1 Chapter no.1 Prologue

Read advance chapters of all my works or want to support me .

https://www.p.a.t.r.e.on.com/Adamo_Amet

....

Join us on discord :

https://discord.gg/DXv2nkTB

••••••••••••••••

Early that morning...

Naruto's eye twitched as he glared up towards the rows of students ogling him from the safety of their seats. Of course, he had nobody else to blame for his predicament but himself... and the nosiness of his teacher Iruka Umino, who was at that very moment scolding him the best way he knew how; by having him tied up and, after dragging him halfway across the village, sat down in the middle of the classroom floor as an example to the rest of the class. The message he was establishing was clear; anybody who thinks of messing with the village's monuments and landmarks will be severely punished.

The most outstanding accusation the jinchuriki was being blamed for today was painting the faces of the Hokage Monument in white, red and blue for the rest of the world to marvel at.

As of right now, Naruto could still hear the waves of praises from his fans all around. People who were in sight of their beloved mountain were crying out in dismay and outrage, their resonance of obscene calls and questions echoing onto the school grounds and into the classroom itself.

Though this brought a tug of a smile to Naruto's lips, he still couldn't help but feel displeased at being caught by his teacher.

There was no arguing it, it had to be karma.

The sounds of impatient tapping filled the room and Naruto glanced to his left and up, where he found himself locked in an intense gaze from his teacher. The irate, brown haired, ponytailed Chunin had his hands balled into fists on his hips and the tightest of scowls in play, cluing Naruto into the amount of pain he was suspected to be put through in the foreseeable future.

The whisker-marked boy grinned sheepishly at the taller man shadowing him and slowly turned back towards the rest of the class. Some of the students were glowering at him, others were grinning in amusement, whereas those with mental disorders and/or brooding problems couldn't give a damn. However, most of these observations were based on the jinchuriki's own point of view, who merely chuckled away the various stares and the most prominent, aggravated glare he was receiving from Iruka.

"Okay... in my defense... I think Hokage-jiji looks way better with a nosebleed," Naruto exclaimed, earning a round of chuckles from the boys who had a sense of humor up in the stands.

"This is no time for jokes!" Iruka shouted suddenly, silencing the laughing offenders. All of his students jumped in their seats and the accused cringed at the sheer volume in the man's voice. "We ALL know exactly what you did, you little smart-assed brat!"

"I gave the past Hokages a makeover, big deal. That's nothing to get angry about. It's not like I poured a whole bottle of laxatives into your coffee this morning, sensei" the boy groaned in response, shaking his head to clear himself of the ringing. He then grinned proudly when said ringing stopped. "Besides... it was fun! Heh, I sure gave the other Chunin a good chase around Konoha this morning... you should have seen their fac-"

"IRRELEVANT!" Iruka roared, his head growing several times in size and startling the teens seated in the front rows. Unfortunately, Naruto was sitting right next to the raging storm and his hair ended up being blown and kept to the side.

Huffing, the Chunin calmed somewhat, but his eyes maintained that enraged, animated expression. "This is the eighth time this year you've done this! You skipped the early morning lectures and practice tests to pull another one of your stupid pranks! That was valuable time you could have spent studying for the final exams coming up in a month or so, and you've failed it twice. What do these little escapades of yours teach you that the academy doesn't?"

"That the Chunin chasing after me are second-rate chumps?"

"NOTHING! THAT'S WHAT!" the man screamed out again, intent on shooting the boy down before he took it any further. However, Iruka quickly suppressed any harsh words he was planning on throwing to keep his voice from growing hoarse. Instead, he resigned to rubbing the bridge of his nose and silently glaring down at the still smug looking boy. "Why can't you appreciate the time I'm using to teach you the stuff you need to know to become a shinobi, Naruto? Isn't that your dream?"

"Yup!" the boy piped with a nod. "My dream is to be Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Well... you're not going to get anywhere near Genin at the rate you're progressing at, so I suggest that you straighten up and start flying right from now on, before it's too late. Otherwise you'll be left behind for the third year in a row," Iruka stated and stepped forward some. "And I'll be damned if I'm going to be teaching you again next year. So I'll make this clear and easy enough for you to understand; the first thing you have to do is stop these ridiculous practical jokes." He grabbed the rope binding Naruto and pulled him to his feet, but left him tied up where he stood.

