichés, and the Gamer was begging for it. I literally couldn't find a fic for this cliché in the Naruto archive that passed three hurdles:

1: it was grammatically passable (i.e. any mistakes were typos, not critical English failures)

2: it wasn't a harem (because I like characters, not sex dolls)

3: it didn't bash any characters (because I like characters, not targets)

This didn't originally seem like too high of a bar to me. Looks like I was wrong. So that's part of my objective—pass those three hurdles.

Secondary objective is, of course, to twist the cliché. How?

Most of the Gamer-type stories out there give Naruto a massive, robust engine to play around in, confined by the basics of who he is.

I remove those limitations, because replaying is a thing people do with video games, and so are load options.

QUICK NOTE: This is inspired heavily by the RWBY fanfiction The Games We Play, which is complete on the Spacebattles forums. If that tells you anything, it should be this: Expect escalation. The main character of that thing was basically God by the end of it.

(srsly its rly gud go read it)

Ahem.

Enjoy.

Lux Aeterna

"A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human."
-Alan Turing

Chapter(1) {

SIM—Striving Epoch, Year 193; outskirts of Konoha

The blond Jinchūriki knelt silently in the shade of the forest, studying the uneven ground intently. Beside him, his two comrades slowly—and less stealthy—joined him.

"Anything?" hissed one, a pale, red-eyed Uchiha.

The Jinchūriki shook his head slowly. "Give me a minute, Sasuke," he said quietly. Observe!

[Insight check failed: 87/95]

Naruto hissed slightly, frustrated. "Insight check," he reported. "Not quite high enough."

"Where's Itachi when you need him," muttered his other companion, a burly Inuzuka, grimly. "Isn't your Insight stupid, though?"

"Check's at 95, Kiba," Naruto groused. "I've only ever gotten it that high when rolling as a Genjutsu specialist." In one fluid motion he stood, his shifting weight leaving no impression on the dead leaves and twigs strewn across the ground. "Well, furball?" he asked the demon in his belly. "What d'you think it means?"

Well, it's Insight, not Detection, the Kyūbi said, his guttural voice reverberating in their heads. You know what that means.

Sasuke answered for Naruto. "Something supernatural."

"Probably a Revenant or an Abyssal, knowing our luck," grumbled Kiba. "Any ideas, furball?"

Just be careful, growled the demon in his belly, his gravelly voice reverberating in all their heads. Supernatural enemies are always unpredictable. Be ready to run if it turns out to be an Abomination.

"Obviously," Naruto agreed. "All right, we don't have time to go back for help. Sasuke, you're middle-range. Kiba, you're taijutsu tank."

"Wait, what?" Kiba startled, staring at him, before comprehension dawned. "Right. Sorry, forgot you were rolling ninjutsu sniper this time."

Naruto shrugged. "It's definitely a switch," he confided. "They may all be Ninjutsu, but the kind of stuff I usually do bears almost no resemblance to the things I'm picking up this time."

He looked around. "Well, it's somewhere in this forest," he said, "but I don't have the Insight to track it. Stay close; we'll need to lure it in."

He and his teammates backed into each other, eyes darting about warily. Naruto reached into himself with his mind. Furball?

On it. [Demonic Chakra Flare].

There was a whoomph of unleashed energy. Nothing visibly changed, save for a slight ruffling of hair, but Naruto knew with certainty that every chakra-sensitive entity within ten miles had just locked on to their position.

"Here goes nothing," muttered Sasuke.

Naruto rolled your eyes. "I've been getting bored, anyway," he said. "Wouldn't mind a reroll."

"We're way to casual about dying these days," said Kiba conversationally. "Iruka won't be happy with us."

"He doesn't have to know."

And then there was light, and sound, and sensation, as something entered the clearing.

Well, Naruto thought as his eyes burned, his flesh melted and his bones disintegrated. I guess it was an Abomination.

[Save loaded]

SIM—Striving Epoch, Year 193; Konoha village center

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. "Well," he said stiffly.

