A/N: Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday to get a double release next Monday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones.
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Goro glanced up at the full moon as he leaped from building to building. He knew where Naruto would be and was in a hurry to get there.
'If I can arrive on time, I might manage to get my hands on one jutsu. As for Mizuki, there's no need to worry about him, since Iruka will catch him. I'll leave before any leaf shinobi can show up.'
Moments later, Goro reached his destination. Through the trees, he spotted the blond brat in his usual orange clothing, sitting with a large scroll open before him.
'I've arrived. Naruto shouldn't pose much trouble; he's already breaking rules, so he'll be more willing to cooperate.'
Flickering behind Naruto, Goro placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him.
"Wah!" Naruto yelled, turning to see who had caught him.
"Is there room for another?" Goro asked, a devilish smile spreading across his lips.
"Oh... Phew. It's just you, Goro. What're you doing here?" Naruto inquired.
Hoping to keep things brief and obtain what he came for, Goro responded, "I know what you're doing, Naruto. Let's save each other the hassle. I, too, want to learn something from that scroll. Open it up wide, so we can both use it."
Naruto was stumped; he had no response or way to get rid of Goro. Accepting defeat, Naruto spread the scroll wide.
'Let's see here… Reaper Death Seal Jutsu… I'm not really interested in sacrificing my life to seal anything. What else is there… The Reanimation Jutsu… Nah, I don't really need that. I need something that'll allow me to get more kills and is fairly simple. What's this? Bringer of Darkness Jutsu? Wasn't that Hashirama's Genjutsu used against Hiruzen? It messes with the victim's vision, making everything pitch black. That'll be extremely useful. System, can you store information about the jutsu?'
[I store information from all your senses. This is the quickest way to enrich my database.]
'Everything? So you've already stored information about the Reanimation Jutsu and the Reaper Death Seal?'
[Affirmative. I have stored information on every jutsu you've looked at.]
'Great, that means I can—'
The sound of footsteps echoed through the forest. Goro flinched, hearing the steps, and immediately flickered into a tree.
'Those footsteps were much closer than I would've liked. Talking to the System seems to dull my senses. I got too excited. Shit! I need to get out of here, but what's the best route?'
[Calculating the best route of escape… Found! Chance of being caught… 61%.]
'Thanks, System. You never cease to amaze me. 61% is quite high, but it's better than nothing…'
Turning on his heels, Goro followed the path outlined by the System, flickering as far as he could while conserving a decent amount of chakra. As Goro neared the exit, he noticed a leaf shinobi headed in his direction.
'This is rough… Wait, I think I can handle this. I'll transform into Iruka and run right past him!'
Goro morphed into Iruka without using hand signs and flickered past the approaching ninja.
'All that's left is to get back to my flat!'
Triumphant, Goro dispelled the jutsu and headed home. Once inside, Goro sat on the floor.
'System, what jutsu have you stored?'
[Searching for stored jutsu… Reaper Death Seal, Reanimation Jutsu, Bringer of Darkness Genjutsu, Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, and Shadow Clone Jutsu.]
'Even Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu?! I only glanced at it for a moment! How is that possible? Also, I don't recall seeing Shadow Clone Jutsu in the scroll, so how do you have that stored?'
[Answering your first query, I can record whatever your five senses pick up, even if it's brief. Secondly, the jutsu was derived from the more complex variation.]
'Thinking about it, theoretically, if you know how to do the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, you should also be able to create a single clone. I'll try out the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu. System, what're the hand signs?'
[Error! Insufficient stats! Not enough chakra capacity!]
'I can't argue with that. It wouldn't make sense if I could use that jutsu. I think I'll get the same outcome with the others too… I should wait until my stats are sufficiently high. However, I should be able to do Shadow Clone Jutsu…'
[Affirmative, you are capable of performing Shadow Clone Jutsu.]
'I'll use it some other time when I need it. I understand the basics, as I've used the Clone Jutsu before.'