"Aww..." Naruto groaned, giving the man a disappointed frown. "But they make every other day fun..."

"For you... not for others," Iruka smirked, strolling passed the youngster and over to his desk. Getting behind it, the Chunin yanked open the drawer and started pulling out random items, lining them up on top of the workspace for everybody to see. Those students who couldn't see, craned their heads around others to get a better look. "Exhibit A; the apple you crammed full of worms and gave to Mizuki... and several other unfortunate teachers. Exhibit B; the stink bombs you simultaneously detonated inside every single classroom. Exhibit C; slipping factory adhesive glue into everybody's sandals during dojo practice..."

"Oh yeah... that one was great," Naruto laughed out. His good-natured outburst though had him on the receiving end of a wave of glares and killing intent thrown at him from the students seated up in the stands behind him.

"Exhibit D; rigging the dividers in the hot spring between the boy and girl sides to collapse randomly during the day... actually... props to that one Naruto, nice going. Oh... and Exhibit E; replacing all of the canned drinks in the academy cafeteria with urine samples swiped from the hospital." Iruka ended the last one with a groan and dropped the document in relation to that travesty on top of the desk. He then slammed the drawer shut. "That's not even the worst part..."

"How was that not the worst part?" A random student called out, sounding a little bit distraught, probably from memory of the previously mentioned prank.

"All of those so-called 'accomplishments' can be used to fill up my file three times over," Iruka marched over to Naruto and crossed his arms. He returned to glaring at the boy, only to see that he was still looking curious and perplexed. "To summarize your academy record for you, in brief; you're a terrible student."

The jinchuriki instantly dropped the clueless look and grinned. "Thanks..."

"That wasn't a compliment, idiot," Iruka replied and drew a kunai from his holster. With a clean slice, he cut the rope binding the boy who then stretched out in relief at being liberated from his chains. Upon watching the blonde flex feeling back into his limbs and midsection, the Chunin then held his hand out to him expectantly. "Don't think you're being let off so easily today, Naruto. You still need to face punishment for your actions. Empty your pockets..."

Considering his teacher's hand extended towards him for a few moments and seeing the impatience slowly growing in the man's eyes, Naruto eventually resigned to his fate. With a heavy sigh he reached into his jacket pockets and pulled out whatever items he had planned to do mischief with, and handed them over. However, while Iruka was expecting to be given packaged stink pellets or zapping paper, the Chunin held up one of three eggs the boy had on his person and had surrendered to him.

Iruka held the egg up to eye level and looked at it a little more closely with a raised eyebrow, wondering what the plan behind it was. Surely, the greatest prank-master in the village's history and modern-day class clown wouldn't be carrying around ordinary eggs. That was too simple for him, not his style... waaa-y below Naruto Uzumaki material. Iruka knew this from experience, which prompted him to throw a questionable glance down at his student, who had his hands in his pockets and was looking up at him apprehensively.

The jinchuriki shrugged. "Back ups..."

"Back ups?" Iruka parroted and looked at the two eggs he held in his lower hand, then back up at the solitary egg he held in his dominant hand. He sniffed it, checking to see whether it was expired or not.

This security action he undertook meant that he barely missed Naruto lowering his goggles over his eyes.

"What do you mean bac-" SPLAT!

Naruto laughed when he saw the egg blow up, point blank, right in front of Iruka's face, along with the other two he held at his chest. Those that weren't placed in line with the 'intended' target ended up staining the man's pants and vest in yellow goop. Ultimately, the young teacher was left standing stock straight in bewilderment, confusion, and covered in chicken mix.

Though the jinchuriki ended up catching some of the splash back from his secret weapons going off, it was still worth it to see his teacher pasted. The boy was holding in his guts as he continued bellowing out laughter in a doubled-over position, with the rest of the class shortly joining in when they realized what had happened.