They were back in the village, some four hours before, and Sasuke looked shifty.

"How was I supposed to know there was going to be an Abomination?" he complained.

Naruto shook his head. "Get to the compound," he ordered, "and contact Itachi. We need someone to get that thing out of there, even if it isn't us. He should be glad of the XP and loot."

Sasuke nodded. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Not go out there again," Naruto said firmly. "Not for a while. I'm going to run by Tenten's, see if I can't grind up my Blacksmithing a bit. Kiba, you want to come?"

Kiba shook his head. "I'll get the team together and we'll do some Detection training," he said. "Let me know if you need a tank."

Naruto nodded. "Will do. Later, Kiba. Scram, Sasuke."

"Already gone, Dobe."

"See you, Naruto."

When he was alone in the crowded sqare, Naruto allowed himself to sag. What the hell are those things, Kurama?

No idea. Kurama's voice was terse. They haven't always been around; I can confirm that much. Not even since this whole 'game' thing started.

They only showed up about ten playthroughs in, I think, Naruto agreed. Abominations… we've only ever taken one down, and that was with Itachi, Nagato, and us, all above level 100.

They're stronger than anything else we've encountered, agreed Kurama. What about it?

We need answers. Naruto ran a hand through his golden hair. How do we fight something so much more powerful than us that we can't even look at it?

At least they're rare. Kurama's answer was noncommittal at best.

But they're getting more common, Naruto said. Every playthrough it seems like there's more of them. Remember the last run; we couldn't even enter the Land of Waves because one of them had taken up residence in the middle of the place! How long before one of them decides to do the same with Konoha?

If it comes to that, we'll figure something out, Kurama promised. We always do. It's what you're good at.

Yeah, Naruto grumbled. But I'd like to have a planned response for once. Oh well.

Planning is for chumps anyway.

Naruto snorted. Better go see Tenten, he said, or they'll all get suspicious, the nosy little bastards.

You said it, not me.

Starbound Epoch, Year 19; 779 years after the death of Uzumaki Naruto

Once, long ago, a young man named Uzumaki Naruto saved the human race from self-destruction. He guided his species out of the chaos of the Striving Epoch into the relative harmony of the Children's Epoch, after which his descendants would lead mankind, slowly but surely, to true enlightenment in the Golden Epoch.

This young man, this historical hero, cannot be denied to have existed. Uzumaki Naruto left an impact on this world, and our species, unrivalled by any other person before or since. But history can only teach us how to deal with past errors.

Recent experiments with causality, tachyonometry, and fifth-dimensional simulation, along with the developments in AI technology spurred by first contact and the subsequent war, suggest a solution to our current, and future, troubles.

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Doctor?"

"That 'game,' Director, is a fully realized virtual environment. Hook it up to a fifth-dimensional tachyonometer and send out a probabilistic probe and it's the perfect environment to house an errant hero."

"Even a dead one?"

"Especially a dead one. Only a dead one, as a matter of fact."

"And you think this can win the war."

"Given time and resources? Respectfully, Director, it's Uzumaki Naruto. He ended war for centuries."

"He didn't do it alone, but that's rather what makes this… 'game' so uniquely suited, isn't it?"

"Exactly. The Ascension system was a bold and potentially illegal move for a VR game, but in this context? It's just what we need."

"A good argument. You have my approval. Get your team together, Doctor, and acquire any people or resources you need from other teams. Forward any requests to me."

"Carte blanche? Really?"

"Winning the war takes priority over everything, Doctor. 'When faced with extinction…'"

"'Every alternative is preferable,' right. I'll have a proposal on your desk in a couple of hours, tops. Thank you, Director."

"Thank me by winning the war, Doctor."

SIM—Timestamp Unavailable

Naruto opened his eyes.

The hell?

There was a discontinuity. He distinctly remembered getting a lightning-covered fist shoved through his gut mere moments ago. Opening his eyes should not have been on the agenda.

