Chapter no.1 Prologue - The Cube

DISCLAIMER: This will be the general disclaimer for the entire lifespan of this fanwork. Adamos_Amet does not own any IPs (intellectual properties) depicted in this fanwork. This fiction is non-canon, and all mentioned IPs are the sole property of their respective holders.

Notes:

This fanfic is my own interpretation of another 'the gamer' system being given to Naruto Uzumaki. This concept has been explored before by authors like MaxFic, who actually inspired this fanfic. Go check him out. Their fanfic is Naruto: The Gamer Files by MaxFic. Sorry, but I can't add links. Anyways, my story in terms of inspiration is that MaxFic and I share the same concept—Naruto gains a system, and things begin to change. That's it. Everything else is different as Naruto's system is based on DnD rather than the gamer system. The plot, characters, development, and fights are completely different, with some elements being similar. So, if you have read MaxFic's fanfic, you'll find similarities but also a lot of differences.

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Early that morning, Naruto felt his eye twitch as he glared up at the rows of students watching him from the safety of their seats.

He knew he had only himself to blame for ending up like this... well, him and Iruka Umino's nosiness.

Iruka was currently giving him a lecture in the only way he knew how: by tying him up and dragging him halfway across the village to sit in the middle of the classroom floor as a warning to everyone else.

The message was crystal clear—mess with the village's monuments and you'd pay dearly.

The latest stunt Naruto was in trouble for was painting the faces of the Hokage Monument in vibrant white, red, and blue—a spectacle for the world to see. Even now, he could hear the echoes of shock and admiration from the crowd outside. The cries of dismay and outrage from those who saw their beloved mountain altered filled the air, reaching into the classroom and fueling a mix of reactions.

Despite the situation, a small smile tugged at Naruto's lips.

The praise from some fans felt good, but the displeasure of getting caught by Iruka soured the triumph.

It had to be karma, he thought bitterly.

The room was filled with the sounds of impatient tapping.

Naruto glanced to his left and up, meeting Iruka's intense gaze. Iruka's brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his hands were balled into fists on his hips. The deep scowl on Iruka's face was enough to clue Naruto in on the kind of trouble he was in. Iruka looked ready to make him regret his actions, thoroughly.

Naruto gave him a sheepish grin.

He slowly turned back to face his classmates. Some glared at him disapprovingly, others grinned, amused by his antics. A few, the ones who always seemed to have a cloud over their heads, didn't seem to care one way or another. Most of these observations, though, were just Naruto's own interpretations, as he tried to brush off the varied stares and the particularly sharp glare from Iruka.

"Okay... in my defense... I think Hokage-jiji looks way better with a nosebleed," Naruto blurted out.

A burst of laughter erupted from the boys in the stands who appreciated the joke.

"This is no time for jokes!" Iruka's shout reverberated through the classroom, cutting off the laughter like a sharp knife.

Every student, Naruto included, jumped in their seats.

The sheer volume of Iruka's voice made him cringe; it echoed painfully inside his head.

"We ALL know exactly what you did, you little smart-assed brat!" Iruka continued, his words stinging more than Naruto cared to admit.

Naruto rubbed his ears, trying to shake off the ringing.

"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."

As the ringing subsided, he couldn't help but let a proud grin spread across his face.

The thrill of the chase that morning had been real fun.

"IRRELEVANT!" Iruka's voice boomed so loudly it seemed his head might explode.

Naruto was sitting so close that the force of the shout actually blew his hair to the side.

He tried to smooth it down.

"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 thrice. What do these little escapades of yours teach you that the academy doesn't?"

His eyes were ablaze with frustration, and for a moment, Naruto felt a pang in his chest.

I knew I was letting him down, but I couldn't seem to help myself.

"That the Chunin chasing after me are second-rate chumps?" Naruto shot back but Iruka was having none of it.

"NOTHING! THAT'S WHAT!" Iruka screamed, the words echoing in Naruto's head. He watched as Iruka caught himself, his anger simmering as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, his gaze fixed on Naruto with a mix of exasperation and disappointment. That look always made Naruto squirm. It reminded him too much of the disdain and dismissal he felt from everyone else in the village.

But Iruka cared, maybe too much, and that made it hurt all the more.

"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?" His voice softened, but the intensity in his eyes didn't wane.

"Yup!" Naruto responded, a bit too quickly. "My dream is to be Hokage, dattebayo!" he declared with as much conviction as he could muster.

Sitting there, tied up in the middle of the classroom, Naruto felt the weight of his words more heavily than ever.

I wanted to be Hokage, to be someone important, someone respected.

But here he was, the class clown, the troublemaker, always on the wrong side of every lecture.