Iruka, seeing both yellow and red, brushed his yoke stained hands over his trouser legs and wherever there wasn't any egg, before wiping the gunk off of his face in one fluid movement. Eyes narrowed, he then glared angrily down at the offender responsible.

The heat rising off of the teacher literally toasted whatever egg was still on his skin.

Calming himself down, Naruto grinned happily at the Chunin. "How'd yah like that, Iruka-sensei? Cool, huh?" He then pulled out another egg he had hidden in his jacket pocket and held it out in front of him, as if it were some flag won in a king of the hill match. He showed the Chunin the utter brilliance of his device. "The hard part was getting the ignition powder into the egg, but it all worked out in the end..."

••••••••••••••••••

Approximately a few minutes later, the troublesome Naruto could be seen standing by the door inside of the classroom, with the one egg he had left placed precariously on top of his head and a bucket held in each hand. The metal pales that he suspended several feet off of the floor were filled to the brim with water, so that meant that if he had even a momentary loss of balance or a lapse in concentration he would spill some of the contents. In addition to balancing the egg on his head to prevent it from falling, he also had to contend with the ever growing weight of the buckets. The annoyed glint in his expression remained steadfast, as did his place in the room.

After seeing that Naruto was dealt with for the morning period and didn't look as though he would be causing anymore trouble for him, Iruka then carried on with his daily lectures and practices with his class, albeit a now foul smell wafting off of his clothes and a bit of egg still visible on his clothing. Since the overall tragedy would be difficult to wash out, he made a mental note to go shopping at the end of the day for a replacement uniform and set of clothing. However, he still had the first task of conveying the information he had on hand towards his students and the second punishment he had planned out for the resident troublemaker later in the afternoon.

The Chunin spent the next few hours talking, reading off of preplanned notes and setting the students questions to answer at the end of every briefing. For Naruto, it was the study periods in which the students were engrossed in answering basic questions and materials that proved to be the most boring to stand through, as he struggled with the pales in his place of metaphorical isolation.

To pass the time, the jinchuriki positioned his punishment as an unconscious front while he focused on the blackboard and reluctantly read the information Iruka had written down. During the more long winded study breaks, Naruto spent a few minutes reading the same paragraphs and theories over and over again, before eventually getting bored of that too and returning concentration to keeping the egg on his head straight.

Though it was apparent Iruka had placed him under this same timeout before, it was nonetheless a real drag. This particular sentence was normally administered to him during the first half of the subjects that he missed out on during his mischief runs in the morning, and ones in which Iruka was the tutor. On other days when he wasn't in trouble, Naruto would either nap at his desk or reluctantly do the work assigned to him to pass the time.

It was the normal routine. After lunch Iruka would be swapped out with Mizuki and time would tick by on course. And as usual, the young jinchuriki did the bare amount for both occupations undertaken within the academy; actual school work and standing at the side of the class facing the penalties for his actions.

When the bell for the lunch break mercifully rang some time after his punishment was dished out, Naruto remained resolute at the door as the students slowly filed past him one after the other. Some of them tried not to look at him and his sorry state, others grinned mockingly when they passed, while the more brash ones had the nerve to actually throw nasty comments his way when they crossed.

"Nice going, dead last," Kiba exclaimed, with Akamaru yipping from his perch on top of his master's head. "Enjoy tidying up the place."

"Bite me, dog chow," Naruto shot back, the pair trading glares before the other vacated the vicinity.

Within minutes the classroom was empty, leaving only Naruto left waiting under his teacher's shadow and authority.

As part of the patterns of his normal punishment for offenses within and outside of the academy, Iruka assigned him to classroom cleanup first. Naruto swept the floors, emptied the bins, cleaned the chalkboard, and wiped down the windows and desks.

Afterwards, once Iruka had gathered his things together for his break he then dragged the boy up to the Hokage Monument so that he could clear up the mess he made of it.

It was a long and grueling process...

••••••••••••••••••

Early afternoon...