The truth, however, does not respond well to disbelief, and stayed strong in the face of ridicule.

Naruto was standing in a blank whiteness, empty of distinction or adornment, and before him were emblazoned in great black letters the words:

Game Over: You Died

Continue?

"Well," Naruto muttered to himself. "I guess there is some kind of… afterlife. Huh. So… sure, I guess. Continue. Not like I can go back."

The whiteness faded to an image of Konoha, the four Hokage's faces carved into the mountainside immediately striking his vision and parking his memory. He seemed to be floating high above the city, nothing but bluest skies above him. Before him, more words appeared.

Naruto: A Ninja's Tale

Menu

[New Game]

[Tutorials]

[Unlocks]

[Ascended]

[Exit Game]

There was a pause as Naruto read. Then a longer one as he read a few more times.

"Can someone please explain?" he asked bleakly.

The empty sky was silent, as it tended to be.

"Right," he nodded. "I like games. New game!"

The world shifted, melting into a haze of color, before reforming into the Hokage's office, complete with…

"Jij!" Naruto cried excitedly. He tried to run to the old man, but found that his feet were not actually touching the ground, and that as such running was not viable. "You're here too?"

The old Hokage didn't even acknowledge his presence. Naruto blinked and looked at the text between them.

New Game: Load Options

Character: Uzumaki Naruto

Sex: Male

Class: Jinchūriki (Kyūbi)

Elemental Affinity: Wind

Starting point: Striving Epoch, Year 187 (Age 6)

Starting Location: Konohagakure no Sato; Eastern Slums

Starting Rank: Academy Student

Starting Item Set: Degraded Equipment

Starting Level: 1

UI: Unobtrusive

[Accept these Load Options?]

Naruto noticed, looking down the list, that each option had an icon, like a downward arrow, beside it. He blinked at it.

"What's that mean?" he wondered. "Uh, character!"

The text shifted, as though a folder was being opened to show its contents.

[Character: Uzumaki Naruto]

Locked: Umino Naruto

Locked: Haruno Naruto

Locked: Inuzuka Naruto

Locked: Nara Naruto

Locked: Akimichi Naruto

Locked: Yamanaka Naruto

Locked: Hyūga Naruto

Locked: Uchiha Naruto

Locked: Yūki Naruto

Other options hidden.

Select a locked option to view its unlock requirements.

Naruto blinked bemusedly at the choices before him. "So, uh," he mumbled, "I can just… have the Sharingan, if I unlock that? How? Uh, Uchiha Naruto!"

Transplant a Mangekyō Sharingan into yourself or have an Uchiha Ascend.

"Ascend?" Naruto wondered. "What does that mean?"

No answer was forthcoming.

He shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered. "How do I go back?"

On 'back' the screen reverted to the previous menu. "Oh, that works. Um. Umino Naruto!"

Have Umino Iruka adopt you before graduating the academy or have Umino Iruka Ascend.

"…I CAN GET IRUKA-SENSEI TO ADOPT ME?" Naruto stared wildly at the text. "What the hell? That's a thing that can happen? And if I do I can be born an Umino? Or is this something else?"

He shook his head. "Whatever," he told himself. "Issue for later. Back, back."

The menu reverted to the Load Options.

Naruto looked at the next option, swallowed, and nervously said, "Uh… sex?"

[Sex: Male]

Female

He looked around shiftily for a moment before shaking his head. "Oiroke no Jutsu is fun," he said to himself, "but I don't think I'd like pervs looking at me like that all the time, effective or not. Back."

"Class."

[Class: Jinchūriki (Kyūbi)]

Locked: Taijutsu Specialist

Locked: Genjutsu Specialist

Locked: Ninjutsu Specialist

Locked: Bukijutsu Specialist

Other options hidden.

Select a locked option to view its unlock requirements.

"Nah, not now. Bored. Back."

"Elemental Affinity? Is that, like, what kind of jutsu I'm best at?"

