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Accidental Gamer Hero by Knowing Autumn
 Anime » Naruto Rated: M, English, Fantasy, Hinata H., OC, Words: 161k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Dec 5, 2020 Updated: 1h ago1,187Chapter 11: Genin Teams
A/N: I received some feedback regarding the dialogue between Hiruzen and Shinji, but it wasn't clear exactly which part you didn't like. Was it the actual dialogue itself, as in the words exchanged between them, or just the way it was written?
There were also some who mentioned they didn't really like the chapter breakdowns, but more commented that they liked it, and so do I, so that's staying. If you don't like reading it, then I can only suggest that you skip the breakdowns, although I do recommend it as you might find some insight and explanation into some of the character motivations. Because I'm mostly writing from Shinji's POV, you don't get much info on exactly what is going through the minds of the other characters. The breakdown lets me convey that info without clunky descriptions in the chapter itself.
P.S. just reached 100k views, let's goooooo
The sickle of my kusari-gama, Jinchu-Maru, whizzed through the air, before the blade buried itself in the skull of a zombie. With minimal effort, I ripped it out of its embedded place and retrieved it by pulling on tis chain, barely holding down the bile threatening to be regurgitated up my throat.
Said zombie wavered slightly before falling on to its knee and collapsing into black smoke, leaving behind a glowing white orb. I grimaced at the sight before reluctantly approaching the loot orb to collect my rewards.
The rank E dungeon might just be the most difficult thing I have ever encountered…
*flashback*
I entered the rank E dungeon same as before, through the panel of options that appeared before me as I approached the Uchiha Clan compound. As expected, the rank F dungeon which I had previously cleared was no longer an option, having a line struck through it and the word 'CLEARED' superimposed on it. The rest of the dungeons, however, held no such restrictions.
Upon selecting the rank E dungeon, just like before, the world around me shattered into pieces before being replaced by a different one. Once again, day turned into night in an instant while my immediate surroundings, previously empty, now contained motionless bodies of what I assumed to be zombies.
You have entered the [Uchiha Natural Dungeon] rank E dungeon!
Clear Condition: Eliminate the Boss.
Grinning, I retrieved Jinchu-Maru from my inventory. For the purposes of mass slaughter in a dungeon, the chain-sickle was an excellent instrument of precise yet widespread lethality. The weighted end given enough inertia could crush skulls and shatter bones with ease, while the sickle reaped lives as easily as it would for wheat. Not to mention the chain connecting both ends that allowed for medium to long range combat, letting me kill from a distance without worry for my own safety.
Just as I started swinging the weighted end of my chain sickle while activating my Sharingan, the enhanced visual acuity provided by my kekkei genkai showed me something horrible.
If the theme of the previous rank E dungeon was civilians, then the theme for this one was… academy students and freshly graduated genin.
*flashback end*
For the past three hours, I was functionally forced to slaughter zombie children. It was difficult, not to mention mentally scarring, to say the least. I could only give a bitter laugh at the cruel joke the system was playing on me.
It got easier as time went on, since I already had the unfortunate experience of killing zombie children in the last dungeon which also contained some but few and far between. The rank E dungeon, however, was all zombie children. Without a single adult zombie in sight.
I was sure that without the mental clarity provided by Gamer's Mind, I might have already descended into deeper insanity than Mizuki did last night. The mental toll of having to look those children in their cold dead eyes before killing them was indescribable. I was able to perform some mental gymnastics, justifying my actions and rationalizing that these children were not real; it was impossible for there to be this many Uchiha academy students or genins.
I had already gone through well over a hundred of them, and it seemed implausible for there to be this many children in a clan with hardly over a couple thousand members in their clan. At least, that was how I was able to rationalize it to myself for killing them. Regardless, it was still sickening to do so.
Once again, I could only laugh bitterly at the system for tasking me with such an inhumane and seemingly sadistic venture.
The EXP was good though, as were the loot drops. I already levelled up once since I came in to the dungeon, which was an insane speed considering I took usually Uncommon items dropped less frequently than it did before, which made sense considering that the previous dungeon was under a double EXP and loot buff because of a first time dungeon bonus.
Each zombie killed gave an average 150 EXP, which seemed adequate considering the zombies ranged from level 10 to 20 and dropped roughly 300 ryo each depending on their level and on occasion some miscellaneous loot. Uncommon loot, which were items that had a special effect, dropped few and far between.
So far I had managed to accumulate four of them:
[Minor Dexterity Elixir – Grade: Uncommon]
A low quality concoction that is poorly made.
When consumed, permanent +2 to DEX.
[Plastic Vampire Fangs – Grade: Uncommon]
A set of vampire teeth made of plastic meant for cosplay purposes.
Durability: 10/10
+10% Lifesteal
[Rogue's Pants – Grade: Uncommon]
A black pair of pants that is commonly worn by shady individuals.
Durability: 30/30
Stealth +1 LVL
Item set effects:
(3/5): Footsteps are soundless
(5/5): Becomes invisible in the shadows
[Demolishing Sledgehammer – Grade: Uncommon]
A sledgehammer generally used for construction and demolition purposes.
Durability: 150/150
+50% damage to structures and creatures made of inorganic material.
They weren't totally useless, even the sledgehammer I could foresee having some usefulness somewhere down the line in the future. The only one I was cautious about were the vampire fangs. It was something I would only equip in the dungeon, and even then I was wary anyone would see it. Bluntly speaking, it looked utterly ridiculous. While its effects were admittedly incredible, giving me the ability to recover HP whenever I dealt damage, it was not something I would be caught dead wearing.
The Rogue's pants I gladly equipped, however. Now that I had three of the Rogue series items in my possession, I would be able to activate the first of its set item effects which turned my footsteps soundless. However, since I was already wearing another pair of footwear that was simply better for combat, the Rogue's sandals that would've been the third of my equipped Rogue series items were left in my inventory.
Thus far, I was only half way through the Rank E dungeon which had a similar layout as before. I could only assume that the Boss was going to be located in the same area as before – the Uchiha Clan cemetery.
.
.
.
I spied the cloaked figure standing motionlessly in the centre of the cemetery from the edge of the graveyard perimeter. Under the effect of my Sharingan, despite the darkness, I could see as my foe as clear as day.
The features of the figure, who I assumed to be the Boss of the dungeon, was hidden under a long and heavy cloak that covered it from head to toe, thus I could not make out any details that would be helpful in a fight. The only thing that stood out prominently was the giant scythe it held loosely with one hand.
Ignoring a stray thought that wondered why the Bosses in this dungeon absolutely adored giant weapons, I started planning my approach.
A sneak attack was, as proven last night, an extremely effective method of dealing with an opponent stronger than me. The problem was that the Boss was in a clearing devoid of any foliage or tall trees that would grant me a location to hide and attack from. Considering my options, I decided on a course of action.
Skirting around the perimeter of the graveyard, all the while reducing my presence to prevent detection, I moved all the way to the opposite end of the cemetery. The plan was to sneakily move to its blindspot and subsequently stealth up to it and deliver a crippling strike as I did on Mizuki. I was under no delusions that I could end the battle in one strike, thus I intended to cut off a limb or something similar in order to severely diminish its fighting capabilities.
Once I was in position at the other end of the cemetery, I cast [Observe] as I got within range.
Rank E Dungeon Boss: Lesser Shinigami Lv25
HP: 13,000/13,000
CP: 5,000/5,000
An intern Shinigami who had come to reap the souls of the massacred Uchiha clan. After doing his duty, the intern decided to stick around the mortal realm. He enjoys the peace and quiet of the cemetery.