Iruka, sitting atop of the Fourth Hokage's stone head, blinked in surprise when he heard the bell to the Ninja Academy ring. In response, he looked down towards the village within the vicinity of the Hokage Mansion where he saw students and teachers begin to pour out of the building. The sound of that bell and the sight of the sun approaching closer to the other side of the horizon line meant that the day was ending, and that made the Chunin sigh.

A part of him was relieved that the day was over while the other half was still dismayed that he wasn't quite done.

Looking down, he stared at the boy who has yet to finish scrubbing the paint off of the last Hokage's face.

Since the start of the second period Naruto had finished cleaning the other faces and in spite of his constant groaning and complaining, was hard pressed into completing his task by his teacher. Bit by bit, the paint peeled away, revealing to the world the real expressions of the village's past leaders.

It was a breath of fresh air for Konohagakure and at least the monument could smile again.

"I won't let you go home until everything is as it should be," Iruka said, folding his arms. "I expect this cliff side to be spotless."

Naruto scoffed and looked up, his expression conveying a deep sense of displeasure and annoyance. "Like I care, it's not like I have anyone to go home to," the boy replied harshly, before going back to work with his dulling rag. It was insanely difficult to scrub paint off of rock and even after trading hands several times his knuckles and fingers felt as though they had been sandpapered.

At least the platform gave him good traction. It had been a real brave effort for him when he had to scale the sheer cliff himself, armed with only a rope and a set of paints.

Iruka was taken aback at the response from his student and his gaze softened after a moment of thought.

In his blind annoyance, he had completely forgotten that Naruto didn't have any parents waiting for him back home and that he lived all on his own in a second story apartment downtown, with no neighbors, relatives or anyone to look out for him. Ever since the jinchuriki could live on his own he had to raise and teach himself.

This was information Iruka learned from Hiruzen back when he first took Naruto as a student in his class and needed to be briefed on his living conditions and upbringing, but he had completely forgotten about these facts when he had to focus on the whole body of students he was already tending to.

It was hard to concentrate when you had loud children and a troublemaking blonde under his wing to take care of.

Feeling abashed at his own austerity, the Chunin reconsidered the entire situation and the day earlier, before coming to the conclusion that he had probably been a bit too hard on the boy for just a few harmless pranks.

Well... most of his shenanigans have been harmless anyway. There was the one time when Naruto had brought a rogue, goliath wasp nest into class for show-and-tell that not even the Aburame could control, and then he threw it...

The man quickly shook the rather graphic memory out.

Trying not to get too far off track, Iruka surmised his thoughts; that he had been a little bit more unfair on Naruto than most others. With that thought in mind he decided to make it up to him.

"Naruto..."

The boy huffed and looked up from his work once again, hoping he wasn't going to get scolded for a second time. "What is it?"

Iruka rubbed his cheek and averted his gaze elsewhere, trying to make his next words as delicate as possible so as to not deepen the boy's already emotional constipation.

It was quite clear that the youngster was beyond frustrated, but just didn't want to let it out in front of his teacher. He was pretty stubborn about such things.

"When you're done and everything is cleared up over here, I'll take you out for ramen tonight," the man exclaimed and smiled down at his student. "I'll buy..."

The man immediately saw a major improvement in his academy student's mood, in which the boy's face brightened up and a smile returned to his lips. Goggles flashing, Naruto ducked back down and began scrubbing away again, this time with more intensity and passion in his movements.

"Okay! I'll work a lot harder!"

The scarred teacher chuckled.

"Good to see there's always a spark inside of him infinitely burning..." Iruka shook his head in amusement and rubbed a palm over his eye. "Even though that spark often leads to a raging fire of mischief and practical jokes... he's still a good kid..."

••••••••••••••••••

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the village in hues of orange and purple, Naruto and Iruka strolled through the bustling streets of Konoha. The lively chatter of villagers filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere typical of an evening in the Leaf Village. Naruto, with a bloated tummy and a content smile, rubbed his stomach appreciatively.

"As I always say, Ramen is the food of the Gods," Naruto proclaimed proudly, his voice echoing slightly in the busy street.

"You have never once said that," Iruka retorted.

"Oh, right," Naruto responded, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. He looked up at Iruka with a spark of joy in his eyes. "Well, when I am Hokage, I'll make that the official saying of Konoha!"

Iruka opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it, shaking his head slightly. He was too tired to point out to Naruto that there wasn't something known as the official saying of Konoha. "At least try to focus on school," he sighed, his tone soft yet firm.

"I will," Naruto grumbled, his tone light but sincere. They continued walking, the lively energy of Konoha's nightlife surrounding them.

Suddenly, Naruto's foot collided with something. "Ouch!" he yelped, stumbling slightly. Annoyance flickered across his face as he turned to confront the obstacle. "Hey, what's the big idea?" he began, but his voice trailed off as his eyes settled on what he had hit.

Under the dim glow of the streetlights, Naruto's attention was entirely captivated by the cube-shaped object in front of him. Intricate patterns and designs, a mix of geometric circles and angular shapes, were etched into its surface. The dark background of the cube contrasted sharply with the lighter, possibly metallic color of the designs, giving it the appearance of an ornate, decorative puzzle box.

"Cool," Naruto murmured, his eyes sparkling with interest as he turned towards the seller.

The seller was a beggar, shrouded in a cloak, his appearance worn and weathered by time. His cloak, frayed at the edges, seemed to blend into the shadows of the evening.

"Hey, dirty old man, how much for the box?" Naruto asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

"You can have it," replied the beggar in a raspy voice.

"What?" Naruto's excitement was evident in his tone, but he paused, eyeing the beggar with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. "Look dirty old man, I can pay for it. Just tell me the price."

"No price. I was just trying to rid of it. Try not to solve it," the beggar warned, his tone grave.

Naruto's grin widened as he held the intriguing box. "What's better than cool stuff? Free cool stuff!" he declared triumphantly.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, look at this cool box I got!" Naruto shouted, turning towards Iruka with enthusiasm.

Iruka, looking weary, turned towards Naruto and raised an eyebrow. "Look, Naruto, it's late at night, I'm tired, I don't want to deal with your pranks right now."

Naruto, taken aback by Iruka's words, insisted, "Come on, Iruka-sensei, you can't tell me this isn't a cool box."

Iruka sighed heavily. "Naruto, there is nothing in your hand."

Naruto blinked in confusion and looked at his hand. The box was there one moment, then he looked at Iruka, and then back at the box, flicking it and feeling its vibration. "Maybe Iruka-sensei is just pranking me as revenge," Naruto thought to himself.

"Hmph, Iruka-sensei, you have to do better than that if you want to prank me," Naruto said, a hint of defiance in his voice.

He glanced back at where the old beggar had been, only to find no one there. Scratching his head, Naruto muttered, "Weird," as he carefully placed the mysterious box into his pocket.

••••••••••••••••••

In the quiet of his modest bedroom, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed, the puzzling cube held firmly in his hands. The moonlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow on his determined features. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he tried to unravel the secrets of the intricate cube.

"Why is this so hard?" Naruto muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. He set the cube down, intending to sleep, but restlessness overtook him. "No, what kind of Hokage will I be if I back down from a challenge?" he thought, his resolve reigniting.

The clock ticked steadily towards midnight as Naruto continued his efforts. His eyes, now red and tired from the strain, remained fixed on the puzzle. With each turn, he hoped for some magical transformation or revelation, but the puzzle remained stubbornly unsolved.

Finally, with a flick of his wrist, Naruto solved the puzzle. The once ornate and intriguing shapes seamlessly joined together, leaving a disappointingly blank cover on the cube. The intricate designs that had captivated him so thoroughly had vanished, leaving behind something ordinary and unremarkable.

Naruto pursed his lips in dismay. "Oh, flame! Why did solving this make it lame?" he lamented, his voice tinged with frustration. The excitement and mystery that the cube had initially promised seemed to have dissolved into nothingness.