[Elemental Affinity: Wind]

Fire

Water

Earth

Lightning

Locked: Ice

Other options hidden.

Select a locked option to view its unlock requirements.

"Oh, wow, I can actually choose things here!" Naruto was excited, but it was tempered by the 'locked' notification next to ice. "That's what Haku used, right? Ice."

Unlock Yūki Naruto.

Naruto rolled his eyes at that and navigated back through the menus to the character list. "Yūki Naruto?"

Establish the Yūki Clan in Konoha or have a Yūki Ascend.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't even know who the Yūki are he whined. "Or what 'Ascending' is. Ugh. Back, Elemental affinity." And after a moment's consideration, "Fire?"

He considered the change for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, never even learned a Wind jutsu before. Don't know of anybody who uses them, so they must be pretty special. Wind. Back."

"Starting point?"

[Starting point: Striving Epoch, Year 187 (Age 6)]

Striving Epoch, Year 188 (Age 7)

Striving Epoch, Year 189 (Age 8)

Striving Epoch, Year 190 (Age 9)

Striving Epoch, Year 191 (Age 10)

Striving Epoch, Year 192 (Age 11)

Striving Epoch, Year 193 (Age 12)

Other options hidden.

Naruto stared at that. "I can choose what age I want to be," he said blankly. "That's… crazy."

He looked around the replica of the Hokage's office. "I mean," he said to himself, "I can go back and… change things! I can make things go differently from before! Wait a minute!" He rubbed his eyes, trying to concentrate. "Sasuke's family… they were killed when he was eight, right? I would have been seven or eight. If I start at six… I can… save them?"

He nodded determinedly. "I have to try," he said. "Age six it is. Back. Starting location."

[Starting Location: Konohagakure no Sato; Eastern Slums]

Locked: Sunagakure no Sato; Western Slums

Other options hidden.

Naruto shrugged. "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, anyway. Back. Starting rank."

Starting Rank: Academy Student

Locked: Genin

Locked: Chūnin

Locked: Tokubetsu Jōnin

Locked: Jōnin

Locked: ANBU

Locked: Kage

Locked: Sannin

Other options hidden.

Ranks are unlocked based on the youngest age at which you achieved them in any playthrough. Based on your currently selected age, these are the available ranks.

Naruto shrugged. "That makes sense. I guess if I made Hokage at eighteen, and started at eighteen, I'm be able to start at Hokage. Back! Starting item set."

[Starting Item Set: Degraded Equipment]

Standard Equipment

Summoner's Equipment

Locked: Expert Equipment

Locked: Master Equipment

Locked: Seal Master's Equipment

Other options hidden.

Select a locked option to view its unlock requirements.

"Wow, Summoner's equipment actually sounds cool!"

'Summoner's Equipment' was accordingly selected. "Back! Starting level!"

Starting Level: 1

Starting levels are made available based on the highest level reached by this age. At your currently selected age, the automatically selected level is the highest you can reach.

"Makes sense. Back, and, uh, ooai?"

[UI: Unobtrusive]

Present

Apparent

Apparent UI is recommended for new players!

"I… don't know what this means, but okay. Apparent. Back."

He looked over the options for a moment and then nodded. "So, let me get this straight," he said to himself. "Am I actually going to just… poof, I'm six again? Start over from scratch? Work my way back up?" he grinned. "I don't know what's happening, but… sounds fun. Yeah, accept these load options."

The game is preparing to launch. Please wait.

And then everything went dark.

In the darkness, white text appeared.

Hint, it said. Say or think 'menu' to open the menu!

It hovered there for a moment before changing.

Hint, it said. Specialization is good, but make sure you put some points in both Wisdom and Intelligence! All the Strength in the world won't help you if you can't figure out how to use it!

Naruto found he lacked the requisite anatomy to speak. He was disembodied in the darkness. It was a little creepy.