He has no opinion of you.
Seemed doable, I concluded. It was a weirdly detailed backstory for the boss of a dungeon, but I didn't give it too much thought. I still couldn't be sure of its abilities, but based on its level, I was 50% sure I could take it. But constant vigilance was paramount, so regardless of my preconceived notions, I had to remain cautious.
As I slowly snuck up on the Boss, I removed Kotetsu no Ryuu from my inventory. I only had one shot at a sneak attack, so I could not afford to be careless.
Once I was just 5 metres from the reaper, in an instant, I activated all of my buffs. [Chakra Enhancement] to strengthen my muscles, [Chakra Flow] to sharpen my sword, [Power Strike] to increase the damage I was about to deal and finally [Whirlwind Steps] to double my movement speed. Following which, I immediately used [Flash Step] to instantly get within range and swung my katana diagonally downwards with deadly intent. In that singular moment, my speed was boosted all the way up to near high chuunin levels.
The razor sharp edge of Kotetsu no Ryuu sped through the air and went right through the target. I widened my eyes as it did, however, as I felt zero resistance to my slash. Alarm bells screamed in my mind and it was pure instinct that prompted me to duck down in fright. The sound and wind of something cutting through where my head would have been had I not moved tore through the air.
I flashed away and looked back at where I had been standing just moments ago. Not one, not two but three cloaked figures of the Boss surrounded where I stood last. I strained my Sharingan, desperately trying to see through this illusion, but to no avail. Whatever it was, even with my eyes' ability to see chakra, seemed perfectly real to me.
"The rat finally shows its tail." The middle one spoke with a raspy, gravelly voice; its cloak still concealing its face as well as all other features.
"Pity it scurried off so quickly." The one of the left added.
"No matter, it's soul will be ours soon enough." The last Shinigami remarked.
What in the world was going on!? Even [Observe] revealed nothing. All it showed was three identical bosses with identical levels, names, and descriptions. Had they been clones, there would have been signs of chakra making up its form, and thus be seen through with my Sharingan. Similarly, if it were an illusion I was under, my eyes would have pierced through its falsehood all the same. However, there was nothing that indicated to me that there weren't three bosses directly in front of me.
My fingers tightened the grip I had on my sword, as I tensed my body. Apprehension was slowly creeping in. I was cautious, I was prepared, I was not at all careless, and yet…! Something this ridiculous was happening in front of my eyes, my vaunted legendary eyes, and despite all that I was still clueless as to what exactly was going on.
The three figures seemed content just watching and waiting for me to make a move. However, I didn't have that luxury. What I did have was a time limit that was unceasingly ticking down, roughly 14 hours to go before I would be booted out of the dungeon should I not have cleared it by then.
My hand swung forward, and a flurry of shuriken flew towards my opponents. It was an experimental move, a testing of the waters so to speak. The two cloaked figures easily moved to the side, avoiding the shuriken while the one in the middle brandished its giant scythe and in one smooth, wide motion, battered away the throwing weapons.
The other two bosses didn't stop at just evading the shuriken, they continued moving towards me. Their movements were fluid, as they seemingly glided towards me. The cloaks were hiding their feet, so for all I knew, they were actually gliding rather than running with feet.
They cocked back their scythe, and from opposing sides, swung them at me hoping to bisect me with a single swing of their weapon.
Not that I would ever let that happen of course, as I turned to one of them and sought to close the distance before evading its attack and landing one of my own. The problem with using such a large and unwieldy weapon was that its attacks were easy to read, even without a pair of Sharingan eyes. Not to mention they were slow and clunky to use in real combat unless they were extremely skilled. Though the scythes looked threatening, their users didn't seem like accomplished experts at their handling of the giant weaponry. Rather, it was almost like they were recklessly swinging them with no prior experiences of actually engaging in combat.
I cleanly avoided the large blade and stepped into its guard to deliver a deadly slash across its neck. Yet, once again, I felt no resistance to my strike, and I fell through the figure as though it was merely an illusion. My face scrunched up in confusion and dejection.
The first thought that came to my mind upon recovering from the failed attack was Kamui. Specifically, Obito's Kamui that granted him the distinct ability of intangibility which allowed objects to pass through his body unharmed. And for a moment, I despaired at the insane difficulty of the dungeon Boss. How could it reasonably put me against someone who could utilize Kamui, arguably the most versatile and useful of the Mangekyo abilities, and call it a fair challenge?
However, a sudden realization wiped that thought from my mind. The moment I avoided the swing of its scythe, something felt off. The attack had no weight to it. There was no sound of a blade cutting through air, even as I narrowly dodged it and the scythe passed inches from my ear. It didn't make sense for the Shinigami to activate its Kamui as it was attacking, because what was the point of the attack if it intended to phase right through its target.
Furthermore, with my [Heightened Senses] perk that I received upon achieving 100 DEX, which sharpened my five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, I had some confidence that I wasn't wrong.
I was starting to conceive the nascent form of an embryo of a theory. However, at this stage I still lacked too much information to make a definitive conclusion. I had to test it out.
Eyeing the large scythe that had returned for another swing, I leaned back to avoid it. But just enough so that it would still leave a scratch when it swung across my arm which I moved out to block and test out my theory.
And just like I predicted, the scythe passed through my arm harmlessly. I didn't receive any loss in HP, nor did I feel any painful sensation on my forearm. Very interesting.
Here were the facts that I knew:
1) My attacks phased through them twice.
2) The first time they tried to attack me, I could feel the weight behind it and hear the sound of the blade parting air – meaning that was real.
3) However, the one that just hit me phased right through me.
4) There were three figures of the Bosses, yet I could see no chakra being used to create illusionary clones nor do I feel like I have been trapped in a genjutsu.
5) When I threw out experimental shuriken to test their abilities, two of the cloaked figures avoided them while the last had to physically deflect.
With these observations, there could only be a few possibilities:
1) I am stuck in a genjutsu so advanced that I couldn't see through it even with the Sharingan.
2) They could use the ability of intangibility like Kamui but very poorly.
3) Or the most likely scenario – the boss had a skill that produced intangible clones that did not use chakra. Which also meant that only one out of the three could physically harm me while the others were just phantoms used for distraction.
As I reached this conclusion, the second of the cloaked Boss reached my back and swung its scythe down vertically. This time, I confidently let it's blade slice into me.
Again, the blade of the scythe pass through my body harmlessly, as I expected because even with my [Heightened Senses], I could sense no real weight behind the attack. There was no sound of air being parted nor any rustling of its cloak.
I turned to look at the last remaining Lesser Shinigami, letting out a knowing grin, "Checkmate."
Once I figured out its trick, the rest of the fight became simple. Since I knew the two of the three beings were just chakra-less illusions and thus posed no threat to me, I could focus my attention on the last remaining tangible boss.
And despite its high level, the boss was a veritable amateur when it came to wielding its scythe in combat. The large, clunky weapon was laughably easy to see through even without a Sharingan. Its speed, while fast, could not compare to my own when I went all out. All it had was a basic attack pattern consisting of large swings of the giant scythe. I easily slipped through those and landed deadly lacerations through its heavy cloak.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Lesser Shinigami with its cloak torn up and shredded apart with my blade, collapsed to its knee. Even with the cloak being ripped apart, the inside revealed nothing but darkness and shadow. Even now, I could not see through the openings to make out its face nor any part of its body.