In a fit of disappointment, Naruto slammed the now bland cube onto the desk beside his bed. The sound echoed slightly in the stillness of his room. Turning away from the puzzle, he settled back into his bed, his mind still whirling with thoughts of the cube's initial allure and its anticlimactic resolution. As sleep finally began to claim him, the cube sat motionless on the desk, its secrets seemingly gone, leaving Naruto with a sense of unfulfilled curiosity.

As Naruto drifted into a deep sleep, the room was bathed in silence, broken only by the soft, rhythmic breathing of the slumbering boy. However, this tranquility was soon interrupted by an unexpected occurrence.

The cube began to emit a faint glow. Its light, subtle at first, gradually intensified, filling the room with a soft, otherworldly luminescence.

Almost as if possessing a will of its own, the cube started to levitate, gently rising from the desk. It floated through the air, guided by an unseen force, moving steadily towards Naruto's resting form. The glowing cube hovered above him, casting a warm light on his peaceful face.

Thenbthe cube began to merge into Naruto's chest. It moved slowly, seamlessly integrating with him, as if it were being absorbed by his very being. The light from the cube enveloped Naruto in a gentle embrace, and then, just as quietly as it had begun, the cube disappeared entirely into him.

Naruto, oblivious to the supernatural happenings, continued to sleep soundly.

••••••••••••••••••

Naruto found himself standing in the midst of an unfamiliar forest, the trees towering high above him, their leaves whispering secrets in the gentle breeze. In a moment of disbelief, he pinched himself, half-expecting to wake up from what seemed like a surreal dream. "Am I in a dream?" he murmured to himself, his voice tinged with wonder.

As if responding to his question, a path suddenly illuminated before him, cutting through the dense foliage with a soft, inviting glow. Without hesitation, Naruto followed the illuminated trail, his curiosity piqued by this unprecedented adventure. The path led him through a myriad of landscapes - a vast, scorching desert, a serene snow-covered area, a tranquil lake, and finally, a dense, murky swamp. Each environment was distinct, yet they transitioned seamlessly, as if nature itself was guiding him on this mysterious journey.

Emerging from the swamp, Naruto found himself in a clearing where reality seemed to bend and twist in impossible ways. Water defied gravity as it flowed upward into the sky, birds growled with sounds akin to dogs, while cats and dogs rained down from the heavens. The sky above was a surreal canvas of clocks, melting and contorting in ways that defied logic.

At the center of this bizarre world was an altar, and on it rested a cube - similar to the one he had encountered before, yet distinctly different. A voice echoed in his mind.

[ Do you want to play a game? ]

Excitement surged through Naruto as he nodded eagerly.

[ Then finish the cube ]

The voice instructed.

Naruto approached the altar, his eyes fixed on the cube. It was akin to the one he had at home, but whereas his cube lost its patterns upon completion, this one seemed to promise something more. With a confident twist, he completed the puzzle, and the voice announced.

[ Activation sequence recorded. System will begin merger. ]

"You talk funny," Naruto chuckled, his amusement clear despite his confusion about the unfolding events.

Suddenly, the cube erupted in a brilliant, blinding light. Naruto shielded his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed by the intensity of the light.

••••••••••••••••••

[ Naruto's POV ]

Adrift in an endless cosmic sea, surrounded by a tapestry of stars and planets, I floated, feeling both insignificant and awestruck. I looked up and saw it-an entity like no other.

"Are you God?" I asked, my voice echoing in the vast expanse.

Before me was a cosmic entity made of multiple human hands, glowing with a golden luminescence. The hands and fingers, adorned with sparkling jewels, moved and danced against the backdrop of stars, planets, and galaxies.

[ System has recognised the player "Naruto Uzumaki" ]

[ System merger has commenced.]

I couldn't grasp what was happening. The words were foreign, yet they resonated within me. I closed my eyes, trying to make sense of it all.

The entity transformed into a stream of liquid gold, flowing toward me and merging with my being. I felt the progression as if time itself were announcing it:

[ 1%... 20%... 50%... 80%... 100% ]

[ Congratulations! Naruto Uzumaki, you have been selected as a player ]

[ Memories of system domain have been sealed ]

[ Reverting Naruto Uzumaki to level 1 ]