Hint, said the text. Save your game often, and keep two files! The world is dangerous, and you never know what might go wrong and how far back it was planned!

Then the darkness brightened.

SIM—Striving Epoch, Year 187; Konoha's Eastern Slums

[You have slept in your bed. HP and CP restored to 100%]

Naruto's eyes opened and he blinked at the message. He was lying in his bed, back in his apartment in Konoha.

He blinked and the notification vanished. He rolled his eyes. "I guess that's what an apparent… ooai… does. Huh."

He sat up. "Well," he said, noticing his higher, younger voice. "I'm back."

A new message appeared. [Would you like a tutorial quest?]

He shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

The message shifted.

[NEW QUEST: Tutorial]

Follow the prompts to learn to navigate the interface.

Rewards:1 character level, 1000 ryō

No failure penalty.

After a moment another notification popped into his vision.

[Say (or think with intent) "menu," to access the main options menu.]

Naruto shrugged. "Menu," he said.

The world around him suddenly grayed, went monochrome. A leaf that was blowing past his window stilled suddenly in its path in defiance of wind and gravity.

Words appeared before him, traveling down his field of view like the choices on a test.

[Menu]

Save Game

Load Game

Settings

Character Menu

Exit Game

Another box soon appeared.

[This is the Main Menu, from which you can access game functionality in the options you can see. Save your game now.]

Naruto shrugged. "Save game."

In the corner of his vision, grey text appeared.

Saving game… Done.

Then a new box popped into existence.

[The Load Game menu is self-explanatory, and the Settings Menu is one we leave to you to explore. Exiting the game has been disabled on this hardware.]

Naruto blinked at that, then shrugged. "I guess 'exiting' real life is kinda hard," he acknowledged. "Not sure what it means by 'this hardware' but whatever."

[The Character Menu, accessible either through the Main Manu or from the game proper, contains all the information relevant to the current playthrough. We will guide you to the Character menu through the external game now. Since you entered the menu verbally, we recommend you try exiting it telepathically but thinking the word 'Exit' with intent.]

"Huh," Naruto mused. "Tele-what? Is that mind-reading? Whatever, cool." Exit, he thought.

The world recolored, and the leaf at his window fluttered away. Then a new text box appeared.

[Now, access the character menu by saying or thinking any of the following words: 'Status,' 'Reputations,' 'Character,' 'Inventory,' or 'Quests.']

Naruto shook his head at the barrage. "Fine, jeez! Demanding, much?" he muttered. "Character."

The world grayed again, and a large screen appeared before him. In its center was a rotating image of him. Over his head were the words [Uzumaki Naruto]. Below him were several lines of text.

Level: [1 (0/250 XP)

Class: [Jinchūriki (Kyūbi)]

Home Village: [Konohagakure no Sato]

Home Country: [Hi no Kuni]

Legal Status: [Civilian (Child)]

To the sides of his image were other informational texts:

Head: [None]

Shoulders: [Uzumaki Patch (Left)]

Neck: [None]

Chest: [Orange Jacket]

Arms: [None]

Hands: [None]

Fingers: [None]

Belt: [Summoner's Belt]

Legs: [Orange Pants]

Ankles: [None]

Feet: [Civilian Sandals]

Held (Right): [None]

Held (Left): [None]

Toes: [None]

"Wait, I have a head," complained Naruto before comprehension dawned. "Oh, but I'm not wearing anything on it! That makes sense."

Another text box appeared.

[The Character screen gives basic information about your character, including homeland, legal status, level, class, and equipment, all at a glance. More specific details are provided on other screens. Navigate to the Inventory screen to see more details about your character's equipment.]

Naruto shook his head. "This is getting complicated," he whined. "Fine. Inventory!"

[Inventory]

Bags: [Pockets] [Summoner's Belt]

Below this was the same picture of himself, with the same surrounding text.

The instructional box shifted.

[Your inventory screen will allow you to quickly catalogue everything you're currently carrying and/or wearing. Select a bag to show its contents. Do this now, with your pockets.]

