Talent System

It was an ordinary day in the Hidden Leaf Village. The Sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the people were all waking up. Murmurs of words were exchanged among neighbors and those who opened for business. From one single person to an entire crowd, civilians and shinobi alike filled the streets. Everyone went on their business, blissfully enjoying the peaceful morning which felt wrong.

Something was amiss and many figured out what was missing.

What was absent was the blonde brat, his masterpieces as he calls it, and the near maniacal laughter that usually follows by watching the reactions of those that were targeted by him or running from adult Shinobis who clearly should redo their training. Those who haven't suffered examined their possessions, making sure everything was in place and has not been touched. The chatting quieted down a bit but it didn't stop even though not everyone invested in being social anymore momentarily due to a deviation in the daily schedule. As a result, the harmonious atmosphere became concerning and dreadful as everyone's wariness unconsciously rose to peak levels.

Just about an hour ago when Naruto woke up, he beheld his gray surroundings. His floor, the ceiling, and even the trees outside lost all their color. There were no movements, no smell, and no sounds. It was almost as if time was frozen and Naruto was losing it.

Internally panicking about his circumstances, a screen materialized in front of him with the title, Talent System.

[Click it.]

"Woah! Who are you?" he exclaimed, ready to fight.

[Someone friendly.]

"Really?" 'That's great! I can complete my hand! I'll be able to say that a handful of people are friendly to me!'

[Yes.]

'Woohoo! For now.'

Following the command, it soon displayed his name at the very top and then listed out words that Naruto was slightly familiar with or has heard somewhere.

[Naruto Uzumaki

Taijutsu: 4

Ninjutsu: 8

Genjutsu: 1

Sealing Jutsu: 5

Shurikenjutsu: 3

Chakra Control: 1

Stealth: 7

Physique(How easy it is to train the body, how fast the body adapts to punishment, and how much physical potential the User has): 8

Fighting(Combat Instinct; applies to any kind of fighting): 4

Studying(Taking in information): 3

Comprehending(Understanding and applying information): 7

Cooking: 2

Talent Point: 9]

"Woah. That's a lot of stuff!" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "What does it mean?"

[These represent your talents in your respective area. Hypothetically, ten is the maximum talent while one is the lowest.]

"Ohhh. I get it now." Naruto reviewed the wall of text in front of him for a second time. "So I'm great at some stuff but not good at the others."

[Yes. See the last line of text?]

He pointed at it. "The talent points?"

[Those are the points that you can use to upgrade talents of your choosing.]

"Really??" He was doing backflips in his mind. "Does that mean I can finally do that stinking Jutsu?"

[Which one?]

"The Clone Jutsu. You know" -his face became solemn-"the one I failed doing every time?"

[Depending on your decisions, you can.]

"Awesome! Dump everything into Chakra Control!"

[...are you sure? There is no backing out from this.]

"Look, uh...what's your name?"

[Kuro.]

"Nice to meet you, partner." Naruto smiled before wearing a serious expression. "Look, Shinobi rules say that I should be worried if not paranoid about strange things happening to me but with how tired and happy I am, I don't care. This is too important to me. You might think that it's human pride or whatever and it is, but I don't feel happy about passing my Shinobi exams cause I did it another way. Yeah, I got a better version of the Clone Jutsu, but it bothers me to know that I am not as good as others."

[But-]

"I'm not smart, I'm not physically strong, I'm not good at Taijutsu, I'm barely passable in Ninjutsu, and I can only dream of Genjutsu," he said bitterly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I know my place better than anyone because I'm me and this headband" -Naruto gazed at it sadly-"is something I don't deserve as much as I wanted it. Originally, I was gonna wing everything but..." Inhaling deeply, his current emotions intensified. "Now I have a chance; a chance to become a real Shinobi that is worthy of the headband. So yeah, there you have it."

[I understand.]

"You do?"

[Yes. I am not human and I can not comprehend emotions. However, I am programmed to support you in your endeavors and guide you. I am meant to question you when you make a choice but it is not my place to force you to do anything. I simply advise.]

"Oh."

[Allocating points...]

[Applied.]

[Any questions?]

"Huh? Y-yeah I do." Naruto glanced at the empty points section. "How do I gain more talent points?"

[Simple. Good karma.]

"Good karma? What's that?"

[Essentially, it's an abstract concept where positive or negative actions improve the consequences in a good way or a bad way.]

"Uhh..."

[Good actions equals good things happening to you so good karma. Doing bad things equals bad things happening to you so bad karma.]

"Ohhhhh. I get it. Why didn't you say it like that the first time?" he mumbled, the meaning of Kuro's words sinking deeper into his mind. "No way...Kuro, I have to ask."

[What?]

"Pranking...is that a negative action?"

[Depends. If a person is okay with it, then it doesn't count. If someone is offended or harmed by it then yes, bad karma is provided. For you, it means that not only will your original and upgraded talents be stripped of their points but you will start experiencing bad luck once you accumulated too much bad karma...or at least, that's what was supposed to happen.]

"What do you mean?"

[The person who created me for you cut off the bad karma portion of me for purposes I'm not sure of so that you don't get punished.]

He relaxed, his body slumping down back to the bed. "I thought I was screwed. Thanks, unknown guy...it's a guy right?"

[Yes, he is male.]

"Do I know this person?"

[You do. Far better than anyone else actually.]

"What?" he scoffed. "If I knew a person that can change what I'm good at, I think I would recall it."

[You'll understand later.]

The world unfroze. Lights, sounds, movement, and everything in between returned to its previous state. Naruto, who was not prepared for the transition, jumped up and frantically surveyed his surroundings. Realizing what happened, he shook his head and began his morning routine.

"Wa shoo I doo toay?" asked the teenage boy who had his mouth full.

[What?]

Naruto spat out the used paste into the sink. "What should I do today? You're the guide, so guide me."

[Okay. Go outside and grab a couple of leaves.]

"Leaves...? For-oh right." He smacked his forehead. "How did I forget?"

Doing what he was asked to, he gathered the iconic material. After all, having an entire village named from it does give it prestige in and of itself.

[Lay down on the floor and put the leaf on your forehead. Do the Leaf Concentration Exercise from the floor and then gently sit up. Repeat until you get the correct amount of chakra requirement mastered.]

"You got it Kuro."

It took two tries before Naruto had achieved a new personal time record of having the leaf stick to his head. Normally, he couldn't succeed until the twentieth try, and even then, it would last no more than ten seconds. This was unbelievable for him.

[You have room for improvement. Until you have entirely mastered this, don't stop doing it.]

Like being in a cold shower, his joyous mood vanished. "Why'd you ruin it Kuro? Let me enjoy this for a sec."

[No. Party once you mastered it.]

"...fine." He pouted. "Party pooper."

All morning, Naruto worked hard under the slave driver of a guide he had. By the time he arrived in his classroom, he can satisfyingly create two clones from the basic Clone Jutsu. Happy was an understatement as to what he was feeling at the moment.

He was ecstatic and a certain pupilless girl immediately noticed. Her mood improved from seeing her crush very pleased about something.

Time rapidly went by as events...transpired. Naruto was traumatized and he listened to Kuro's advice on keeping his distance from the other person that triggered the horrible memory. Though the young teen suspected that Kuro was using that...event to move him away from someone else instead.

So here he was, sitting next to the shy, fidgeting girl who was red; as in tomato red. He began to worry about her health and checked if she was okay. Of course, like every time, she fainted and he was tasked to wake her up in a few minutes by Iruka-sensei who was exasperated at the clueless boy.

Eventually, Naruto and his teammates, Sakura and Sasuke, were the last ones left that were waiting for their sensei. Under Kuro's insistent requests, Naruto kept himself busy with the Leaf Concentration Exercise which did wonders for, surprise surprise, his concentration. Two hours ago when Iruka was speaking, Naruto managed to both listen to him and memorize some of the teams that were formed. This act, while normal to many, was a staggering feat for him and he was glad that his talent points were not wasted.

While the transformation of his lifestyle wasn't by choice, he was more or less okay with it. Kuro held good intentions for him and if he ended up as Hokage in the end then it'll be all worth it. Yeah, the exercise wasn't one of the most fun activities he can do, but it was something. It kept him occupied to relieve the boredom he was experiencing which was a welcomed bonus. Plus, he discovered how much he truly loved the silence. No berating from Sakura. No insults from Sasuke. Just peace...

What was slowly becoming the new normal for Naruto was a mystery for Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura waited and waited. Rejection was ready on her tongue and surprisingly, there was no need for it today. The boy who normally earned her ire was...different. There were no physical differences and certainly no mental ones she noticed so far. It was just his behavior.

He wasn't cold or anything; just quiet. Cheerful was his middle name when she first entered the room but when class started, Naruto changed; that was the least complicated way she can describe it. In the place of his sunny countenance was a focused face that she had never seen from him.

Naruto himself probably no idea by the amount of attention he was secretly receiving. Her longest love rival kept sending confused glances at him where the other girls had their eyes opened. While not as good as Sasuke, Naruto did have a unique charm and above-average looks. It took a separate attitude from him to notice that.

Sakura inwardly gagged at her thoughts. She didn't believe it. Today was the day when Sakura paid attention to the one person she hated the most next to Ino pig. Darn. There went her bet against Ino. Now she had to pay 100 Ryo to one hateful blonde because of another hateful blonde. Stupid Naruto and his beautiful blue eyes.

Ugh! She bashed her head against the table and groaned, wishing for their sensei to arrive faster.

Sasuke didn't care as much about Naruto's change or whatever he was going through. If anything, the image he had of Naruto went from a hyperactive monkey to a tranquil monkey. It wasn't an interesting thing to witness. However, he had to admit that a silent Naruto was likable. No shouting, no annoying declarations, and he wasn't bothering him.

Today was definitely the best day of his life. Now if only he can get rid of the fangirls...

The door slid open and a man walked through. He wore the typical Shinobi attire but his headband was on diagonally which coated his left eye. A mask covered the lower half of his face, allowing Team Seven to see only a quarter of the appearance of their future sensei.

[Don't.]

'But why? I wanna yell at him! He's three hours late!'

[Yes but he's also your teacher. A less favorable first impression means you might not get personal training.]

'...I hate it when you're right.'

"Hmm... How can I say this? He eye-smiled. "You guys are boring," stated the Jonin, eying the three who sweatdropped from his words. "Meet me on the roof." Their jonin instructor vanished, leaving the trio of graduates in dismay.

'I am sooo pranking him! I'm not boring! I make awesome pranks! I'm the opposite of boring! I'm...uh...unboring!'

[I approve.]

'Huh?'

[No one insults my user and gets away with it. I'll look for weaknesses. Keep your eyes on him otherwise, I can't see.]

'Oh.' Naruto slapped his cheeks to bring back his composure but could not fight the smile that bloomed from the emotions he was feeling. 'You got it Kuro.'