Konoha, Year 45, Winter.
The sun was setting.
The golden rays of the setting sun bathed the Konoha Ninja Academy's training grounds, turning beads of sweat into shimmering gold.
"Huff... huff... Guy, I can't... I can't go on..." A handsome young man with white hair, gasped for breath.
"Hang in there, Yuu! It's always tough at first, but if you push through, you'll experience an even more wonderful feeling...
"That's the feeling of youth! We're almost done with our 200th lap!"
Might Guy, sporting his signature bowl cut and dressed in a frog-like green jumpsuit, ran alongside him, turning his head to flash a thumbs-up.
His pearly-white teeth gleamed in the sunlight.
But before he could finish his sentence, Yuu collapsed to the ground with a 'thud'.
Luckily, he managed to brace himself with his arms, avoiding a faceplant. "I... I'll just sit here for a bit, Guy. You keep running. Don't worry about me."
"...Alright then!"
Might Guy didn't give it a second thought.
After all, even someone with poor stamina shouldn't be completely exhausted after just 200 laps around the training ground, right?
"I'll come back for you after I finish the remaining 800 laps!"
---
Watching Might Guy's retreating figure, Mikami Yuu let out a long sigh.
Eight years had passed since he was reincarnated into the Naruto World.
In those early years, Mikami Yuu had once fantasized about using his extraordinary intellect and unparalleled talent to rise to prominence in this world.
He envisioned himself punching Uchiha Madara, kicking Black Zetsu and Obito, and hammering Ōtsutsuki Kaguya with a single thrust...
But as time passed, especially after entering the Ninja Academy, Mikami Yuu was forced to confront a harsh truth:
He was just an ordinary person.
As everyone knew, to thrive in the Shinobi World, one needed connections, a powerful background, and most importantly, noble blood.
Mikami Yuu, however, was a commoner.
Although his two lifetimes had given him a composure and maturity beyond his years, and he had diligently followed a rigorous training and diet regimen since the age of three or four—drinking a glass of warm milk and doing twenty minutes of stretching exercises before bed each night—his efforts only allowed him to excel in academic subjects.
As for practical combat skills...
Mikami Yuu's Ninjutsu performance was mediocre, barely ranking in the middle.
If this were a time of peace...
He could still strive to meet the Genin graduation standard by age twelve, bide his time for a few years, and then apply to become a teacher at the academy.
When Naruto's generation enrolled, he'd find a way to replace Iruka, then spend his days racking up goodwill points with the future Hokage. After seeing Naruto graduate, he could finally coast through life.
If everything went smoothly, years later, when the Seventh Hokage got married, they'd even invite "Teacher Mikami" to give a speech on stage.
But alas...
Mikami Yuu had been born a bit too early.
The Konoha Ninja Academy still operated under a wartime curriculum, with students typically enrolling at age four and graduating between eight and nine.
Mikami Yuu's classmates included Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Might Guy, Nohara Rin, Sarutobi Asuma... a veritable constellation of prodigies.
Among this cohort, the most prodigious—a white-haired prodigy—graduated in his second year, became a Chunin in his third, and now spent most of his time on missions outside the village.
And the least impressive of the bunch...?
Everyone called Obito the dead last.
Little did they know, in the Naruto World, children from commoner backgrounds like Mikami Yuu were the true bottom of the barrel.
Those other kids had cheat codes baked into their DNA, so a slow start didn't matter. Besides, they weren't really that slow—they just lacked the brainpower to fully unlock their potential.
Mikami Yuu, under normal circumstances, could only lie beneath Konoha's towering protection, serving as a somewhat valuable workforce—
The Naruto World during this era was far from peaceful. Conflicts between Ninja Villages flared up constantly, and the Third Great Ninja War was poised to erupt within a year or two at most.
By then, even newly graduated Genin would be thrown onto the battlefield.
If they were lucky, they might survive the war with minor injuries. If not, they might end up enrolling in the Ninja Academy alongside Naruto and Sasuke (Reincarnation)...
'As a transmigrator who's already eight years old, how come I don't even have a single cheat? Is that even fair?'
Mikami Yuu was deeply frustrated.
He had already made up his mind.
At the end of the month, the Ninja Academy's semester-end exams would take place, marking the final major assessment before graduation next February.