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Pockets."

[Pockets]

[Wallet: Gama-chan]

[Keyring]

The text box appeared again.

[Items in your inventory can be accessed manually by pulling the out of their bag in the game, or through the interface by selecting them here. Please select your Keyring now.]

"Keyring!"

Suddenly the Keyring was gone from Naruto's inventory, and Naruto had his keychain in his hand. Looking up at the image of himself, Naruto saw that now the space titled Held (Right) contained the [Keyring].

[As you can see,] the text told him, [selecting an item in your inventory immediately puts it in your hand. Specifically, the item will be placed in your dominant hand automatically, unless it is an offhand item like a shield or your dominant hand is full and your offhand is empty. If both hands are full, your dominant hand's contents will be replaced.]

Naruto nodded. "I guess that all makes sense," he said. "No more fishing around in all my pockets for Gama-chan, so that's cool. And I can draw kunai instantly!"

[Please navigate to the Quests screen now.]

"Quests!"

[Quests]

[Tutorial]

[First Lessons]

The box reappeared to guide him. [Quests are objectives given to you to fulfill, either by someone in the game or occasionally self-assigned. Quests generally have larger rewards than just grinding skills, fighting enemies, and talking to people otherwise would.

Select a quest to learn more about it.]

"Tutorial!"

[Tutorial]

Follow the prompts to learn to navigate the interface.

Rewards:1 character level, 1000 yen

No failure penalty.

The box shifted. [These prompts are currently helping you through the Tutorial quest by showing you the UI. Navigate to your other quest, First Lessons.]

"Back, First Lessons."

[First Lessons]

Go to your first lesson at the Academy.

Bonus Objective: Impress your teachers.

Reward: Degraded Training Kunai x10, Degraded Training Shuriken x10

Bonus Reward: Improved reputation with Academy teachers, acquisition of [Good Student] perk

Failure: Decreased reputation with Academy teachers, acquisition of [Poor Student] perk

[Your first day at the Academy is today. You're not late, and you'll have an hour to get there after this quest finishes. This quest is passed if you attend the full day at the Academy for your first day.]

The box shifted.

[As you can see, this quest has a bonus objective. Completing this in addition to the standard objectives will yield the Bonus Reward as well as the standard one. In addition, this quest has a failure penalty, which will occur if the primary objectives are not met even if the bonus objectives are.]

The box shifted again.

[The reputations screen gives basic information about your relationships with the inhabitants of the game world. We leave it to you to explore. Please navigate to the Status screen.]

"Status!"

[Status]

Name: Naruto

Clan: [Uzumaki]

Class: [Jinchūriki (Kyūbi)]

Title: [Reviled Jinchūriki]

Level: [1 (0/250)]

Ryō: 500

[Stats]

[Active Effects]

[Skills]

[Techniques]

The box reappeared.

[This screen is arguably the most important available to you because it allows you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and improve your traits accordingly. As you can see, the parent screen gives basic information. To see more details, check the four subscreens.]

[First, go to your Stats.]

"Stats."

[Stats]

[Level]: 1

[HP]: 1250

[CP]: 1200

[Strength]: 3

[Constitution]: 10

[Intelligence]: 8

[Wisdom]: 0

[Agility]: 6

[Perception]: 8

[Charisma]: 2

[Luck]: 8

Available Points: 0

[These are your basic statistics. They determine how your actions affect the world around you.]

[Strength determines physical power, including damage dealt by physical attacks.]

[Constitution determines how generally healthy you are, and is used to calculate your HP and HP regen.]

[Intelligence determines how quickly your mind works, and is used to calculate your CP and CP regen.]

[Wisdom determines your ability to differentiate between the relative benefits of different courses of action.]

[Agility determines your ability to move with speed and control over your body.]

[Perception determines how much you notice of the world around you.]

[Charisma determines how socially skilled and communicative you are.]