Satisfied with his accomplishments, Goro went to sleep.
Two days later, it was time for the new genins to be assigned their squads. Goro sat in his usual seat, waiting for Iruka to arrive.
"Naruto, only genin can be here," Shikamaru said, standing next to a seated Naruto.
"Don't you see this, Shikamaru? Hm? It's a regulation headband! It means I'm a genin like everyone else!" Naruto mocked. Catching sight of Naruto's headband, Shikamaru didn't argue and simply returned to his seat.
'I'm quite excited to see who I'll be paired with.'
Entering the class was none other than Iruka. He took his position at the front of the class, papers in hand.
"I'll be announcing the teams! Everyone listen carefully!" he instructed.
The class fell silent, waiting in anticipation for their names to be called out. "Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino!" Iruka said.
Kiba had some issues with being paired with the quiet Shino, but he didn't make much of a fuss. Iruka continued to call out each group until he reached the last one. "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto—" Before Iruka could finish, Naruto leaped up, throwing his fists in the air. Sakura had the opposite reaction, slumping in her chair.
"And Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka finished. Hearing Sasuke's name, Naruto slumped in his seat while Sakura leaped with joy.
'He didn't call out my name. What's going on?'
"Sensei, you failed to mention which group I'd be in," Goro said, trying to figure out the situation.
Iruka stuck his nose back into the papers he carried and reread them. "That's odd… I must've missed your name," Iruka said, looking through the sheet a third time.
'Is this on purpose? No… Iruka isn't that kind of teacher. Then what could it be?'
Iruka put a hand to his head, wearing an embarrassed expression. "I must've missed you due to my mind being occupied by Naruto, who passed much later than the rest. To be honest, I didn't expect you to pass, so that must've been in my subconscious. I apologize and congratulate you on your achievement, Goro," Iruka clarified, ashamed.
'It's great that he finally congratulated me, but to think so low of me… That's all in the past; I'm no longer who I used to be.'
Analyzing the groups, Iruka scratched his head. "To put it frankly, with your lack of skills, you could fit into any group, as you don't shift the balance," Iruka remarked.
'He'd be surprised…'
"I'll be back," Iruka said, leaving the classroom.
Kiba burst into laughter, holding his belly and pointing at Goro. "There's— Ahaha— There's no way! You're even worse than Naruto!" Kiba shouted, laughing hysterically.
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, not taking kindly to Kiba's comment.
'Gosh… I can't wait to leave this classroom. This is really unprofessional of Sensei.'
The door slid open, revealing Iruka with another leaf ninja behind him.
'Asuma…!'
Asuma and Iruka stood front and center. Asuma scanned the room, finally stopping on Goro.
'What does he want? Will he pick me to be part of his team?'
"Make this quick, Iruka. I want to go out for a smoke…" Asuma urged.
"Sometimes it's hard to believe you're the son of the Third Hokage," Iruka mumbled.
'What're they talking about?'
[They're discussing Asuma's cigarette addiction. Would you like me to go into detail?]
'Forget detail; how could you even hear that?'
[As I mentioned before, I can record whatever your five senses pick up, even if it's quiet. The main factor is whether you can hear it or not.]
'I can use that to my advantage in multiple situations, but most notably, if I'm sent on reconnaissance missions.'
Returning his attention to the class and addressing Goro directly, Iruka said, "Goro, upon personal request, you'll be placed in Team 10, led by Asuma."
'It's about time. If I had to choose a team, I'd go with Team 10, since they're least likely to get in my way. Having someone like Naruto or Kiba on my team would be a pain. They'd view me as a rival and compete with me at every step, limiting how I can move. With Team 10, there's no threat of developing a rival. Shikamaru is lazy, Choji has confidence issues, and Ino cares too much about her looks.'
"What're you waiting for, Team 10? Let's go," Asuma directed.
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Reminder: Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday to get a double release next Monday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones.