ELEMENTAL GAMES

Ch.4

Hullo all,

I'm back with the fourth! As always, I want to thank you guys for all the Favorites, Follows and Reviews.

I'm going to answer a few of the most common questions that come up in the reviews, so if you don't care for it skip this part!

So, Sakura has high WIS but not a great common sense because of the Flaw [Fangirl]. It means that she doesn't concentrate as much as she could on her actual physical training and subconsciously ignores many things in order to keep up the infatuation she has with Sasuke. Honestly, I like Sakura, especially because she really came into herself in Shippuden. I just want to highlight that she has lots of potential, but since she has been sheltered all her life, the major problem she sees now is how to get Sasuke's attention. It will change as soon as she experiences the reality of the Elemental Nations.

Sakura and Ino are at a higher level than Naruto simply because they put at least some effort at the Academy. Remember that the level is just a symbol! Naruto, for all his immense potential, didn't really start to take the whole ninja business seriously at least until Wave in canon. In my story, it will happen sooner, simply because [Gamer's Mind] doesn't allow one to ignore the harsh truth. It is also why he hasn't told anyone about his ability. However much Naruto loves the Sandaime and Iruka, he knows that they are hiding things from him, things that as an 11-year-old he cannot understand why he shouldn't know.

Last clarification, Naruto doesn't have as much chakra or more than Iruka now simply because I changed the system a bit. At the end of the school year he will have much greater reserves than his teachers, but giving him such a magnitude of power now, with the growth he is going to experience, would mean that he would be a god by the time of the Genin Exam…

I hope I explained everything. If anything more comes up, you'll find it in the A.N. at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy!

J

ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES

The streets of Konoha were as full as always in the early afternoon. Its history is written in the small alleys, in the bright colours contrasting happily with the foliage of Hi no Kuni's trees.

Strolling up to the Hokage Tower, one Uzumaki Naruto was deep in thought. He was in the process of carefully choosing his words in order to be as truthful as possible - however much Naruto wanted to keep his ability a secret, he knew that lying directly to the Hokage would be a recipe for disaster - and still express his need for actual experience that he, as an Academy Student, would only manage to get inside one of the Chakra Mutations ridden Training Grounds.

Having just exited the KSA building after a day of tests, Naruto felt surprisingly in high spirits. It was true that the examination was a physical one, but he had managed to beat Inuzuka Kiba, one of his rowdier classmates and friends in the Taijutsu spar.

Now, Naruto was a bit prone to be self-centered and he was trying really hard not to let it get to his head. The boy would have liked to shout his excitement and joy at finally landing a win with someone who wasn't a civilian kid, but he had decided a while ago to start taking the whole ninja business more seriously, and that implied getting used to control his outbursts.

Shaking himself, Naruto banished those thoughts as he arrived in front of the entrance to the Tower. He took a deep breath and walked inside, preparing for the coming discussion with the Sandaime.

Now, Naruto wasn't completely ignorant regarding the rules and laws of Konoha, he just preferred to treat them as guidelines, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to make use of them when it was convenient.

The blond knew that with the approval of the Hokage an unaffiliated Academy Student was allowed to make use of the less frequented training grounds.

It was a subsection of the regulation regarding the training that was allowed to be given to non-shinobi.

As it was, not many made use of it, considering that all those who actually wanted to train in the ninja way but weren't already official shinobi were either Clan kids, which meant that they could make use of their private Training Grounds, or civilian kids who frequented the Academy, which allowed them use of the KSA five fields.

Naruto didn't have a Clan compound with such a large space attached, which meant that he would normally make use of those near allotted for the Academy. The angle at which he was aiming for to obtain permission to exercise in other fields was that by making use of weak targets, those found on the outskirts of the overrun grounds, he could actually gain some experience. He was, after all, a poor orphan who didn't have anyone to rely on…

Naruto felt a bit bad at manipulation his Jiji like that, but playing that card was probably the only way in which he could obtain what he wanted. The blond knew that there was more to his history than he was aware of, and he had known from much earlier than when he read his Description in the Status Menu, even if that had cleared any doubt.

The Sandaime had promised that as he grew he would explain to him about his parents and whatever he wanted to know, and from that secrecy Naruto could glean that he was somewhat important, even if not well liked, and the boy wasn't above making use of it all to get what he wanted.

He kept walking, nodding to the secretary at the desk near the Hokage's Office, who nodded stiffly back. The woman didn't particularly dislike him, Naruto knew thanks to [Negative Emotion Sensing], but she was deeply uncomfortable in his presence for some reason.

"Is Hokage-Jiji free now, Matsumoto-san?"

The woman looked at him from the top of her glasses, pursed her lips, and then gestured him towards the door, indicating that the Sandaime was free at the moment.

Naruto rapped his knuckles on the wood, waiting for the Hokage to respond from the inside.

"Come in!"

The man was buried deep in paperwork and made a motion to invite the blond inside.

As he entered the office, the boy took the opportunity to scan its occupant.

'Observe'

Sarutobi Hiruzen - Lv.? - Honoured 6,500/9,000

'Sandaime Hokage'

Hp:?

Cp:?

Description:

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, has been the longest-ruling Hokage, being forced to return to duty after the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze's death. He is a peace-loving leader, preferring nonviolent discussions to his advisers' more militaristic suggestions. He acts as a source of wisdom to younger generations and is one of the few people to treat Naruto Uzumaki as a person rather than an outcast. He was admired as the God of Shinobi in his prime and also known as "The Professor" as he purportedly knew every Jutsu in Konohagakure.

'Jiji is amazing! I totally didn't know that he was called God Of Shinobi when he was young. He must have been an amazing ninja.'

"Naruto-kun, what a surprise. What can I do for you?" asked the venerable shinobi with a smile. He wasn't particularly sad at putting all the paperwork to the side for a few minutes, and he knew how much it meant to Naruto for anyone to give him his undivided attention.

The boy grinned, stretching his birthmarks in a foxlike manner. It had been a while since he had last seen the older man, and it was always nice to be in the presence of someone who you knew truly liked you.

"Jiji! I came here to talk to you about my training." Stated Naruto. "I have decided that I really need to up my game, and have started practising everything I know repeatedly. I'm improving rapidly thanks to Iruka-sensei's help, but there is something that I still lack."

"I'm happy to hear that you progressed so much, Naruto. Iruka was telling me just the other day that you have finally decided to put all that drive that you usually direct in pranks to become a good shinobi" Sarutobi commented.

He had been genuinely surprised when the young Chunin had come one day, and instead of being fully focused on the Team placements, he was almost giddy with excitement.

Upon asking what the cause of such happiness was, the Sandaime certainly wasn't expecting it to be Naruto's newfound ambition and seriousness.

The Hokage had made sure that it was still Naruto and that he wasn't under any compulsions, even if he would have liked to merely be happy for the boy. It was a harsh world theirs, and The God of Shinobi knew that better than anyone else alive.

Once his ANBU had assured him that he was still the same Naruto and that the seal wasn't weakening, approval and pride had followed shortly.

Sarutobi had tried many times to entice the boy to take his training more seriously, but it seemed that without the promise of high-level Jutsu, which he couldn't be taught as he lacked either the control or the basic knowledge to use, Naruto couldn't be bothered to try.

The old man had almost given it away as impossible, considering the blond's short attention span and lack of disposition, but he had been once more proved incorrect by the bright ball of sunshine in front of him.

"Jiji, do you think that you could give me access to some of the abandoned training grounds?" asked Naruto in a single breath. All the previous preparation left him in a second, and he decided to just go for it; he was, after all, much better at finding solutions on the spot than at long and intricate speeches…

The Sandaime frowned in thought. While it was true that Naruto could simply make use of the Academy fields, there was obviously something more going on. The abandoned training grounds were either too far away from the village itself or overrun by Chakra Mutations, and the Hokage was pretty sure that that was Naruto's objective.

He wouldn't even be the first to make use of the weaker creatures that infested those places to train and get at least a chance to see the results of his training in combat. Naturally, such weak animals wouldn't ever be a good comparison for actual shinobi battle, at least those who hadn't managed to evolve too much. There were a few grounds restrained for use for that very reason, much like Training Ground 44.

The Forest of Death had once been an ANBU Survival Field, but the years had slowly transformed it into what it was now. It wouldn't be difficult to clear it up, but it made for a very good test for Chunin Exams as it was now.

"I see what you thought… I can't give you unlimited access to all the overrun fields, but Ground 21 is divided into many different Zones, and depending on how far away from the entrance you go, the concentration of Nature Chakra will be greater, which means stronger beasts." Sarutobi commented lightly, eyes keen on the delight that Naruto was expressing.

It was somewhat common for determined orphans to seek battle experience in such a way, and Training Ground 22 had become the unofficial place for them to go.

The Sandaime himself had placed the seals to keep the beasts from intermingling and give all who trained there clear divisions in levels of strength. Konoha was, after all, a ninja village, and everything the Hokage could exploit to make its shinobi better, he was in obligation to make use of.

Naruto was feeling extremely pumped up: not only he managed to get permission for exploring Konoha's natural Dungeons - because that was totally what they were - but they were also conveniently placed so as to aid him in his training.

Normally, Naruto would have to reserve the use of one of the areas for himself every time he wanted to use them, but during the Nine-Tails attack, very few newborns had survived the oppressive demonic Chakra, leaving the boy's generation as one of the smallest since the founding.

It was, on the other hand, perfect for Naruto as it allowed him to make use of the grounds without worries of being spotted doing strange things.

Already it took quite an effort not to let it be noticed when he read information through [Observe] as it would let on that something wasn't quite right. The blond didn't doubt that some of the more common game dynamics would transfer to his surrounding in the Dungeons, and he wasn't sure he could explain why a wad of cash appeared out of nowhere once he had defeated a mutated rat…

"I believe we have an agreement then, Old Man!" exclaimed Naruto, who was feeling rather excited at the prospect of all the grinding that awaited him.

Sarutobi chuckled, before stating the few conditions he had "Now Naruto-kun, I will allow you to enter the first two Zones for the moment. Once you have become stronger, you'll come to me and I shall decide whether or not to give you permission to enter the more dangerous ones."

The Hokage then observed the boy intently, cataloguing all the weapons and armature he had at disposition. His observational capabilities were so great that in a single glance he could already tell everything about the blond, from the way his muscles moved to the bumps in his jumpsuit that were made by weapons' pouches.

"You will still need some better gear though. Academy kunai and shuriken are good for training, but they won't cut anything above stale bread." the old man commented lightly, before opening a drawer, rummaging through it and taking out two fat pouches. He gave them to Naruto, explaining that they were full of actual high-quality shuriken and kunai.

Once the boy had equipped his new weapons, Sarutobi decided to take advantage of his apparent new dedication to explain a few things that he felt the Uzumaki had never really understood. After all, with all the potential he had, Naruto would soon become a great asset for Konoha, but without a direction, he would end up being a double-edged sword. It was time to challenge his world's view and to instil once more the Will of Fire in the new generation.

"The Will of Fire" the Sandaime explained, now truly in his 'Professor' role "means that the entire village is a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them."

Sarutobi smiled, his eyes making contact with Naruto's "This is what gives Konohagakure's shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. Our comradeship, our understanding of sacrifice, pain and love. Konoha was founded upon these ideals, and because of these ideals it remains unbeaten."

The Hokage smiled kindly, the village's grandfather, the man who took care of and accepted everyone despite their origins. Naruto grinned, bubbling with admiration and affection, feeling every word reach deep within and take root, filling him with an indescribable sense of belonging.

"One day you will all inherit the Will of Fire, just like those before you did, and once you have understood its meaning, you will be true Konoha Shinobi."

"That was deep, Jiji" commented Naruto with a grin.

The Sandaime looked at him incredulously, before shaking his head and grumbling about new generations having no respect for their elders.

The Hokage then waved the boy away, knowing that as he had gotten what he wanted, the more he kept him, the more he would vibrate with suppressed energy.

While it was true that Naruto had become better, it wasn't just possible to change that much, after all.

Once the door was closed, Sarutobi ruefully chuckled.

"If I had half of that energy…" he sighed, looking down at the paperwork that kept accumulating on his desk.

It was truly a shame that the Kage Bunshin wasn't capable of higher thought unless flooded with chakra, and even then they didn't last long when forced to burn it to think things through.

Ah, the woes of bureaucracy.

ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES -

Naruto was skipping gleefully towards the northern part of Konoha. Training Ground 22 was peculiar as it was much more distant from the village itself than any other apart from the detached ones: places that were in a specific condition that were usually artificially made, and possibly too delicate or dangerous to have near the village.

As he neared his new training field, Naruto's thoughts went again over his new exercising regime.

He would keep increasing his [Physical Conditioning] and [Beginner Ha no Nagare] as much as possible, making use of all the tools at his disposition, such as the very pricy elastic bands that had been strengthened with chakra that would allow him to greatly increase his STR. Practicing his sprints and endurance running would allow growth for his AGI and VIT, just like keeping up his skills in [Shurikenjutsu], especially now that he was in possession of live weapons, would work well for his DEX.

A stat that he would need much work to increase was his CPC (Chakra Control). It all came back to his low WIS, for which he would need to find training exercises and to have just a basic skill to increase it. [Leaf Concentration Practice] had been particularly useful in his fight with Kiba, but such a low level only allowed to maintain a firmer grip, nothing more, and Naruto didn't doubt that many of his classmates would have analysed his fight from start to bottom and have found counters for each of his moves.

After all, he had managed to win only thanks to the surprise effect his new fighting style had and the blond didn't doubt that such tricks wouldn't work twice. It was becoming more and more necessary to actually get some of his skills up to an acceptable level.

All of this was why he was now standing in front of the gate to enter the Zone 1 of Training Ground 22. It was a rusty old thing that seemed to be held up only by the sealing tags placed in strategical points - and didn't that make him think of the bonus he had in Fūinjutsu thanks to one of his Special Perks? He really needed to start investigating those things more seriously -.

Beyond that, a vast grassland extended itself for a couple square kilometres. The blades of grass were taller than him and concealed whatever lived in there from his view.

Naruto, referencing to his gaming experience, was pretty sure it would be the home of some weak beast that could range from rabbits to swift foxes. Or, at least, that would be so if all the creatures inside hadn't been slowly mutated by Natural Chakra and the leftover energy that came with being so close to a ninja village.

Naruto decided to Observe his new equipment before he went ahead in the Dungeon.

[Uzumaki Naruto's High-Quality Shurikenjutsu kit]

It contains 10 Kunai and 20 Shuriken. It is a present the Sandaime Hokage decided to give Uzumaki Naruto to celebrate his newfound determination and to help him along in his training.

Kunai 10/10 DUR 50/50 - Uncommon Quality

40-55 damage Melee

35-45 damage Thrown

Shuriken 20/20 DUR 50/50 - Uncommon Quality

35-50 damage Thrown

'Quality? Don't tell me there is the whole Item Ranking thingy as well?!

Oh, well. Item Quality!'