[Luck determines how likely positive events are to happen to you, especially in the form of better or worse loot.]

[Take some time to understand these stats before moving on to the Active Effects screen.]

"That's… a lot to remember." Naruto's eyes flickered around the screen wildly. "Wait, Wisdom 0? I'm not… uh, unwise! Am I?"

The number remained unaffected by his complaints.

"Meh, screw you too, then! Back, active effects!"

[Active Effects]

[Uzumaki]: +10 to [Constitution], +50% to gains in [Fūinjutsu] skill; Cannot be removed

[?]: +5 to [Intelligence], +5 to [Perception], +50% to gains in [Fūinjutsu] skill; Cannot be removed

[Kyūbi no Jinchūriki]: +10 to [Charisma], +1000 to [HP], +100 to [HP] per level, +50 to [HP] regen, +5 to [HP] regen per level, +1000 to [CP], +100 to [CP] per level, +10 to [CP] regen, +1 to [CP] regen per level, -40% to reputation gains with individuals aware of this perk without a corresponding [Unafraid] perk; extract Kyūbi to remove

[Malnourished]: -5 to [Constitution], -2 to [Strength], -2 to [Agility], -2 to [Perception], -2 to [Intelligence]; eat 5 consecutive healthy meals to remove.

[Eyesore]: -3 to [Charisma], -10% to reputation gains when the other person can see you; remove [Orange Jacket] and [Orange Pants] to remove.

[Village Pariah]: -10 to [Charisma], -5 to [Wisdom], +3 to [Agility], +3 to [Luck], -20% to reputation gains with people in Konoha; improve reputations with a significant number of Konoha inhabitants to remove

[Child]: Makes it more difficult for people to bring themselves to kill you; effect lessens over time and is removed upon hitting puberty

[This screen shows all currently active modifiers to your stats, skills, and other characteristics.]

"So many of them are bad!" Naruto complained, askance. "What's up with that! And what's with that weird question-mark one?"

As if in answer, the box shifted.

[As you can see, many of your Active Effects are negative. Many of these have removal conditions. Consider trying to get rid of negative effects.]

[Some other Active Effects have hidden names or powers. These powers will still be active; the [?] just means that, at this point, either you don't know why you have these abilities or they modify something you don't know about.]

"I… guess that makes sense? I wonder what that one is, then. It makes me smarter and more… perceptive, I guess. And Better at Fūinjutsu. What's Fūinjutsu, anyway?"

[Take a moment to understand these Active Effects before moving on to the skills screen.]

"All right, all right, I get it. Back, skills."

[Skills]

[Taijutsu (0/100)] (Strength) Martial arts and hand-to-hand combat

[Bukijutsu (0/100)] (Strength) Handheld weapons combat

[Shurikenjutsu (0/100)] (Strength) Thrown weapons combat

[Blacksmithing (0/100)] (Strength) Crafting weapons and armor from metals and stones

[Ninjutsu (0/100)] (Intelligence) Offensive chakra techniques

[Genjutsu (0/100)] (Intelligence) Illusory and mental chakra techniques

[Tech (0/100)] (Intelligence) Development and use of advanced technologies

[Puppetry (0/100)] (Intelligence) Creation and use of battle puppets

[Chakra Control (0/100)] (Wisdom) Ability to effectively manage chakra output

[Fūinjutsu (0/100)] (Wisdom) Production and use of seals

[Alchemy (0/100)] (Wisdom) Production and use of potions, poisons, ointments, and poultices

[Senjutsu (0/100)] (Wisdom) Control and use of nature chakra

[Stealth (0/100)] (Agility) Ability to move and act undetected

[Thievery (0/100)] (Agility) Lockpicking, pickpocketing, and other skills relating to illegal acquisitions

[Trapping (0/100)] (Agility) Setting and using traps

[Tailoring (0/100)] (Agility) Creation and maintenance of clothing and fabrics

[Observation (0/100)] (Perception) Allows you to glean information by looking at things

[Detection (0/100)] (Perception) Notice things automatically without having to look for them

[Insight (0/100)] (Perception) Confers understanding of and sensitivity to the supernatural

[Attention (0/100)] (Perception) Ability to notice and process what happens around you

[Speechcraft (0/100)] (Charisma) More convincing in conversations and trade

[Gambling (0/100)] (Luck) More likely to succeed in games of chance

[These are the 22 Skills you can train. Each has an individual level measured from 0 to 100, and each corresponds to a specific stat. Training a skill can also improve its corresponding stat.]

