The Fox Spirit

A gong sounded three times, and Zhang Ming opened his eyes.

Konoha's main street, in a narrow apartment.

His eyes met a dim room, with a lonely summer night's breeze moving the wind chimes on the balcony.

A foreign soul had arrived in Konoha, taking over Naruto's body.

[Ding! System loading…]

[7%]

Zhang Ming had a splitting headache, his vision clouded in a deep red blur.

Am I going blind?

Ouch! Hiss…!

He only wanted to play a game. Was it worth dying for? How would he show up at work tomorrow?

His probation period was about to end, and he'd almost made it…

As the pain faded, Zhang Ming opened his eyes to a strange, cluttered room in dim light. 

The air smelled faintly stale, and the walls were covered in old, yellowing wallpaper. Clothes and books were strewn across the wooden floor.

Realizing something, Zhang Ming looked down at his own hands.

His pupils widened, and with a shout, he stumbled backward.

His hands had shrunk?!

[System loading progress: 13%]

A mechanical voice echoed in his mind, piercing shards of memories flooding into Zhang

Ming's mind, making him cry out in pain as he rolled on the bed.

Voices buzzed around his ears like ants, the pain almost making him faint.

Is it that child? So disgusting!

I told you not to play with him. Who knows what that freak will do!

That fox demon killed the Fourth Hokage.

Naruto, do you have the Will of Fire?

The Hokage is the strongest person in the village, our protector. Naruto, you need to work hard to become Hokage too.

"Hokage? Are you kidding me?" Zhang Ming's head throbbed.

Everything was dark except for two small holes in the distance.

Stumbling, he dragged himself over and peered outside. He saw people, all kinds of people. Their eyes were filled with disdain, coldness, and disgust.

Get lost, you monster!

I won't sell to you! Get out!

Why don't you just die? How do you have the courage to live in this world? You monster!

Cold emotions mixed with pain surged in Zhang Ming's heart, nearly suffocating him. He flipped over, pounding his chest, and finally caught his breath.

[System loading progress: 17%]

He opened his eyes, finding himself lying on the bed, and saw a floating interface appear before him. Having read enough novels and played enough games, he quickly understood his situation.

He'd traveled into Naruto's world as Uzumaki Naruto, seemingly still in the academy, about to face the genin graduation exam.

One comfort: he had a system. Even in this foreign world, the system was fully equipped and still loading. What was this system again?

No matter—it was better than nothing.

Gazing at the night outside, Zhang Ming had no intention of sleeping. He got out of bed and turned on the room's light.

With a click, the bright light washed away his unease.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto now."

Ignoring the messy room and the stale-smelling table, Zhang Ming sat down, took out a pen and paper, and instinctively began writing in "Sakura script."

Naruto could understand it too. He spoke aloud, noticing that he could switch between three or four languages, though only "Sakura" language mattered here.

He pulled up his shirt but couldn't see the Nine-Tails seal on his stomach. That was a problem—Dual Four Symbols Seal.

The faintly leaking Nine-Tails chakra ran through his body's meridians, converting into normal blue chakra.

While he could use Nine-Tails chakra for now, it wasn't a long-term solution.

After some thought, Naruto drafted a training plan. In this world, only the strong had a voice.

Becoming stronger would also help him grow.

As for life… Naruto scratched his head, stood up, and looked into the mirror. Seeing his young face, he grinned widely.

To hell with being Hokage!

Why protect those who scorned him? They could all die for all he cared! Bastards, trash!

He vented all his pent-up negative emotions, feeling much lighter.

Being Hokage was out, but making life comfortable was essential.

Forget about companions, village, and the Will of Fire—all of that could go to hell. Living was all about enjoyment. Once the system was fully loaded, he'd be unstoppable in the village.

Humming a tune, Naruto wrote his genin training plan.

"Be the coolest kid in the village!"

[System loading progress: 34%]

The next morning, dawn broke.

The first thing Naruto did upon waking was to check the system loading progress. The speed felt painfully slow, like a 2G network, really frustrating.

[System loading progress: 79%]

Yawning, he hadn't slept much last night. Since the sun was already up, he sluggishly got out of bed to wash up.

Thinking about the morning's ninja theory class, he planned to nap during class. His classmates already expected nothing less from him; no one cared about an unlucky person.

After washing up, he spent an hour tidying his room.

Choosing his outfit was tricky. His old look resembled a try-hard. The heavy jacket was too warm for summer…

After a moment's hesitation, he picked a black t-shirt and brown shorts and left his goggles on the table.

He wasn't a genin yet and had no Konoha forehead protector.

"I'm heading out!" he called into the empty room, receiving no reply, then closed the door with a bang.

He lived in an old apartment building on Konoha's main street. He had to wind through a maze of alleys to get outside. Seeing people in the sunlight, Naruto paused briefly.

The hostile gazes directed his way didn't bother him. He shrugged indifferently, lowered his head, and silently walked through the crowd.

The villagers' faces were cold, eyes lingering briefly on him before pulling away.

[System loading progress: 87%]

At the ninja academy, Shikamaru lazily scanned the crowd before noticing something. He nudged Choji, indicating Naruto's direction.

"Isn't that Naruto?" Choji stopped munching on chips. "Did he get beaten up again?"

"Probably." Shikamaru's eyes were half-closed. "Those people go too far."

Choji tossed his last chip into his mouth, crunching it.

The two pushed their way through the crowd, relying on Choji's round physique. No one dared provoke the three noble clans of Ino-Shika-Cho.

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