He wanted Iruka to understand, to see that his antics weren't just about seeking attention or stirring up trouble.

But how could I explain that the laughs and the shouts, even the scoldings, were better than being invisible?

How could I make him see that every prank pulled me a little further from the loneliness that gnawed at me every night?

"Exhibit A: the apple Naruto crammed full of worms and gave to Mizuki, along with several other unfortunate teachers. Exhibit B: the stink bombs he 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 couldn't help but laugh out loud, reminiscing about the chaos of that day.

The dojo had turned into a slapstick comedy scene, everyone stuck in place, their sandals glued firmly to the floor. To him, it was a riot, at least in his eyes. However, his laughter quickly faded as he sensed a wave of glares and what felt like killing intent from the students in the stands behind him.

Their displeasure was palpable, and it prickled at the back of his neck.

He tried to shrug it off, but the weight of their disapproval was heavy.

"Exhibit D: rigging the dividers in the hot spring between the boys' and girls' sides to collapse randomly during the day... actually... props to that one, Naruto, nice going. Oh... and Exhibit E: replacing all the canned drinks in the academy cafeteria with urine samples swiped from the hospital," Iruka continued, his voice heavy with resignation as he dropped the last document on the desk with a groan and slammed the drawer shut.

"That's not even the worst part..."

"How was that not the worst part?" a random student called out, his voice tinged with distress, likely haunted by the memory of the drink swap prank.

"All of those so-called 'accomplishments' could fill up my file three times over," Iruka marched over to Naruto, crossing his arms and fixing him with a glare that tried to bore straight through him.

Despite the anger emanating from Iruka, Naruto couldn't help but feel a strange mix of pride and guilt as his pranks were recounted.

They were meant to be funny, to lighten up the dull days, to make him stand out.

But seeing Iruka so upset, he felt a twinge of regret.

"To summarize your academy record for you, in brief: you're a terrible student," Iruka concluded, his disappointment palpable.

Naruto instantly dropped his clueless expression and grinned.

"Thanks..."

"That wasn't a compliment, idiot," Iruka snapped back, pulling a kunai from his holster and slicing through the rope that bound Naruto. Naruto stretched out, relieved to be free from the physical restraints, yet the emotional ones tightened around his heart.

Watching Naruto flex feeling back into his limbs and midsection, Iruka held his hand out 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..."

As Iruka's impatience visibly grew, Naruto knew he couldn't stall any longer.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto reached into his jacket pockets and reluctantly pulled out the items he had stashed for today's pranks. Handing them over, he watched Iruka's expression shift from suspicion to curiosity as he held up one of the three eggs Naruto had surrendered.

Iruka inspected the egg, holding it up to his eye level with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto knew what he was thinking; i wasn't the type to carry around ordinary eggs.

"Backups..." Naruto muttered, trying to sound nonchalant as he watched Iruka scrutinize the other two eggs in his lower hand. "Backups?" Iruka echoed, sniffing the egg he held, probably checking if it was expired. As Iruka was distracted, Naruto quickly lowered his goggles over his eyes. He barely suppressed a grin.

"What do you mean bac—"

SPLAT!

The egg exploded right in front of Iruka's face, and the other two burst against his chest, splattering yellow goop all over him. The sight of Iruka, covered in chicken mix and standing there in total bewilderment, was too much. Naruto doubled over with laughter, and soon, the whole class joined in.

Despite catching some of the splashback, it was absolutely worth it to see Iruka's stunned expression turn into one of slow-burning fury. He brushed the yolk off his trousers and face with quick, disgusted swipes, the heat from his anger practically cooking what remained of the egg on his skin. Calming down from his fit of giggles, Naruto couldn't help but grin up at Iruka triumphantly.

"How'd yah like that, Iruka-sensei? Cool, huh?" Naruto boasted, pulling out another rigged egg from his pocket and waving it like a trophy.

"The hard part was getting the ignition powder into the egg, but it all worked out in the end..."

Approximately a few minutes later, Naruto stood by the door, the weight of a bucket in each hand and an egg precariously perched atop his head. He felt the muscles in his arms begin to burn. The water in the buckets threatened to spill at the slightest tremor, demanding all his focus to keep them balanced. His expression was fixed in an annoyed glare, and his body stayed rooted in place, unable to escape the ever-growing weight or the mounting discomfort.

As Iruka resumed his lectures, the smell of egg wafted off his clothes. Despite the spectacle, Iruka carried on. He mentioned something about shopping for new clothes after class, but his voice became just another background hum as Naruto concentrated on not dropping the egg or spilling the water.

The hours dragged on. Iruka's voice melded into the sounds of scribbling and pages turning, and Naruto felt a dull ache in his arms and neck. Each minute felt like an hour as he stood there, part of the room yet apart from everyone else. Occasionally, Naruto shifted his gaze to the blackboard, attempting to absorb the information Iruka had written. The academic material was as dry as the desert to him, and after several reads, even the words started to blur together.

He had been through this punishment before. It was a familiar dance—mischief in the morning, suffer in silence during class. On days when he wasn't in trouble, he'd either catch up on sleep or grudgingly scratch out answers to the assignments, doing the bare minimum to scrape by.

Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough, but even as the bell finally rang, Naruto's ordeal wasn't over. He remained at his post by the door, a statue of endurance as the rest of the students began to leave. Some avoided eye contact, embarrassed or indifferent, while others smirked or snickered as they passed. Kiba, never one to miss an opportunity to dig in, threw his usual taunt as he walked by with Akamaru perched on his head.

"Nice going, dead last."

"Bite me, dog chow," Naruto shot back, their glares clashing for a moment before Kiba moved on. Each comment, each mocking grin, felt like another weight added to the buckets. Yet, beneath the surface bravado and the sharp exchanges, there was a weariness in Naruto. He knew he was the class clown, the troublemaker, the 'dead last.' But these labels, as much as they were a part of him, also felt like chains.

Within minutes, the classroom emptied out, leaving him alone under the watchful gaze of Iruka-sensei. As usual, following the pattern of punishments for his antics both inside and outside of the academy, Iruka assigned him to classroom cleanup. Naruto swept the floors, emptied the bins, cleaned the chalkboard, and wiped down the windows and desks.

After Iruka had gathered his things together for his break, he dragged Naruto up to the Hokage Monument to clean up the mess he had made there. It was a long and grueling process…

Early afternoon found Iruka sitting atop the Fourth Hokage's stone head, which offered him a clear view of the Ninja Academy below. As the bell rang, marking the end of the school day, Naruto, still at the base of the monument, could see the students and teachers streaming out of the building, their long shadows merging with the hues of the setting sun.

Part of Naruto felt relieved that the day was drawing to a close, but another part was dismayed; his tasks were far from over. He had been scrubbing the paint off the Hokage faces since the second period, and despite his continuous groaning and complaining under Iruka's watchful eyes, he had made noticeable progress.

Bit by bit, the paint peeled away, unveiling the stoic expressions of the village's revered leaders. Iruka's voice cut through the air. "I won't let you go home until everything is as it should be," Iruka declared, arms folded across his chest. "I expect this cliffside to be spotless."

"Like I care, it's not like I have anyone to go home to," Naruto shot back sharply, his words heavier than the rag he resumed scrubbing with.

From above, Iruka flinched at Naruto's words. In his focus on discipline, he had momentarily forgotten the reality of Naruto's solitary home life. The boy had no family waiting for him, no cheerful house to return to after a long day. Instead, he lived alone in a sparse apartment, a fact Iruka knew well but had briefly overlooked amid the day's chaos.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Iruka's demeanor softened. He recalled the briefing from Hiruzen when he first took Naruto as a student—the boy had been on his own for as long as he could manage, his upbringing more influenced by the streets of Konoha than any guardian or mentor.

Reflecting on the day's events and the punishments meted out, Iruka realized he might have been too harsh. Although Naruto's pranks were mostly harmless, there were exceptions, like the incident with the rogue wasp nest that still unsettled him. Deciding it was time to amend the day's severity, Iruka called out gently, "Naruto..."

Naruto looked up, skepticism plain on his face, likely expecting another reprimand. However, Iruka managed a small smile, choosing his next words carefully to avoid adding to the boy's burdens. "When you're done and everything is cleared up over here, I'll take you out for ramen tonight," he offered. "I'll buy..."

The change in Naruto's demeanor was immediate. His face brightened, a genuine smile breaking through the earlier frustration as he returned to his scrubbing with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. "Okay! I'll work a lot harder!"

From above, Iruka chuckled softly to himself.

"Good to see there's always a spark inside of him, infinitely burning," he mused to himself, shaking his head in amusement. 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, casting a warm glow of oranges and purples over Konoha, Naruto strolled through the bustling streets alongside Iruka-sensei. The lively chatter of villagers filled the air, weaving a vibrant tapestry typical of an evening in the Leaf Village.

With a bloated belly and a content smile, Naruto rubbed his stomach appreciatively. "As I always say, Ramen is the food of the Gods," he proclaimed proudly, his voice carrying slightly over the din of the busy street.