"Hey!" Naruto was displeased. "They're all at zero! I know how to do things!"

[As a 6-year-old just starting the academy, you have not developed your skills yet. Train them as you see fit; specialization is encouraged.]

"Oh, right," Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm six again. So I have to train everything back up? I guess that makes sense."

[The techniques screen, the final part of the Status menu, is a compendium of all the abilities you have acquired, including combat techniques and styles, crafting recipes, et cetera. We leave it to you to explore.]

[When you have familiarized yourself with the 22 Skills, return to the Status menu.]

"Back."

[This concludes the tutorial quest. You will shortly be rewarded with one character level, including 5 points you can use to improve your stats in the Stats menu, as well as 1000 additional Ryō.]

[Welcome to Naruto: A Shinobi's Tale. We hope you enjoy the experience.]

The box faded and there was a chiming in Naruto's ears as two more appeared.

[Quest complete! 1000 Ryō and 250 XP awarded!]

[Your level has increased by one!]

"So I can improve my stats now?" Naruto asked himself. "Huh. Stats!"

[Stats]

[Level]: 2 (0/500)

[HP]: 1350

[CP]: 1300

[Strength]: 3

[Constitution]: 10

[Intelligence]: 8

[Wisdom]: 0

[Agility]: 6

[Perception]: 8

[Charisma]: 2

[Luck]: 8

Available Points: 5

Naruto considered the numbers before him.

"'Specialization is recommended,' the box said," he mused. "What does that mean?"

He shook his head slowly. "I'm got those huge bonuses to Fūinjutsu, right?" he considered. "And Fūinjutsu's based on Wisdom. And I have 0 Wisdom.

He shrugged. "Let's fix that." He tapped the word Wisdom and one of his points went into it. He did it four more times to bring his Wisdom up to five.

"Good," he said to himself with a grin. "Close."

The world regained color, and he stretched. It's weird, being back here, he thought, looking around, but… I'm okay with it. I won't let you down this time, Sasuke.

But for now, it was time he headed to the Academy.

Starbound Epoch, Year 19; 779 years after the death of Uzumaki Naruto

"Ethereal recalibration was successful, Director. He's in the sim."

"Excellent work, Doctor. I'll have the engineering division begin work on a mech immediately. Any particular specifications, beyond the obvious?"

"The system doesn't have a way for us to contact him, but we can watch his progress. I'll inform you as he develops specific skills. At this point, he's derived from his identity at Striving 194."

"So only limited control of Yōkai Chakra, and Rasengan and Kage Bunshin as his most powerful techniques. Kage Bunshin is… difficult to synchronize with mechs, but we'll make the attempt."

"I expect he'll have made contact with his Lord Kyūbi before we have a body ready, so I would recommend having the body built to house two AIs, rather than just one."

"Your recommendation will be taken under advisement. Continue monitoring his situation, and let me know if anything develops further."

"Yes, Director."

}_

A/N: Bit of experimental styling here. Anyway, as with all my stories, reviews are appreciated but not demanded. I will respond to any pertinent questions or constructive comments.

Also, yes, I'm using a spreadsheet to keep track of stats. Let me know if you want any information from it not presented in this chapter.

This project isn't a priority at this time; I want to finish Walking Backwards on a Tightrope, MageWalker Alpha, and Hate/Love all by the end of the summer, so those three take priority. All the same, I really like this cliché, so you can expect more of this before too long.