Regardless, with a final swing of Kotetsu no Ryuu, I landed the decisive blow that turned the Boss into a plume of dark smoke.
+1850 EXP
It left behind a glowing blue loot orb which I grasped immediately.
Loot Gained:
+16780 ryo
Skill: Basic Scythe Mastery
Cloak of Veiled Shadow – Rare
Eye of the Dead – Rare
Congratulations! Skill: Basic Scythe Mastery has been synthesized by Skill: Myriad Armament Fiend, evolving into Intermediate Scythe Mastery!
You have eliminated the Boss!
Rank E Dungeon cleared!
You may now exit the dungeon!
Saying "Exit Dungeon" will allow you to leave.
Otherwise, you will automatically be removed in 60 minutes.
[Cloak of Veiled Shadow – Grade: Rare]
Durability: 50/50
Item skill: [Veiled Shadow] (Passive)
When equipped, the cloak hides the user's face and body in darkness even when shone in the light. Not even chakra sight nor any other abilities can see through the cloak's obscurity.
[Eye of the Dead – Grade: Rare]
Durability 10/10
Item skill: [Eye of the Dead] (Active)
A necklace that allows the user see the lingering souls of the recently deceased once a month. Spirits can only be seen an hour after the person has died. However, user can only see them. Interacting with them requires the use of another skill. Durability reduces by 1 every time it is used. Unrepairable.
I cringed slightly at the cloak which seemed to have been named by a teenage edgelord, although its effects were undeniable. A robe that shrouded the wearer's face and could not be seen through with any chakra sight like the Sharingan or Byakuugan was immensely valuable if I was ever involved in any espionage-like activities.
However, the other two rewards were less than substantial in my opinion. Although it was a pleasant surprise that [Basic Scythe Mastery] evolved into [Intermediate Scythe Mastery], what was the point if I had no scythe to use it with? Even then, I wouldn't be using a cumbersome weapon like a scythe in the first place. Unless the skill applied to the sickle part of my kusari-gama, it was simply unnecessary.
Next, the skill [Eye of the Dead] sounded pretty cool, but upon reviewing the skill description, it was next to useless. What was the point of being able to see the spirit of the dead without the ability to interact with them? All it could do was perhaps confirming the death of an individual by evidence of its soul, and even then it needed the skill to be used within an hour of that person dying. Furthermore, I could only use it ten times at most before it broke.
The EXP and ryo rewarded was also slightly disappointing, only barely more than the previous boss in the last dungeon. Which I guessed made sense since the last dungeon had a double EXP and loot buff, but still it was just dissatisfying. Granted, the fight wasn't all that difficult after I figured out the trick of the Boss, I at least wanted an item or skill with the ability to create clones that could not be seen through with chakra sight like the ones the Boss made.
I took a moment to examine myself, satisfied that I didn't receive even a single injury from the Boss fight. Neither did I expend too much chakra during the fight, which would be advantageous for the next fight with the Hidden Boss. Speaking of…
I looked around the cemetery, hoping to find another clue to discover the Hidden Boss. Previously, the Hidden Boss fight was triggered when I unearthed the box containing the Dullahan's head. However, this time there were no blade-shaped tombstone that demarcated such a clue. Which meant my search for the Hidden Boss was going to be more difficult. And with the time limit of 60 minutes hanging over my head, I had to hurry.
Systematically searching through the cemetery, I tried to find any discrepancies that stood out with little luck. All in all, the cemetery looked completely normal and unassuming for a graveyard that housed Bosses and Hidden Bosses in a dungeon.
I was starting to panic until I noticed a patch of vines covering a part of a wall with something reflective behind it. Smiling, I went over and parted the vines to find a full length mirror that had been hiding behind them.
I excitedly started to slice off the vines covering the mirror with a kunai, and soon the mirror was revealed. I examined it quizzically, trying to find some sort of a mechanism or something that would trigger the Hidden Boss fight. However, little did I know that it was unnecessary.
Congratulations! You have discovered the Hidden Boss!
Warning: You cannot leave the dungeon until after the Hidden Boss has been eliminated!
Just as I was looking over the message in surprise, I felt a sharp pain from my abdomen.
-735 HP
Startled, I looked down only to find a kunai buried deep in my gut, and the hand that held the handle of the kunai came out of the mirror! I glanced back up to see my reflection grinning madly back at me.
Gritting my teeth, I jumped back and felt the kunai dislodge from my torso. Now that I had a full view of the mirror, I could see my reflection had remained in place and it even began stepping out of the mirror into the graveyard.
Ah, I realized, the traditional fight scene with an evil clone/doppelganger/mirrored version of oneself. How banal.
Rank E Dungeon Hidden Boss: Shinji Ikari (Doppelganger) Lv23
HP: 6765
CP: 6765
The doppelganger had my name, my face and it also had the same level and HP/CP as me. I could probably also assume that it had all the same stats and skills that I did. This… this was going to be a tough fight.
The doppelganger's Sharingan flared to life as it got into the [Shinkyoken] fighting stance while holding on to the kunai that still dripped with my blood with the other hand. Thankfully, it seemed, the Hidden Boss had no access to my inventory, and thus it could not retrieve Kotetsu no Ryuu nor Jinchu-Maru which I had stored in there. The only equipment it had available was the kunai in its hand and the possibly the other ninja tools I kept in a pouch strapped to my, or rather, his thigh.
I returned the mad grin while removing Kotetsu no Ryuu from my inventory. With the stat boost the weapon gave me, my DEX and STR would exceed his. Which was good since I would need every advantage I could get in order to defeat the doppelganger that equalled me in nearly every respect.
The evil clone frowned slightly at the sight of me equipping my katana, before my Sharingan eyes caught it using [Chakra Enhancement] to reinforce its bodily strength, the layer of chakra coated its outstretched and steel like fingers threateningly. I had no choice but to do the same, but I added on [Chakra Flow] to my katana as well, a luxury he didn't bother mirroring as it held no weapon made of chakra metal.
For a moment, all we did was watch each other, trying to find a weakness in our stance. But I knew that to be a futile gesture – there was no point in trying to find a flaw since I made sure there was no such weakness, which meant neither did the doppelganger. However, I was grateful nonetheless for the lull in battle as it allowed my HP to slowly regenerate from the sneak attack it delivered in the beginning.
While I was tempted to use medical ninjutsu to heal myself up, I didn't want to open myself up for an attack with the superfluous distraction.
It seemed that the clone reached the same conclusion as me, as it refused to allow a single additional second for me to regenerate my HP by charging forward. Its movement was quicker than my own, thus I assumed it had activated [Whirlwind Steps].
I tightened my grip on Kotetsu no Ryuu, bracing myself for my opponent to use [Flash Step] at any moment. In a fight between two forces of equal strength, being on the defensive and patiently waiting for an opportunity to counterattack would edge the advantage towards my side.
And just as I predicted, half way before the doppelganger reached me, it vanished in a burst of speed, but it wasn't something my Sharingan eyes could not catch up with.
My katana swiped at where I knew the clone would reappear, only for it to disappear once more in another consecutive usage of [Flash Step]. I cursed. This time, my body could not react fast enough and turn on the attack, a spearhand utilizing [Shinkyoken] sharpened with chakra, that was coming at my back. However, I too could use [Flash Step]. Which I did, avoiding the second slash and reappearing behind the enemy.