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

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, then closed it, shaking his head slightly. He was too tired to point out that there wasn't such a thing as the official saying of Konoha. "At least try to focus on school."

"I will."

They continued walking, surrounded by the lively energy of Konoha's nightlife.

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 he noticed what he had hit.

Under the dim glow of the streetlights, Naruto's attention was entirely captivated by a 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, a beggar shrouded in a cloak, appeared 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?"

"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.

"What's better than cool stuff? Free cool stuff!"

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

Iruka, looking weary, turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"Look, Naruto, it's late at night, I'm tired, and I don't want to deal with your pranks right now."

Taken aback by Iruka's words, Naruto 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.

"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.

At night found Naruto sitting cross-legged on his bed, clutching a puzzling cube firmly in his hands. His bedroom was bathed in a soft glow from the moonlight sneaking through the window. His brows knitted together in concentration as he struggled to unravel the secrets locked within the intricate designs of the cube.

"Why is this so hard?" he muttered, frustration edging into his voice. He set the cube down, his eyes darting toward the inviting softness of his pillow, considering sleep. But restlessness quickly overtook that fleeting thought. No, what kind of Hokage would he be if he backed down from a challenge?

As the clock ticked steadily towards midnight, Naruto resumed his efforts, his eyes growing red and tired from the strain. He remained fixated on the cube, turning it this way and that, each twist filled with hope for some magical transformation or revelation. Yet, the puzzle remained stubbornly unsolved.

Then, just as he was about to complete the last twist of the puzzle, he paused.

He could see that finishing it would make all the once ornate and intriguing shapes join together into a disappointingly blank cover. The intricate designs that had so thoroughly captivated him would vanish, leaving behind something utterly ordinary and unremarkable.

He pursed his lips in dismay, withdrawing his hand.

"I ain't finishing it and making it lame."

In a fit of disappointment, he slammed the now bland cube onto the desk beside his bed. The sound echoed slightly in the quiet of his room. Turning his back on the puzzle, he settled into his bed, his mind still spinning with thoughts of the cube's initial allure and its anticlimactic resolution.

As Naruto drifted into a deep sleep, the room was bathed in silence, broken only by his soft, rhythmic breathing. 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.

Then the 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.

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

Standing amidst towering trees in an unfamiliar forest, with leaves whispering secrets on the gentle breeze, Naruto felt a surreal sense of displacement.

Is this a dream? he wondered aloud, pinching himself, half-expecting to snap back to reality.

Yet there he remained, enveloped in this inexplicable scene.

As if answering his bewildered query, a path illuminated before him, cutting through the dense foliage with a soft, inviting glow. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, he followed the path without hesitation. It wound through landscapes that shifted dramatically—a scorching desert, a serene snow-covered field, a tranquil lake, and a murky swamp.

Each environment transitioned seamlessly into the next, as if nature itself orchestrated this mysterious journey.

Emerging from the swamp, Naruto stepped into a clearing where reality twisted in impossible ways.

Water flowed upward into the sky, birds growled like dogs, and cats and dogs literally rained from above. Above, the sky morphed into a surreal canvas of melting, contorting clocks. It was a scene that defied all logic, a vivid hallucination—or so it seemed. At the center of this bizarre world stood an altar, atop which rested a cube, similar yet distinctly different from the one he had at home.

As he approached, a voice echoed in his mind.

[ Do you want to play a game? ]

Excitement surged through him.

[ Then finish the cube ]

Naruto reached out, his hands steady as he manipulated the familiar object. With a confident twist, he completed the puzzle.

[ Activation sequence recorded. System will begin merger. ]

"You talk like a pompous teme."

Suddenly, the cube erupted into a brilliant, blinding light. He shielded his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed by the intensity.

When the light subsided, Naruto found himself adrift in an endless cosmic sea, surrounded by a breathtaking tapestry of stars and planets.

He floated there, feeling both insignificant and profoundly awestruck by the vastness surrounding him.

Looking up, he saw it—an entity like no other. Before him, a cosmic entity made of multiple human hands, glowing with a golden luminescence, moved and danced against the backdrop of stars, planets, and galaxies.

The hands and fingers, adorned with sparkling jewels, orchestrated a celestial ballet.

"Are you the God?!" Naruto asked, his voice echoing through the vast expanse, feeling small yet connected to something infinitely larger than himself.

[ System has recognised the player "Naruto Uzumaki" ]

[ System merger has commenced. ]

Naruto couldn't grasp what was happening. The words were foreign, yet they resonated within him. He closed his eyes, trying to make sense of it all.

The entity transformed into a stream of liquid gold, flowing toward him and merging with his being. He 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 ]