[Item Quality]:

Quality is a property of items, which is represented by a title suffixed to the item's name. An item can have only one quality, which is determined when the item is created and remains unchanged, except in rare circumstances.

Ultimately, Item Quality is a relative indicator of how good an item is compared to another. The quality indicator is most often seen with a rank beside the name of the item. There are six types of item qualities in the world.

Poor Quality:

Items that are known to be the worst of the worst and even hardly worth using, seen as junk by many. These items are made of trashy materials, with poor craftsmanship that has rusted over or they have deteriorated so badly that it can no longer be used.

Common Quality:

These are common items of average quality that many use every day for professions. Most items that fit into this category are basic kunai, shuriken, other forms of basic weaponry and armour. These are the general purpose items that are used in everyday life by most of the people.

Uncommon Quality:

These are the uncommonly used items. Not everyone has them but they are employed often enough not to make them hard to obtain. Some even give a small boost to the user.
Items that fit into this category are sealing scrolls, weaponry crafted by a particularly skilled blacksmith and industrial items. They include also ingredients for recipes or medicines that can only be found at determined intervals of time or only in particular places.

Rare Quality:

These are the rare items. Objects of this quality are either particularly hard or expensive to come by. Most usually grant a major stat booster for the user. They are made from materials that are difficult to acquire or buy, or require a greater level of skill to create. These items can sometimes be considered important heirlooms for Clans and families.

Epic Quality:

These items are deemed as outstandingly rare. Objects of this quality are extremely difficult to come by and create and sometimes can be considered unique and irreplaceable. Items that can be considered as Epic Quality are some of the most famous swords in the ninja tradition or scrolls that contain dangerous or powerful A -S rank techniques.

Legendary Quality:

These matchless items are considered legendary in terms of power and incomparable ability they possess or are capable of bestowing upon individuals or other items such incredible powers. The probability of ever coming into contact with one such object are infinitesimal for the normal human. Items that are considered to fall under this category are the greatest masterpieces or have been used by legendary and ancient figures that have given these some particular power such as the Sage of the Six Paths' own creations, the greatest swords ever forged and those peerless artifacts or natural things that have incredible power. Some of these items possess sentience and will only allow specific individuals to wield or summon them.

'So once again the most common game system with slight modifications to fit the real world. I remember the items being coloured differently so as to show their actual rarity without having to analyse them all the time, but then again one cannot expect it to be the same in real life.'

The Sandaime had assured him that he could take on the first two Zones and that there would be no contamination between stronger areas and weaker ones, so Naruto took a deep breath and pushed the rickety old gate and entered the grassland.

You have entered the Natural Dungeon [Northern Grassland]

Level needed - lv. 5

Level suggested - lv. 6

[Quest Alert]

You have entered the dungeon [Northern Grassland].

In the spirit of true grinding, accomplish the following objectives.

Objective I: Defeat at least x10 [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], x5 [Wild Plovers] and x2 [Mad Wild Dogs];
Objective II: Defeat at least x20 [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], x10 [Wild Plovers], x4 [Mad Wild Dogs] and x2 [Swift Fox];
Objective III: Defeat the dungeon Boss;

Objective I Reward: +2000 EXP, 500 Ryo
Objective II Reward: +3000 EXP, 1000 Ryo
Objective III Reward: +4000 EXP,?

'Hmm it does seem like a normal starting dungeon, but already I can see that the Gamer ability doesn't stop me from going in and it doesn't need an OK to start the adventure.

Obviously, it is like this because it had to adapt to real life, but it means that there will probably be more of similar subtle changes from now on. Nothing ground-breaking, but it is kinda interesting.

I hope to get all those juicy rewards though. It would help me speed up my training incredibly!'

As he waded through the grass, Naruto spread his senses as much as possible. Nowadays he was much better at catching those with bad intentions towards him, and he didn't doubt that it would be the same with animals.

It may be even easier, as their emotions were much simpler than human ones, and the greatest difficulty he had encountered with [Negative Emotion Sensing] up until now, besides the range, was identifying precisely what he was feeling.

Naruto kept his hands free and near the new weapon pouches, ready to tackle anything that may attack him.

He felt a shift in the air surrounding him, and the blond knew that he was being observed. Not wanting to give away that he knew and was prepared for any ambush, Naruto continued moving forward.

His hands inched towards the pouches containing the weapons.

All was still for a second, before two blur shot from the grass. In the span of a second, Naruto backtracked as much as he could, evading the swipes and bites of the two creatures.

Taking out a kunai and a handful of shuriken, the boy took a neutral position, ready to attack and defend at the same time.

'Observe'

[Berserk Black-footed Ferret] - lv.4

Hp: 80

Cp: 5

STR: 5

VIT: 8

DEX: 10

AGI: 15

INT: 2

WIS: 2

LUK: 2

[Berserk Black-footed Ferret] - lv.5

Hp: 95

Cp: 10

STR: 5

VIT: 9

DEX: 12

AGI: 16

INT: 2

WIS: 2

LUK: 3

A species of black-footed ferret who have made this area their home. Through the generations, the Natural Chakra and the leftover one from Ninja has slowly changed these animals, making them more feral and powerful. Beware of their fast claws and teamwork.

'So, one is two full levels below me, and the other just one, but by their stats, I shouldn't have many problems.'

Grinning, Naruto twirled his kunai to attract attention to it and, setting his shoulders, he let go of the shuriken in his other hand.

The weapons flew at high speed, cutting the weaker one fatally and only scratching the stronger one.

The little beast screeched in rage at the fate of his fellow and charged at Naruto who allowed it to reach him before hitting him with a turning kick.

The ferret righted itself in mid-air and attacked again, evading once more the thrown weapons. Naruto dodged a clawed swipe to the left and front-kicked the berserk animal again and followed relentlessly with a hard slash of his kunai, which put its life to an end.

Once he was sure that the two beasts were actually dead, they disappeared into a burst of chakra, leaving behind some loot.

'Well, that was anti-dramatic. I guess that even if their level is so close to mine, their species doesn't allow for too much growth, huh.

They disappeared and left loot, which means that I absolutely cannot bring anyone with me in a dungeon if I want to keep my ability a secret, and I really do.

It's kinda strange to actually see them vanish like that, but I guess that in a place like this the Gamer power is allowed to do much more than outside.'

You defeated [Berserk Black-footed Ferret] x 2

You gain 250 EXP

After he closed the windows, Naruto walked to the loot that still remained on the ground and inspected it.

'An actual pile of Ryo… and some fur, which I guess is normal. Ferret meat isn't really edible unless you are skilled in its preparation, I know that from the survival lessons at the Academy, which I think is why there isn't any.

But actual money… I guess that this is really the first true instance where I could observe the effects of my ability on the world around me besides from training, so the weirdness will probably fade with time.

I had hoped for some kind scroll technique, but it probably is too much for these weaklings.'

Once he had picked up the bills - 250 Ryo! A full ramen lunch at Ichiraku's! - Naruto inspected the remaining furs.

[Black-footed Ferret] Furs - Common Quality

Just the fur of a Black-footed ferret. You may find some merchant to sell it to, but it is probably too ordinary for them to need it.

Shaking his head, the blond decided to put them all into his [Inventory] and to think about what to do with them later. It wasn't as if he needed to free space in his personal pocket dimension anyway, so he was in no hurry to do so.

Once he was ready to keep going, he straightened up and walked confidently into the tall grass.

He ended up encountering another group of [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], this one with both members at level 4, which wasn't a problem to dispatch at all, and got some more money and furs, and two [Wild Plovers] which were cute birds that lived perched upon the few short trees that could be found in the grassland.

Those little beasts, despite being both at level 5, ended up being much more trouble than the previous encounters.

They could fly at high-speed, which meant that his mediocre skills in [Shurikenjutsu] that allowed him to hit stationary targets without much problem were almost useless against these little buggers.

Naruto found that, with what little chakra they had absorbed, they could even harden their beaks and their nosedives ended up being much more dangerous than what they should have been. It was only thanks to his greater DEX stat that Naruto managed to evade all the attacks that would have cut him up without much trouble.

The blond finally won the fight after a lucky shot with a shuriken that mowed the head from the body of one of the

[Wild Plovers], which in return meant that the remaining bird was the only object of his attentions.

After two whole minutes of frustrated fighting, Naruto took advantage of the tiring of his opponent and, after a dive, he nailed it with kunai in the brain.

It all was much more difficult than the boy expected it to be after the easy fights with the [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], but he guessed that being of a different species really made a difference in strength.

The ferrets relied more on ambushes and teamwork, which worked well for unsuspecting weak animals, but was a total fluke with someone who knew what they were up to, while the birds could even access what little chakra they had, making them more unpredictable and dangerous.

The [Wild Plovers] gave him a nice amount of money and an even bigger amount of EXP, but they didn't leave any kind of physical loot, which Naruto guessed was fair, as they were tiny buggers and they didn't have particularly interesting parts.

Over the next hour, covered three-quarters of the ground's space and managed to fight a whole pack of [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], which was somewhat more challenging than fighting them in couples as it had the added difficulty of having to defend himself against attacks from all sides. It was annoying, but Naruto gritted his teeth and kept going, as it would serve as a great dodging training, something which he couldn't do by himself.

After the fight, the boy decided that he was going to take an eternity if he kept going like this and started making basic traps with ninja wires and shuriken - which he totally needed more, as he had to stop after every fight to collect them and that left him with less time than he would have liked - to take out more creatures in a shorter time.

'I really should have thought about it before diving headfirst into it, but I guess that now I have to do what I can.

They really are just the most basic of traps, but for some of these animals they should be more than enough.'

Finding the other creatures ended up being much more difficult, and Naruto had to rely more on [Negative Emotion Sensing] than ever. So much so, that during the whole afternoon it gained two whole levels.

His [Shurikenjutsu] too levelled up after having to fight the [Wild Plovers], as he had to really up his game to manage a hit.

The only real problem was that the two remaining species that he had to defeat to complete the quest apart from the Boss, which Naruto imagined would appear once he had cleared the area. Both the [Mad Wild Dog] and the [Swift Fox] were staying well out of his sensing range, and the blond was starting to get tired of walking meaninglessly through the grassland.

All of a sudden, his senses were assaulted with vicious foreign feelings as a pack of mutts charged at him.

Naruto evaded the first two and jumped over the third, but the remaining two managed to bite his arms.

Their jaws worked frantically to maul his flesh and Naruto had never been more grateful for the Standard Academy Forearm Guards.

With a powerful kick, he freed himself of one of the rabid beasts and rammed his kunai into the other one, killing it instantly.

The remainder of the pack had, in the meantime, encircled him, and was growling angrily.

The boy managed to get a glimpse of their description, just to get a feel of their ability:

[Mad Wild Dog] x 4 Lv. 5

The [Mad Wild Dog] lives in packs from 5 to 40 individuals.

They are opportunistic predators that hunt medium-sized ruminants, such as gazelles. In a sprint, [Mad Wild Dogs] can reach speeds of more than 44 miles per hour.

[Alpha Mad Wild Dog] Lv. 6

The strongest and meanest of the pack, this [Mad Wild Dog] has managed to make all the other submit to his will via slaughter of all those who opposed him, which is the reason the pack is so small.

At an unspoken signal, the animals all charged towards him, and Naruto had to defend from all the attacks contemporaneously. Instead of waiting for them to reach him, the boy sprinted towards the meanest-looking one, probably the alpha, and with push-kicked his muzzle, breaking the formation.

The [Mad Wild Dog] pack turned as one against him again, but this time Naruto used the [Kawarimi no Jutsu] to substitute himself with a rock placed behind one of the animals, and once arrived cut its throat safely.

Luckily, it seemed that the excess chakra had made them too rabid to learn his patterns, and so the blond managed to take the whole pack down.

You levelled up!

'I'll wait till the end to check my status, but man I'm so glad Jiji gave me permission to do this!' Thought Naruto giddily.

Once he had retrieved all his precious weapons, the boy went on to gather the loot he managed to obtain from his hardest fight yet.

A little more than a thousand Ryo wasn't bad at all, as it would allow him to get more weapons of a good quality. Perhaps even buy some Uncommon Quality armature with small boosts!

After he put the money away, Naruto picked up the four sets of fangs, which upon inspection he found would give a Status effect of nausea for five minutes after each bite and a 5% chance of giving the semi-permanent effect [Rabies] - and he could totally sell this to some apothecary; they were always happy to get new supplies - and as the alpha's loot the boy found three small red bottles, which made him whoop in joy.

'Observe'

[Lesser Hp Regeneration Potion] - Uncommon Quality

A lesser rank recovery potion made from the herbs usually found in this dungeon. Usually made by high-level Herbalists. Instantly recovers 200 Hp.

'Heeeeell yeah! The potions! Yes!'

Once he had finished the victory dance and had put away the three precious concoctions, Naruto felt the ground start to tremble.

Instantly on high alert, the boy expanded his senses, which was the only thing that alerted him soon enough to jump away from his resting place and avoid getting skewered by an enormous bison.

Behind it, Naruto managed to get a glimpse of two small orange-tan figures slinking around the area of conflict, which the blond correctly identified as [Swift Foxes].

Apparently, he needed only fight the dogs, and the foxes would soon follow. They were probably waiting for the bison to be done with him to approach. The great mammal was herbivorous, which meant that after possibly defeating him, it would leave his body to the foxes.

'This is gonna be tricky. Those foxes are way too fast and I cannot really get a lock on them at the speed at which they move and I really need to take them out as well as the bison if I want to complete the quest.'

While he was busy hatching a plan, the gigantic bison had righted itself and was getting ready to charge once more.

Thanks to his sensing ability alerting him, Naruto evaded getting skewered by the lone horn on the right side of the beast's head.

'Observe'

[Yansi, the Single-Horned Bison] Lv.7

Hp: 300

Cp: 100

STR: 40

VIT: 30

DEX: 30

AGI: 25

INT: 7

WIS: 5

LUK: 8

Description:

This gigantic bison has lived a long life as the master of these plains and is, therefore, weaker than when he was at his peak, as can be observed form his many battle scars and his missing horn. Do not be fooled though, as his massive weight hasn't slowed him down any and his strength is second to none.

Perks/Special Perks/Flaws:

[Tempered Muscles] (Passive):

Many battles have been weathered by this animal, and its strength has been acknowledged as the greatest in the habitat.

-30% Blunt Damage, -15% Bladed Damage

+10 STR

[Master of the Plains]

As the strongest in the Zone, this creature is regarded with respect and wariness by all the inhabitants of its domain.

Control of the other animals of the Plains

+10 DEX when in [Northern Grassland]

'Holy crap he is a monster! I need to avoid getting actually hit or I'm done with!'

Naruto swore quite colourfully at the new information he received before steeling himself. He wouldn't win through whining, that was sure.

The blond jumped away from the great beast and quickly moved towards where he had placed the majority of his traps. He couldn't hope to win head to head, that was certain, and having the advantage of his snares would go a long way in saving his hide.