I thrust my sword at the doppelganger's back, intent on severing its spinal cord in one swift strike but was treated to an unexpected parrying of my blade by the Hidden Boss' kunai. I immediately realized that the doppelganger had already predicted I was going to avoid its second attack with a [Flash Step] of my own and was thus ready to deflect my katana. With its other hand, it chopped towards my neck, the layer of chakra flared furiously around its hand.
Without a doubt, that knifehand, if it landed, had the potential to slice through my jugular or worse. But that was only if it landed of course. Though both of my hands were busy gripping the handle of my sword, I still had the time to shift an elbow forward to intercept its knifehand.
Flesh met flesh as my elbow impacted its knifehand, both appendages reinforced with chakra.
-288 HP
Even with [Chakra Enhancement] augmenting the durability of my elbow, the [Shinkyoken] knifehand of the doppelganger still managed to injure it, landing a gash that opened up the thin layer of skin on my elbow. However, the doppelganger still lost in the exchange.
Not only were my stats higher, due to Kotetsu no Ryuu's item stat boost, an elbow was just inherently tougher and sharper than fingers. If the clone hadn't used [Shinkyoken] to toughen its fingers, my elbow might have shattered its hand. However, with it, I merely broke one of its fingers.
Regardless, a broken finger represented a drastic drop in combat potential in a struggle between two equal combatants. The doppelganger realized this as well, as it immediately retreated with another usage of [Flash Step]. Mentally, I was counting the number of times it used [Flash Step] consecutively.
When the skill was still at level 1, after just the fifth time it was used in a row without rest, I suffered from the excruciating [Ruptured Muscles] debuff. Now that I had raised the skill to level 8, as well as an increase in my VIT, [Flash Step] could be used up to 15 times in succession without penalty. I checked.
[Flash Step] represented not just a way to rapidly increase our movement speed to launch an attack, it could also be utilized to escape from an unfavourable position as demonstrated just a moment before. They could be thought of as precious, lifesaving tools that had to be utilized in moderation. So far, I had used one while the other used it three times, meaning I had two more of these 'extra lives' than my opponent.
Seeing the doppelganger retreat, I did not relent and chased after the Hidden Boss. While it was running away, I caught sight of the familiar green glow of medical ninjutsu it was casting on the broken index finger. That was something I could not allow.
Activating [Whirlwind Step] and [Flash Step] all at once, I immediately streaked across the remaining distance and reappeared next to the retreating doppelganger. However, and I could not stress this enough, the doppelganger seemed to be able to predict my every movement as the green glow of medical ninjutsu immediately halted the moment I vanished from its sight.
It already knew I would not give it the opportunity to continue healing itself and would endeavour to prevent it from doing so. Thus, the Healing Hands jutsu it had started using was just a bait to lure me into range. In truth, the doppelganger was ready for such an action, and its hands had already formed the last handseal for the jutsu it was about to use.
""Katon: Moerute no Jutsu! (Burning Hands)"" Both of us yelled out together, as thick sheet of flames erupted out of our outstretch palms, colliding in mid-air before dissipating and sending waves of hot air in the vicinity.
The moment I activated [Flash Step] my enhanced dynamic vision already caught sight of the doppelganger releasing the Healing Hands technique and going into the first handseal of Burning Hands. While I sped forward, I too was forming the exact same handseals at the exact same speed, thus allowing me to launch the fire jutsu at roughly the same time as the doppelganger.
Both of us were of one mind as we each threw ourselves through the lingering embers of our katon jutsu at each other. It swiped at me with [Shinkyoken], fingers out stretched into a claw, while I countered with a hardened fist of my own. My other arm, holding on to Kotetsu no Ryuu, made to stab the doppelganger through its heart.
When fist met claw, especially one with a broken finger, the result was no mystery. However, instead of going through with the attack, the doppelganger instead twisted its outstretch hand and instead gripped my wrist. With its other hand, it was able to deflect my blade my parrying it on its flat side.
The doppelganger pulled me at my wrist in an attempt to disrupt my balance and centre of gravity, before thrusting its other hand at my neck. Though I could see what the creature was trying to do with painful detail and clarity, there was little I could do in response with my other hand busy holding on to my katana.
Thus, I was forced to release my sword, the tight, close quarters combat rendering the weapon more a hindrance than a threat. With my now freed hand, I was able to stab four fingers into the doppelganger's side while rocketing my forehead at my enemy's out stretched fingers.
Our [Shinkyoken] skill was still only at level 2, barely enough to pierce through inch thick ply wood without chakra enhancement. On the other hand, a human's forehead is the hardest part of all our bones. With both appendages reinforced with chakra, there was no way fragile fingers could even make a dent to the forehead of a skull.
"GRAAAHHHH!"
I let out a battle cry as my forehead crashed into the outstretched fingers, and while the thin layer of skin on my forehead was ripped apart from the knife like fingers, the doppelganger's digits were brutally flattened against the unyielding barrier of bone.
-533 HP
Blood poured furiously out of my messed up forehead, immediately flowing down my face and leaving it drenched with the crimson fluid. However, all of the doppelganger's fingers on its left hand were shattered into broken pieces with the exception of a single thumb.
The Hidden Boss gave no audible expression of pain, even though I could see its expression trembling from the severe injuries it had received in the exchange. It made to let go of my wrist and retreat, given the four puncture wounds from its side as well as the shattered fingers, however I was no fool. This was the perfect opportunity to finish it and I would not relent.
While it released its grip on my wrist, my hand rushed forward to grasp its withdrawing arm while my other fingers viciously dug deeper into its side before finding a grip on something hard and solid within its torso.
With a cruel smile, I tightened that grip and pulled. There was resistance at first, as the blood from the doppelganger gushed out and drenched my hand, but with a sickening crack, I tore out its lowest rib bone from the grievous wound I left the creature.
The doppelganger folded in either pain or shock, at the brutal removal of one of its ribs. Raising the blood soaked arm, I slammed down on the back of its cranium with the sharp end of the rib bone. It stabbed deep in to the back of the doppelganger's head, buried halfway in. Seeing that it was not yet dead, I slammed a palm on the other end of the rib bone, sending it deeper into the doppelganger's skull.
Yet, despite the savagery of what I thought was to be my finishing blow, there was no explosion of black smoke nor any notification messages that indicated the fight was over. That was when I remembered the skill I had received upon defeating the Hidden Boss of the previous dungeon – [Undying Rage]. It was a skill that prevented HP from dropping below 1 for 5 seconds. Which meant there was still 5 seconds, an eternity in a fast paced fight between two shinobi, that the doppelganger could still act before falling.
I leapt backwards; hands held out in the ready. I just had to hold him off for another 4 seconds. The rib bone plunged into the back of its head was consistently dealing massive amounts of damage, so the moment the duration of the skill was up, fight would be over. Thus I had no need to take any unnecessary risks.
The doppelganger shakily stood up before vanishing and reappearing in front of me, its hands and feet launching into a flurry of blows. I could sense the desperation of a cornered animal, one that realized it was either do or die and would give no quarter. Every attack of the doppelganger was filled with deadly intent that disregarded its own safety.
There was no tactics, nor strategy involved in the exchange. No patience, traps, feints or counterattacks; it was an all out brawl over life and death.
Even as I stuck a thumb in the eye socket of my mirror image, crushing one of its Sharingan eyes, it seemingly had no effect on the relentless, frenzied assault. It even took that opportunity to lean forward and bite down on my shoulder.
-401 HP
I held back a scream as I noticed the other hand of his, a crumpled mess of broken bones and splintered flesh, flying forward. It was using the fractured, sharp ends of its finger bones as a makeshift weapon. With a decisive swing of a knifehand, I cut off its hand at the wrist before stabbing the same hand repeatedly and violently in and out of its chest, desperately trying to get its tightened jaw off my shoulder.
My final blow succeeded in the endeavour, which saw the doppelganger sink its teeth deeper and tearing out a sizable chunk of flesh and muscle from my shoulder.
-1113 HP
"FUCK!" I screamed as I felt the searing, excruciating pain that lingered for just that moment before fading away into a dull ache. The doppelganger was launched back before it gave a final stagger and an odd shudder.
The Hidden Boss gave a shrieking death wail before bursting into thick black smoke, signalling its demise. All of the doppelganger's blood that had previously drenched me vanished into thin wafts of black smoke as well, leaving me still covered in my own.
I let out a breath of relief, loosening the tension held so tightly in my body. That was a brutal fight, that unexpectedly leaned towards hand to hand combat more than I had thought it would. I brought up one hand to immediately start treating the bloody bite wound on my shoulder; it was the injury that needed the most attention right now.
However, as I began to heal it, I realized that it was in a better condition than I first expected. Then I remembered the Plastic Vampire Fangs in my mouth gave the ability of lifesteal, recovering HP and thus healing my own injuries whenever I did damage. Every time I stabbed my spearhand in and out of the doppelganger, I was recovering 10 percent of the damage that had been done. An extremely useful item that was unfortunately in the form of an equipment that I would never put on openly.
+3050 EXP
Congratulations you have eliminated the Hidden Boss!
+ 10 points
+20,000 EXP
You may select a reward from the list below!
Skill: Summon Doppelganger
Skill: War Cry
Item: EXP Elixir
You have levelled up!
You have levelled up!
Nice. The rewards for defeating the Hidden Boss were as generous as before. And without hesitation, I picked the skill [Summon Doppelganger]. If the skill was what I believed it to be, it was worth way more than a paltry EXP elixir and that indeterminate [War Cry] skull. EXP could be earned and I doubted that any skill would be more valuable than summoning the very same Doppelganger I had just fought.
[Summon Doppelganger] has been added to your skill page!
[Summon Doppelganger] (Active) LVL: 1
CP Cost: ½ of max CP
Once a week, you can summon a doppelganger that replicates the entirety of the user's stats and skills. However, certain skills cannot be reproduced. It is able to take damage equal to the user's HP, and it only lasts for an hour before vanishing.
Improved proficiency in the ability increases duration of the skill.
As expected, the skill was as broken as I thought it to be. Based on the skill description, I could now summon what was essentially a kage bunshin that did not pop in one hit. Instead, it was able to fight until it died, or until the time limit was up. Having just one of me was deadly enough, having two? The possibilities were endless. Although the fact that certain skills could not be reproduced was slightly concerning, it was still pretty fucking overpowered.
I was of course also fully aware that such an ability had to be used with caution. I had no wish to answer any questions regarding the origins of a jutsu that created a kage bunshin that could fight till death. It was too suspicious a technique to be used openly, and it was something I would reserve for a worst-case-scenario type situation.
Next up, was the glowing purple loot orb that had been drawing my attention the whole time. Grabbing it, the system notification appeared once more.
Loot gained:
+23996 ryo
Ancient Weapon Fragment (2/6) – Unique
Arcane Ring – Rare
Mask of Madness – Rare
[Arcane Ring – Grade: Rare]
Durability: 20/20
It is able to store up to 2000 CP. User can then activate it to gain the stored CP within at any time. Requires user to infuse chakra in to the ring to store CP.
[Mask of Madness – Grade: Rare]
Durability 60/60
+10% Physical Damage
+3 STR
+3 VIT
Item Skill: [Berserk] (Active)
CP Cost: -
Once a day increases attack speed and movement speed by 40% and grants 20% lifesteal, but user receives double damage and suffers a 40% penalty to all stats when duration is over. Lasts up to 10 minutes.
The Ancient Weapon Fragment was as expected, something that was worthless until all six was collected. However, the other two items looked to be immensely valuable. The versatility of the ring needn't be said, but the mask was just slightly disconcerting. It's effects were as effective as it was punishing. It was an angry red in colour, resembling an oni mask but even more demonic looking, made of a mixture of wood and metal.
It looked terrifying to behold, a mad creation of a frenzied craftsman. It was yet another article of clothing that I could not wear openly outside of these dungeons, at least not until I gained the independence associated with becoming a higher ranked shinobi.
And with that, my foray into the Rank E dungeon was over. My gains? 4 level ups, 10 stat points, one broken skill and an array of loot of both useful and useless varieties. All in all, a successful and rewarding dungeon run.
A week after the whole Scroll of Seals incident and incidentally six days since I cleared the rank E dungeon, it was finally time for the genin team announcement and formation. After the intense Hidden Boss fight that left a gaping hole on my shirt from where the doppelganger had sunk its teeth in, I had to replace them. I cleverly avoided wearing the Rogue's Hoodie during the boss fights, knowing that any further damage to the jacket might render it unusable.
I was now spotting, from the feet up, the Soldier's Swift Boots, the pair of black Rogue's Pants and a tight fitting long sleeved navy blue shirt paired with the Rogue's Hoodie. I had on two rings; the Uncommon Silver Ring and the Rare grade Arcane Ring. Other accessories included a pair of +3 DEX fingerless gloves, the Rare grade Soldier's Dog Tags, the 'cool' Earring and Elastic Hairtie which gave me +5 CHA each.
My hair which had been grown out was now styled in a loose manbun at the back of my head, tied together by the Elastic Hairtie. Sheathed diagonally across my back was the Uncommon grade Wakizashi. It was the first time I was openly carrying a weapon, albeit sheathed, into the Academy. But I figured that now that I was an official genin of Konohagakure, it was a suitable look.
The moment I stepped on to the Academy grounds, a system notification appeared.
Quest [Graduation] Completed!
Graduate and become an official genin of Konoha!
Pass the graduation exams (√)
(Bonus) Receive Rookie of the Year achievement (√)
(Hidden) Reach level 25 before graduation (√)
(Hidden) Help Naruto out of deadlast position (X)
Rewards:
+5000 EXP
New Title: [Konoha Genin]
(Bonus) New Title: [Rookie of the Year]
(Hidden) New Perk: [Monstrous Talent]
(Hidden) New Perk: [Jinchuuriki's Companion] (X)
Titles:
[Konoha Genin]: Increased REP gain with Hi no Kuni citizens. Decreased REP gain with everyone else.
[Rookie of the Year]: +10 to all stats
Perk:
[Monstrous Talent]: Receives 7 free stat points every level up instead of 5.
Finally! I was wondering when that quest was going to be completed. I had received it at the start of my last year in the Shinobi Academy and had become worried when it showed no signs of completion even after I graduated last week. But it seemed like it the system was just waiting for me to be assigned a genin team or something.
I had to hold back a whistle after reading through the new titles and perks I received. The +10 to all stats from the [Rookie of the Year] title was simple yet impressive. It was the equivalent of 8 level ups worth of stat points all at once. The Monstrous Talent perk seemed even more potent. With two additional free stat points whenever I levelled up, in another 21 levels which seemed so far away, it would surpass the stat boost from the previous title.