If his performance in practical combat classes remained this poor, he would feign an excuse to drop out and apply for a job as a ramen noodle maker at Ichiraku Ramen.
This was the safest plan Mikami Yuu could devise.
Becoming a powerful ninja and experiencing the grand vistas of this world had its appeal, of course.
But with his years of honed arm strength, becoming a ramen chef offered a far broader and brighter future.
Besides, Uncle Ichiraku's daughter was quite pretty.
With his handsome looks, he could reluctantly marry into the family, change his surname to Ōtsutsuki, and it wouldn't be a bad deal at all...
[ Ding! System successfully bound! ]
A line of text floated across his vision.
"Eh???"
Mikami Yuu jolted awake. 'What's going on? I actually have a cheat?! And it took eight whole years to activate?!'
[ System initialization complete. Loading core modules... ]
[ This System is the [Shinobi World Galgame System], designed to assist the host in forging deep bonds with eligible female characters. Enjoy sweet romances while earning generous rewards and ascending to the pinnacle of life! ]
"Holy shit!"
Mikami Yuu's eyes lit up, feeling like he'd been rescued from the brink of despair:
'Here it comes!'
'My cheat!'
Even though the system's name sounded a bit strange, it was still a cheat.
Thinking about this era, there were still plenty of characters in the Shinobi World who could be considered "beautiful girls."
Among those his age were Nohara Rin, Yūhi Kurenai, and Terumi Mei; older women included Tsunade; and even Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto weren't yet married...
'Conquer the Shinobi World, women on both arms—a glorious path seemed to unfold before him!'
However—
[ Core Module Loaded ]
[ Scanning and loading the beautiful girl characters currently in contact with the host: Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, Substitution Technique. Wishing you a pleasant strategy session! ]
"Huh?"
The smile froze on Mikami Yuu's face.
[ Wait, wait a minute! ]
[ Conquering what now? ]
[ Three-Body Techniques??? ]
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Mikami Yuu mentally commanded, "Open the System's main interface."
As soon as the words left his mind, a UI in the style of a Japanese visual novel materialized before his eyes, glowing softly.
At the center of the softly lit background image were three chibi-style Ninjutsu icons, each labeled with its name and a corresponding affection meter.
[ Currently Available Conquest Targets ]
[ Transformation Technique (Current Affection: 10/100 - Stranger) ]
[ Clone Technique (Current Affection: 5/100 - Stranger) ]
[ Substitution Technique (Current Affection: 5/100 - Stranger) ]
Mikami Yuu tapped the icon for Transformation Technique.
The interface shifted.
On the left remained the chibi avatar, vaguely resembling a black-haired beauty with a slightly mischievous smile.
On the right appeared a detailed status panel alongside several prominent action buttons:
[ Strategy Target Selected: Transformation Technique ]
[ Converse ], [ Practice ], [ Gift (Affection too low, not yet unlocked) ], [ Leave ]
Mikami Yuu chose [ Dialogue ].
[ Evening. You happen to encounter the Transformation Technique taking a stroll on the school's playground. She seems delighted by your appearance, waving at you from afar with a playful grin. ]
[ Transformation Technique: "Oh~ It's little Mikami! Who are you transforming into today? Remember that time you impersonated Teacher Oki during the test and ended up walking with the same foot and hand at the same time? Everyone teased you about that for ages! ( ̄▽ ̄*)~" ]
Three options appeared below:
[ A: "Sorry, I was clumsy last time. I'll definitely try harder this time." ]
[ B: "That was just to make everyone laugh!" ]
[ C: (Silence, simply staring intently at her) ]
"..."
The corner of Mikami Yuu's mouth twitched, utterly speechless.
'Seriously, dude...'
'Are you actually for real?'
'Talking to Ninjutsu, giving them gifts, raising their affection level... is this even something a human could do?'
'Forget it, forget it. This System is clearly just mentally deficient. I might as well pretend it doesn't exist...'
[Reminder: The host's words and actions determine the target's affinity level. Each time the affinity reaches a certain threshold, the host's attributes will slightly increase, and there's a chance to obtain special rewards related to the target. ]
"Choose A," Mikami Yuu said.
'Rewards? No need to say anything else.'