After getting his chakra unlocked by the local legends, Ryan felt like a king. On Earth, he was a retired old man; now, he was a four-year-old who felt like he could take on a group of rowdy teenagers and win.
But science taught him one thing: Overconfidence is the first step toward a lab explosion.
For a week, Ryan felt a prickly sensation on the back of his neck. Someone was watching. He kept his training "normal"—lots of running, some cute stumbling, and basic stretches.
Observation: The watcher has left, Ryan thought, sitting under a tree. Probably a Root agent sent by that one-eyed pirate, Danzo. He must have seen me with the Jinchuriki and wondered if I was a threat. Good thing I look like a medium-low talent brat. Forget about me, Danzo. I'm just a background character.
"I wish I had a blue screen to tell me my stats," Ryan muttered. He poked his pudgey stomach. "Actually, why wait for a god to give me one? I'm a scientist. I make my own data."
He went back to the orphanage, snatched a dusty notebook, and started writing. Since nobody could read his English-coded shorthand, it was the perfect secret diary.
Name: Ryan Kinji (Scientist in a toddler suit) Age: 4.5 Years Chakra Capacity: 11 (Up from 6 since unlocking! Growth rate: Satisfactory) Level: 1st Year Academy Student (Technically a 'civilian' but I'm being generous) Current Goal: Don't die before graduation.
"Okay," Ryan whispered, tapping his pen. "I need a coach. Someone who won't ask questions. Someone... loud. Might Dai should be around somewhere. If I can manipulate that 'Eternal Youth' energy, I'll be set."
Ryan was walking through the market district, heading toward the training grounds, when he passed a butcher shop. Suddenly, his heart hammered. A strange, magnetic pull drew him toward the counter. It felt like the air around the shop was five degrees colder.
The Ice Data! My soul is vibrating!
He walked up to the counter, putting on his "Super-Cute Orphan #1" face. "Hello, Uncle! You look very strong today!"
The butcher, a massive man with a head as bald and shiny as a bowling ball, looked down. "What do you want, kid? I'm busy."
"Uncle, do you have any wolf meat? Specifically... from a wolf found in the Land of Snow?" Ryan's eyes were wide and watery.
The butcher blinked in shock. "How did you know? A caravan just brought in a wolf cub that died from its injuries. The meat is rare and expensive. Why would a brat like you want it?"
Ryan resisted the urge to kiss the man's bald head in joy. Thank you, you beautiful baldie! Instead, he looked terrified.
"Uncle! Please! I was sent by a very important ninja! He's on a secret mission to protect the village and he needs the 'essence' of the wolf for a ritual. He told me to fetch it while he prepares to leave. If I fail, the village might be in danger!"
The butcher looked skeptical. "A ninja sent a four-year-old? And how am I getting paid?"
Ryan gave a dark, internal chuckle. Time for some Uchiha-flavored bait.
"The ninja is Sasuke Uchiha," Ryan lied with a straight face, using the name of the future protagonist who wasn't even born yet. "He was just made the Vice-Captain of the Police Squad. He said if you give me the cub, you can go to the Police Headquarters tomorrow. He'll pay you triple the price for your trouble!"
The butcher's eyes turned into dollar signs. "Triple? From an Uchiha? Well... they are rich."
"Yes, sir! And if you need to verify, my name is Naruto," Ryan added, stifling a laugh. "I live on 23rd Street with my mom and dad. Just ask for the boy who loves ramen!"
"Alright, alright! Take it!" The butcher handed over a small wicker basket. Inside lay a small, white-furred wolf cub, cold to the touch and unmoving.
"Sorry, future Sasuke and Naruto," Ryan snickered as he sprinted away. "Science requires a few sacrificial names!"
Ryan found a thicket of bushes deep in the forest where nobody would find him. He set the basket down. His heart was racing. This was it. The same species that killed him in his past life.
"In my world, I needed a billion-dollar lab for this," Ryan muttered, picking up a sharp, jagged stone. "Here, I just need chakra and guts."
He took a deep breath, meditating until his "Medium-Low" chakra felt steady. He wasn't a warrior yet, but his focus was elite. He used the stone to make a deep cut in the cub's head, reaching for the brain—the center of all spiritual and physical energy.
He plunged his small hand into the cold blood.
Method: Resonance.
"Mix my chakra with the beast's blood," he whispered. "Draw the attribute back into the coils."
As his chakra touched the wolf's blood, a violent reaction occurred. His "Ice Attribute" soul, which had been dormant since he was reborn, recognized its old friend.
"ARGH!"
Ryan's eyes flew open. It felt like someone had poured liquid nitrogen into his veins. It wasn't a gentle flow; it was a drilling, freezing pain that felt like his bones were being shattered by hammers made of hail.
Because of the "Ice Wolf accident" that caused his death on Earth, Ryan's soul already had an Ice-physique, but his new body didn't have the chakra to support it. Now, that was changing. His generic, average chakra was being forcibly converted.
BOOM.
A muffled sound, like a freezing explosion, echoed inside his chest. The grass around him turned to frost instantly. Blue veins pulsed under his skin, and his hair began to turn a shade lighter.
The pain was too much. His 4.5-year-old nervous system overloaded, and Ryan collapsed into the dirt, unconscious.
While he slept, a thin layer of crystalline ice began to grow over his skin, shielding him from the world like a frozen cocoon.
Seven hours later, the sun was down.
"Uhhhh..." Ryan's eyes snapped open. He felt cold. Extremely cold. He looked at his hand, and a small puff of frost escaped his lips. "What... what the hell happened?"
He looked at his notebook. It was frozen solid.
"I think," Ryan grinned through chattering teeth, "I just hacked the game."