Soon, I made my way to the classroom, not before being greeted and congratulated by various people, other students and teachers alike, on the way there. These past 4 years I had meticulously crafted the persona of a popular yet affable star pupil. It took more effort than I had expected, being seen as the charming and amiable student that I designed myself to appear. But the effort had paid off and its results more than satisfactory.
Opening the sliding door, I was met with a cacophony of "Shinji-kun!" or "Yo, Shinji!" by my classmates, and I quickly found myself as the center of attention while being surrounded by them.
Adopting a warm smile and a general congeniality, I went to take a seat while responding to their questions and assorted statements. It truly was troublesome being this popular.
Some of the students, now newly minted genins, were pushed aside as I heard a familiar bark. I turned my head to a side and saw Kiba shoving his way through the crowd.
"Outta my way you punks!" He snapped, as the gathered genins parted way to let the aggressive Inuzuka through. "Oi Shinji!"
"Sup." I greeted.
"Hey, some scary lookin' ANBU came by to ask my sister some questions yesterday. It was about you learnin' medical jutsu or something. What's up with that?" Kiba asked, while I reached out to pet Akamaru, who was now familiar with my scent and presence.
They must have been checking up on my story about learning from Hana. The Hokage's agents sure are meticulous. Yet I didn't get why they would pay so much attention to little old me.
"Ah it's nothing. They were just wondering where I learned medical ninjutsu from." I answered, though I was formulating my response with some degree of caution. There was some stuff I wasn't allowed to reveal, the Scroll of Seals incident being one of them .
"They!? You mean the ANBU? Why the heck do they know or even care about you learnin' medical ninjutsu?" Kiba asked, baffled.
Before I could answer however, one of the other kids exclaimed, "Woah, ANBU? They must be trying to recruit Shinji-kun! Makes sense, he's a genius after all."
That prompted the rest to gasp in amazement and some whispers among themselves.
"Hey, hey, don't get carried away and go around spreading rumors." I said, trying to calm them down.
The very same kid had a face of realization, "Ah, ANBU recruitment is all done hush-hush on the down low. It must be a secret right, Shinji-kun?"
"That's not what I-"
"Ah don't be humble Shinji-kun! Wow, ANBU at age twelve huh? Don't forget us when you get famous!"
"Yeah, yeah! Don't worry Shinji, we'll keep your secret!"
"You guys, seriously, like I said-"
Before I could finish my sentence however, the sliding door opened once more and thankfully Naruto walked in spotting his brand new forehead protector before they could come up with even more ridiculous ideas. The blonde sauntered in with smiling brightly and proudly displaying the forehead protector.
Next to me, Kiba spotted Naruto walking in and mockingly spoke, " What are you doing here, Naruto? This isn't for dropouts. You can't be here unless you graduate, baka."
Naruto's good mood soured immediately before he defiantly pointed to his forehead protector, "Oh yeah? Do you see this? Do you see? Open your eyes dogbreath. It's an official Konoha forehead protector! I passed the graduation, dattebayo!"
"Heh, you can't fool me with a fake ass imitation forehead protector you deadlast!" Kiba chortled.
"This bastard, hey I'm not lying to you!" Naruto yelled back, before turning towards me, "Ask Shinji! He knows!"
Caught off guard at the sudden attention turned towards me, I turned to the rest and nodded, "He's telling the truth. He had a special graduation exam and he passed it. So Naruto's an official Konoha genin just like us."
Kiba and the rest looked taken aback by my declaration, but they didn't put up much of a fight, although the Inuzuka scion still looked slightly dissatisfied, "Heh, special graduation exam for Naruto? Yeah sounds about right, he needs all the help he can get after all."
Naruto beamed proudly, "That's right, I'm a special genin! …wait, was that an insult?"
Kiba laughed, "HAH! Yeah you're real special alright, real special."
The blonde's eyebrow twitched, "What's that supposed to mean!"
I rolled my eyes and gestured at the Inuzuka, "Lay off him Kiba, we're all here to graduate together."
Kiba shrugged, "Fine, fine. I'll let you off for Shinji's sake, Naruto-baka."
"Oh yeah? Well I'm letting you off for Shinji's sake, dogbreath!"
"Sure, whatever."
"Arf arf!"
"Don't turn your back on me bastard! You too, Akamaru!?"
Tired of the exchange, I interjected, "Calm down Naruto. Just sit down. We're going to get our genin teams soon, so just think about that."
Naruto folded his arms defiantly, "Hmph, fine. Ooh I hope I get in a team with Sakura-chan! Oh and you too, Shinji!"
I smiled in response, "You bet." Definitely not Sakura though. I was thankful the girl was not one of those who followed the trend and developed a crush on me instead of Sasuke like the others. I didn't particular dislike the girl, but she was definitely one who took her fangirling to another level. Sasuke had told me before that he once found her snooping around outside the Uchiha Clan compound before he chased her away. That sort of behavior was worrying, especially for me who had plenty of secrets that I would prefer to stay secret.
After some time, as more and more students started streaming in and taking their seats, Iruka finally entered the classroom, holding a clipboard with what I assumed to be a list of our names and team assignments. I was tempted to activate my Sharingan to catch just a glimpse of my team assignment, but ultimately rationality won over excitement. Besides, I already knew what team I was getting. If all went as it did, I should be on the same team as Hinata and Naruto.
"Settle down, class!" Iruka shouted and the fresh genins complied. Though we had all already graduated and became official genins, no longer students of his, there were still a degree of respect and esteem afforded to the man who had taught us for four years.
Iruka stood at the front of the class and looked upon his gathered genins with pride. "As of today, you are all official shinobi. To get here, you have faced difficult trials and hardship. And for that I commend you. But that is nothing compared to what you will face from today onwards. What comes next will be far more difficult. You are only genin, the lowest level of ninjas. Don't start getting a big head and thinking you're some big deal, got it!?"
"Hai Iruka-sensei!" We chorused.
Satisfied with our response, Iruka nodded. "All of you will be grouped into three man squads. Each squad led by a jounin, an elite shinobi."
Some of the less informed genins widened their eyes at the news, and I felt an instant piercing gaze on my back from several of them.
"Shinji-kun's team…"
"I will definitely…"
"Please Kami!"
I rolled my eyes at the mutterings of some fangirls behind me and caught Sasuke's glance. Heh, too bad Sasuke, you won't be able to get on my team. Our scores were just too high, there's no way they would put us together.
Iruka glared at the noisy class, "Quiet! I know some of you probably have people you want to be grouped with, but don't bother making a fuss. These team assignments are final, no matter how much you beg. I will now announce the squads."
I quickly tuned out the team formations, only perking up when I heard a familiar name.
"…and now Team Six. Haruno Sakura, Kawasaki Taro and Kaori. Your squad leader will be Tamaki Jun."
Oh, how unexpected. Sakura was in the same team as Kaori? Hm I guessed that made sense. Since Hinata stepped up to become top kunoichi, Sakura naturally got bumped down a notch. But that other guy, I had zero impression of him, nor their jounin sensei. Honestly, I wasn't that confident of their team's chances to pass the 'real' graduation test.
Without Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura would've had no chance in Kakashi's bell test. Kaori too wasn't exactly blessed with talent. Their team was sure to face some hardship.
"Team Seven…" Iruka began.
I straightened up in my seat. This was it, the start of everything.
"…Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru. Your squad leader is Hatake Kakashi."
Wait, what did he say? He made a mistake, right? He had to. This wasn't how this was supposed to go! Sasuke and Naruto on the same team? That's just terrible! In the anime, they were nearly on the same level with Naruto's Kage Bunshin technique massively making up for his lack of training and even up the odds. And thus they were able to build a shaky friendship, fierce rivalry and even an understanding between kindred spirits.
But this time round, Sasuke was just way too far ahead of the jinchuuriki. There was no way their clashing personalities would be able to coexist peacefully. If Naruto wanted to compete with the Uchiha, I had to be the one to train the kid, imparting to him the Kage Bunshin training method and let him catch up! But instead… AHHH THIS IS TERRIBLE! I MADE A MISTAKE! My future knowledge, how could you have failed me?
While I was experiencing an inner turmoil, Naruto had jumped up and pointed towards Sasuke, "Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same team as someone like Sasuke-teme!"
Iruka shook his head, "Sasuke had the second best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores. We put you two together to create a balanced group."
Sasuke lazily glanced at the blonde, "Just don't get in my way, dobe."
In response, Naruto clenched his fist and glared back, "Kgh, what did you say!? That's my line, teme!"
Sakura piped in from the other side of class, "Knock it off Naruto-baka! Sasuke-kun is ten times, no a hundred times better than you! Neh, Iruka-sensei, if Naruto doesn't want to be in the same team as Sasuke-kun, can I take his place?"
Iruka cleared his throat, "Didn't I say before? The team assignments are final. Keep quiet and sit down, Naruto!"
Shikamaru buried his head in to the desk, already anticipating the future troubles his team was going to have, "Hahhh, I should have just failed the graduation exam."
"Now, Team 8. Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji. Your squad leader will be Yuhi Kurenai."
I perked up from my inner turmoil, confused. It's different. It's all different! How? Why?
"HUH? Dog boy and fat boy? How is this even possible!" Ino shrieked.
"Oi, you think I'm happy with that, you harpy! Choji's cool though." Kiba shouted back before nodding at the Akimichi who was just happily munching away at some potato chips.
"Hey stop interrupting, damn brats! Ahem, Team 10. Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Shinji Ikari. Your squad leader will be Sarutobi Asuma." Iruka continued.
I glanced at who were supposed to be my teammates, Shino who looked back impassively before nodding, and Hinata who was blushing madly as usual. Well, I could definitely have worst teammates, but I was still too flabbergasted at the complete chaos that was the team formations. Was my existence that much of a disturbance that what I knew completely fell apart?
I tuned out as Iruka continued rattling off the teams, falling back into depression while maintaining my cool and collected expression outwardly.
Some time after Iruka finished listing the team allocations, the door slid open and a few grizzled looking shinobi entered the classroom before beginning to call out their respective squads.
I spotted Asuma, wearing the traditional jounin vest as well as the prominent white sash with a black and red kanji for fire emblazoned on it, symbolizing his tenure as one of the Shugonin Junishi, the Twelve Guardian Shinobi that acted as bodyguards for the Land of Fire's royal family.
He nonchalantly looked over the crowd of genins who were starting to slowly stream out after their respective jounin senseis, before calling out, "Team 10, follow me."
I broke out of my unrest and stood up along with Hinata and Shino, following after who was to be our jounin instructor.
As we walked along the hallway of the Academy, he turned back and smiled, "You guys haven't had lunch yet right?" Upon seeing us shake our heads, he nodded, "Alright, let's go get some food then. We can talk more later."
Soon enough, we found ourselves in a Yakiniku restaurant, the three of us genins sat facing our jounin instructor. I sat sandwiched between Shino and Hinata who was oddly twitching and blushing faintly. She must have been devastated to not be in the same team as Naruto. Understandable; so was I.
As the meat sizzled deliciously on the grill, the mouth watering scent of grilled beef wafting throughout the restaurant, Asuma started speaking.
"Hmm, this is kind of awkward, y'all don't have to be so serious. Let's lighten up the mood a little. How about we go around introducing ourselves. I read your profiles, but since I am to be your jounin squad leader, I'd like to get to know you better. So things like what you like, dislike, hobbies and maybe your dreams for the future. Things like that."
Seeing no objection, he continued. "I'll start. My name is Sarutobi Asuma, but you can just call me Asuma-sensei. I only recently returned to Konoha after serving eight years as one of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi – basically bodyguards for the Land of Fire's daimyo. I chose to become a jounin sensei cause I thought it was time to impart my skills to a new generation, and also cause I wanted a slower-paced lifestyle haha. As you can tell, I'm a pretty laid back guy, so you guys can relax a little."
"I like relaxing in a hot spring bath and going for a cold refreshing beer at the end of a long day. I dislike crowded places and people who get all pompous and arrogant just cause they got money or something. I met tons of people like that back at the capital city and they annoyed the crap out of me. If I weren't one of the Guardian Shinobi I would have punched them in their stupid faces!"
"My hobby is… hmm, I never really had much time for hobbies the past few years so I can't think of one right now. My dream for the future is to retire in a few years' time and to have raised a new generation of excellent disciples for Konoha. That means you three, haha, but no pressure."
As he finished introducing himself, I took the initiative to go next upon sensing a lull in the conversation. Shino was a quiet person by nature, and only spoke when spoken to. And do I even need to go on about Hinata. It seemed it would fall on me to be the de facto mouth piece for this team's genins.
"I'll go next then. My name is Shinji Ikari. I like training and cooking. My dislikes are, hmm I don't have all that many things I don't like, but if I had to choose then maybe eating badly made food? My hobbies are, again, training and cooking. And my dream for the future is to become as strong as I possibly can, something like that?"
Asuma nodded satisfactorily at my introduction, "Oh a chef? You must have a picky palette huh. Next?"
Hinata seemingly found her confidence after hearing me speak and volunteered to go next, "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like training and cooking too. Ah, but I'm sure I'm not as good a cook as you, Shinji-kun. I dislike bullies and people who look down on others based on how they look or their backgrounds. My hobby is flower arrangement and tea ceremonies, oh and training and cooking too! My dream for the future is to… become a worthy heiress and inherit the mantle of the Hyuuga clan head." She decisively declared at the end.
I nodded my head along as she spoke, realizing that much of what she said was somewhat related to Naruto. "You must know how to make great ramen, eh?" I teased.
Hinata titled her head with what seemed like some excitement, "Do you like ramen, Shinji-kun?"
I looked back quizzically, "Huh? Uh, not particularly?"
She looked even more confused at that, but before I could clarify, Shino spoke up next.
"I guess I have to go next. My name is Aburame Shino, I'm a member of the Aburame clan. As you all should know, my clan utilizes a variety of insects as part of our clan techniques for different purposes. Consider this a heads up so you won't be surprised when you see them, although Hinata-san and Shinji-san should be familiar with them by now. I have no particular likes nor hobbies, but I strongly abhor people who kill or injure insects wantonly. My dream for the future… for now I hope our team will be able to get along well. That is all."
Asuma smiled at that, "A good dream. Now that we're all more familiar with each other, let me talk business for a minute." Upon saying that, his previously laid back and jovial attitude was now replaced with a stern demeanour.
"Are you aware of the unofficial genin corp?" He asked seriously.
All three of us shared looks before nodding. These were matters that those in a shinobi clan or who had shinobi upbringing were well aware of since the 'real' graduation exam was one that would basically dictate the trajectory of your shinobi career. Whether you would soar into the sky under the tutelage of an experienced, elite jounin, or fall by the wayside as a mediocre shinobi. It was objectively more important than the basic Academy exam we had to pass in order to be qualified to undertake the 'real' test.