First, though, Naruto needed to take out the two [Swift Foxes] otherwise those two would indubitably run interference with his fight with Yansi the bison.

"Come oooon you stupid fatty! You old cow! Come and get me!" Taunted Naruto, running through the hand-signs for the [Kawarimi no Jutsu] once more. Truly, this just was totally underrated in his opinion!

Once Naruto had herded the bison and his two still hidden helper in a more favourable area, he started peppering them with weapons, mostly just to enrage them and make them sloppier.

The bison charged again, extremely irritated by the small cuts that covered him. Naruto made use of his greater AGI thanks to the level up and evaded his efforts, sending the beast into a tangle of razor sharp ninja wire than cut into its flesh.

He didn't have the time to celebrate though, as the two [Swift Foxes] took Yansi's bellow of pain as a signal to start running interference.

While Naruto could see them coming, his opponent's speed was just greater than his own, which meant that though he managed to evade grave injuries, he too was covered in scratches.

Naruto somersaulted over the bison, ramming a kunai into its spine, but the beast kept trashing as if nothing had happened, and was slowly breaking the sharp strings even if doing so was hurting it at the same time.

Understanding that he had only a minute or so to free himself of the foxes, Naruto turned his whole attention to eliminating them.

He was running short on weapons though, and so the blond sprinted towards another trap, luring the two beasts into a sense of false security, making them believe that he was frightened and fleeing.

The second the two animals jumped into the tall grass, Naruto made the trap spring, making a mess of the more careless one and hurting the other one's leg.

Now that he was one on one, the boy allowed the fox to reach him, knowing that it still was faster than him and trying to flee would be meaningless and engaged it in a furious bout filled with slashing and tearing.

Just as he was sure the creature was slowing down through tiredness, Naruto had to substitute himself with a nearby dried log, which exploded in splinters upon being hit by the bison's charge.

The blond once again began his routine of peppering the two animals with weapons and even rocks when he was running low, but this time Yansi raised his front legs and slammed them to the ground, creating a wall of earth in front of him that took all the hits for them.

Naruto sweated colourfully, especially when the Bison jumped over the wall of dirt, fox slinking around it, and gained a bluish aura signifying a great chakra expenditure which allowed him to charge much faster and finally managed to graze Naruto's side.

-200 HP

'Crap crap crap! I need to finish this now! This thing has almost as much vitality as I do, and I had to fight all those beasts before too!'

Naruto then decided to take a page out of the bison's book and reached inside himself for the large well of chakra that runs through his body and channelled as much of it as possible in his arms and legs.

The boy felt initially as if he was stretching a muscle too much but he stubbornly kept going - after all, if an animal could do it, he could too! - before the sensation faded and was replaced with an empowering one.

Naruto felt as if his whole body was filled to the brim with adrenaline, and shot at the Bison with much greater strength than before.

From there, the fight went much more smoothly. His hits dealt much more damage, and the [Swift Fox] seemed almost sluggish now.

Just as he started to feel his juice running out, Naruto finished his opponents, breaking the fox's skull with an axe kick and killing the bison by jumping on it and, after a small rodeo-like bout, by ramming his kunai with great strength in the wound he had made previously and breaking its spine.

Ending the flow of chakra to his limbs, Naruto collapsed in a heap, an arm slung over his eyes and his chest falling and raising rapidly.

Almost ten full minutes later, the blond picked himself up, berated himself for not checking if there were other enemies before lowering his guard and, once made sure that he was truly alone, Naruto went on to read the notifications he had gotten after the fight and then to pick up his hard earned loot.

The skill [Shurikenjutsu] has been levelled up through continuous use!

The skill [Beginner Ha no Nagare] has been levelled up two times through continuous use!

A skill has been created through a special action:

[Trapping] (Passive) [Lv. 20, 15% EXP]

The (ig)noble art of Trapping is the culmination of cunning and strategy. This skill represents the user's ability to capture, ensnare and fool animals or other people.

Passively increases Traps effectiveness by 20%

A skill has been created through a special action:

[Chakra Enhancement] (Active) [Lv.2, 12% EXP] (300 Cp/min)

[Chakra Enhancement] is the skill that represents the ability to flood the muscles and bones with undiluted chakra and enhance its performance to its limits for a short amount of time.

Actively increases all physical stats by 300%

Time limit: 1 min

Between the two [Swift Foxes] and [Yansi, the Single-Horned Bison] he obtained 2000 Ryo, two Uncommon Quality Fox Furs, a great slab of bison meat which Naruto immediately put into the [Inventory] - after extensive experimenting he had discovered that things put into the inventory spoiled in double the time that was normal in the outside world, which meant that it had some Space-Time connotations. Naruto even suspected that the higher his level, the slower the time inside his [Inventory] would pass - a scroll and a smallish wooden chest.

Naruto unrolled the scroll.

[You have found the [Doton: Earth Shore Return]'s scroll. Would you like to learn this?]

'Heck yes!' Grinned Naruto, giddy at the thought of finally having a Jutsu to use. He already knew that it was the technique Yansi had used to protect himself from his weapon barrage, and while not the coolest, it was without a doubt better than nothing.