"Good. Then I don't have to explain much. You should also be aware that only three or four teams every year who pass the 'real' graduation exam are selected to be actively groomed. The village's resources and manpower are not limitless, so we are forced to cherry pick those we think have the most potential to become excellent shinobi and give more attention to them. I consider myself quite lucky to have gotten the Rookie of the Year, the top Kunoichi who is also the Hyuuga heiress as well as an Aburame who received the third highest score overall. It is a great team. You can basically consider yourself to be one of those three teams that have the highest potential already."
"However, I'm not so easy going as to pass the three of you without a test. I might be pretty laid back, but I still have a job to do, and that is to decide whether the three of you deserve to be groomed with my own eyes. So, we're going to have a test to see if what they said about you in those Academy reports are true."
The three of us exchanged glances before resolutely staring back at Asuma.
He smiled, "Hoh, there's some fire in you. Good, good. But we can leave that for later, for now eat your fill. This might be our last meal together after all, haha. Ah crap, I talked too long, the meat is burning!"
Chapter Breakdown
I don't really like the variety of enemies in the dungeon, to be honest, but at the same time I don't want to start bringing in werewolves or trolls as dungeon monsters. The current staple of zombie Uchiha clan members make sense in the setting and it fits with the theme of the dungeon. The only part I get some creative liberty in are the bosses and hidden bosses. But what do you think? Should I have more variety with the dungeon monsters or stick with the current theme, or you just don't care lol.
The dungeon loot from the normal minions is sparse compared to the previous one because the rank F dungeon had a double EXP and loot buff. So even though I had plenty of ideas for the loot, I had to actively hold myself back from giving too much to Shinji.
The boss fight with the Lesser Shinigami was designed in a way that it was not physically demanding. Stats wise, the Boss was about the same as the hidden boss from the last dungeon. The only difference was there was a 'trick' he had to solve in order to beat the boss. It was easier for Shinji precisely because he had upped his DEX before entering the dungeon and received the [Heightened Senses] perk, which allowed him to discern the difference between real and fake attacks. Now you're starting to see the cause and effect I am writing into the story. One thing leads to another, and without the perk, Shinji would've had a tougher time with the boss.
As for the other perks he got, I will slowly reveal what he got along the way if it comes up organically, instead of an info dump. Though I am frankly unsure of this decision. Do you guys want to see right away what he got or is the slowburn method of revelation better? I can tell you right now that Shinji got all his stats up to 100 to get the perks, with the exception of CHA.
The doppelganger fight was really fun to write. Pitting Shinji against his mirror image, I feel, was a good way to show you how strong and how brutal Shinji can get if he is fighting at full strength with no holds barred against an opponent of equal strength. Like I mentioned in an author's notes earlier, in a fight between two equals, I like to write it in a much more gritty and dirty style, where one side has to really discard any sense of self-preservation and unleash all the dirty tricks in the book to get an advantage.
But for this fight, Shinji has the advantage in terms of fight experience. He have been training with Sasuke for three years, while the doppelganger only knows how to use all the skills but not in a particularly effective manner. Although it knows what Shinji is thinking and thus knows how to counter him, Shinji also knows that the doppelganger knows how he thinks, so is able to basically pull a reverse UNO. That is where the fighting experience kicks in.
Was digging in to the sides and ripping out a rib bone before using said rib bone to stab an enemy's head too gory? Let me know if I need to tone down, maintain or turn up the bloodiness.
Savvy readers will notice a D&D spell being used, specifically Burning Hands. Yes I play D&D, and yes I know I'm a nerd.
The dropped loot from the doppelganger was inspired from Dota 2 items, literally of the same name. Just an easter egg for those who know them.
[Summon Doppelganger] was something I had planned way back in like chapter 6 as a reward for defeating a dungeon boss. So there is this implicit bias there might be work and thus render me unable to see if there are any potential flaws or plot holes with this skill. So please, shower me with any critiques and holes you can poke through the skill. I need to know if it might be too broken. I currently have some plans for it which I won't reveal, but there is also a reason why I added the limitations on replicating certain skills. So that I won't write myself into a corner with the OP skill.
For Shinji's hairdo, you can google 'Eren Manbun' to get a better visual. Eren from Attack on Titan to be specific. When I first saw it while reading the manga, I just thought it had Uchiha vibes, so I used it.
I was cringing so hard when writing the scene where everyone is fawning over Shinji. Let me just add a disclaimer that it wasn't something like a wish-fulfilment fantasy for me who always wanted to be popular or something and can now make it happen in make believe fanfiction. That is purely the thought process of Shinji, the unreliable narrator, who has that image of himself. There is some truth and also some fiction to what he believes.
To be honest, Team 6 is a throwaway team. I was never particularly fond of Sakura; she is kind of a pointless character honestly. I'm not clear of the details since it's been awhile since I watched the anime, so much of my preconceived notions of the character comes from reading fanfics which you should realize thinks very badly of her. But for this story at least, she won't have a large role unless at some point in the future she is needed for narrative purposes.
Similarly, Kaori, as we established before, is a talentless and unmotivated shinobi. What will happen with her in the future I will leave undisclosed.
What do you think of the team assignments? I was basically splitting them up for each member to have one of three functions: tracking, capture and assault.
Team Seven: Sasuke fulfils the role of all three with his Sharingan, while Naruto is obviously assault and Shikamaru capture. I also wanted Sasuke to remain with Naruto in the same team to build that bond they had in the anime. Even though Shinji thinks it is impossible for them to bond now that they have such a power differential, we all now know that Shinji is not always right.
Team Eight: Kiba is the tracker, Ino is the capture and Choji is assault. I also thought the dynamic between these three could be pretty funny. Kurenai would also be a good teacher to essentially whip Ino into shape, showing her what a true kunoichi is supposed to be like.
Team Ten: Hinata tracker/capture, Shinji assault and Shino tracker/capture. I was actually torn between having Shino or Ino in Shinji's team. With Ino, there could be a pretty funny love triangle type situation between Ino and Hinata. But Shino is just that much better of a shinobi that it'd just be easier to write mission arcs.
As for Asuma's character – official canon lacks much explanation on his background. Like why he left to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja and what the disagreement with Hiruzen that led to his self-imposed exile was about. He is only described as being laid-back, heavy smoker and caring a lot for his team – turning to bribery to motivate his students. But a blank page also functions decently creatively. There's a lot more to explore in terms of his relationships in the capital and with the other Guardian Ninjas.
But one of the main reasons why I decided to have Asuma as Shinji's sensei is that, teaser alert, the capital city will be a major plot point in this story. The daimyo's court and the capital city is something criminally underused in canon and other fanfiction. That is where I want to flex my creative writing muscles.
Hinata's self-introduction has a, "oh you like training and cooking? What a coincidence, me too" type of vibe to it. Like when you find out what your crush likes, and then pretend to be into the same things too. Shinji still thinks Hinata has a crush on Naruto, and that preconceived notion is rooted so deeply that he fails to notice the signals and very obvious signs that indicates otherwise.
Yep, that's about it. Next chapter will be Team Ten's 'real' graduation exam. Any ideas on what it should be? Last question: would you guys be into reading Team Seven's graduation test? i.e. Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru versus Kakashi in the bell test. I kinda wanna write it out but I understand if you can't be bothered with anything unrelated to Shinji.
Like always, thanks for reading my story and if you liked it, smash that like button and hit subscribe for more content!
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