[Doton: Earth Shore Return] (Active) [Lv.1, 0% EXP] (100 CP/min)

C-RANK.

After striking the ground with his hands, the user creates a large wall of earth in front of him. The defence is not perfect though since a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall. Also, since this technique only guards against frontal attacks, the enemy can easily attack from the side or even from above.

Can sustain 10 damage

Distance from the user: 1m

'Wooo, It's C-rank! Ha, by the time I'll have it trained properly Sasuke's Grand Fireball will amount to nothing!'

A skill has been created through a special action!

[Natural Secondary Doton Affinity] (Passive) [Lv.1, 0% EXP]

Doton is one of the basic elemental nature transformation techniques and allows the user to manipulate the surrounding earth for offensive and defensive purposes or create it; be it dirt, mud, or rock.
Earth Release techniques have the ability to change the strength and composition of the earth from being as hard as metal to as soft as clay, as well as manipulating their density, making them heavier or lighter.

Earth is strong against water because earth naturally contains water or absorbs water to the point when it becomes muddy then dries up but weak against lightning because it can easily travel through and break the ground apart.

-Passively decreases the chakra cost of Doton techniques by 2%

-Passively increases the effectiveness of Doton techniques by 2%

'Heeeell yeah. This beauty is going to save me so much trouble! Still, it says Secondary natural affinity, which means I have a Primary one as well! I'll have to research how to find and train them. I know already that this is something really important!' Naruto cheered wildly, before turning to the last remaining object of his loot.

As he directed his gave towards the wooden chest, it opened up, showing its contents for him to see.

[Lesser Cp Regeneration Potion] x5 - Uncommon Quality

A lesser rank recovery potion made from the herbs found in this dungeon. Usually made by high-level Herbalists. Instantly recovers 200 Cp.

You have obtained 2000 Ryo

[Fūinjutsu basic kit] - Uncommon Quality

One of the most important pieces of equipment in a shinobi's arsenal, even if neglected by most. This kit contains a number of scrolls, brushes and inkwells for Fūinjutsu practice or to make lower level seals.

x20 Scrolls

x 5 Brushes

x 40 Inkwells

"Hell yeah! I wanted to buy one to start using that stat booster I have in Fūinjutsu, but these things cost a fortune! I'm super lucky to have found one!" exclaimed Naruto, overjoyed at his good fortune.

After he put everything in his [Inventory], a new window popped up, and the blond read it with a wide smile, already knowing its contents.

[Quest Completed]

You have entered the dungeon [Northern Grassland].

In the spirit of true grinding, accomplish the following objectives.

Objective I: Defeat at least x10 [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], x5 [Wild Plovers] and x2 [Mad Wild Dogs];
Objective I Reward: +2000 EXP, 500 Ryo

Objective II: Defeat at least x20 [Berserk Black-footed Ferret], x10 [Wild Plovers], x4 [Mad Wild Dogs] and x2 [Swift Fox];
Objective II Reward: +3000 EXP, 1000 Ryo

Objective III: Defeat the dungeon Boss;
Objective III Reward: +4000 EXP, Sealing Scroll Recipe (Enclosing Technique)

[You have found the [Sealing Scroll Recipe]. Do you want to learn this?]

[Sealing Scroll Fūin] (Active) [Lv.1, 0% EXP]

Using this technique, a wide variety of objects and even living things can be stored within scrolls and can be released when the scroll is opened or meets a specific condition.

"Yes! Ha! I'll be Hokage in no time at all 'ttebayo!" Screamed the blond to the sky.

Once he had finished his happy dance, Naruto charged off to the exit.

ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES

That night, Naruto felt completely knackered. Even if his inquiries had already healed up, his muscles were sore and achy and he just wanted to go to sleep, but before calling it a night, the blond intoned 'Status!'

Name: Uzumaki Naruto Age: 11

Class: The Gamer

Level: 7 Next Level 11.456/21,000 EXP

Title: Academy Student (+25% EXP up to Lv. 15)

HP: 1010

CP: 1110

CPC: 26%

STR: 14

VIT: 31

DEX: 31

AGI: 26

INT: 27

WIS: 13

LUK:?

Attribute Points: 30

Money: 18.600 Ryo (1,860$)

Uzumaki Naruto is an aspiring shinobi, currently enrolled at the Konoha Shinobi Academy (KSA). His background is shrouded in mystery. Him being a ? and his pranks have gotten him in trouble many times over the years. Naruto is a very determined young man, striving to prove himself both as a ninja and as a person by becoming Hokage. His path is full of possibilities. At the moment, he is the Dead last of his class.

With a satisfied smile, Naruto went to sleep.

ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES - ELEMENTAL GAMES

Huff, puff.

I've done it again! I've kept my word, yay.

So, this chapter was much more action-filled, so I hope you guys liked it. It is alway hard to write fight scenes correctly, but I think I've done a good job.

From here on, the actual adventure starts, so stay tuned for much more excitement guys!

As always, thank you to all the Favorites, Follows and Reviews.

See ya next time,

J.