[Ding! Successfully recruited C-rank Ninja: Ninja Academy - Uzumaki Naruto!]
The system interface immediately displayed a young Naruto wearing his signature goggles, a bright orange jumpsuit, and holding a paintbrush.
Though he was a C-rank ninja—the weakest stage of the many Narutos to come—he was, after all, the protagonist. As the reincarnation of Asura's chakra, no one would ever turn down a Naruto.
Hayate opened the ninja details, focusing first on the skill set.
Ninja Academy - Uzumaki Naruto: C-rank Ninja
- Skills: Paint Prank, Clone Combo, Harem Jutsu.
- Paint Prank: Naruto splashes paint forward, creating a puddle. (A direct hit slows the enemy for 3 seconds; the puddle on the floor also causes a slow effect.)
- Clone Combo: Naruto summons a clone to launch the enemy into the air, followed by the original delivering a final downward strike. (Note: As a system skill, the clone has physical striking power—similar to a Shadow Clone but significantly weaker.)
- Harem Jutsu: Naruto uses multiple clones to transform into beautiful women, launching a "mental attack" on the enemy.
Looking at the three skills, Hayate realized that with the inclusion of a slow effect, a clone strike, and a transformation, he had finally completed the Three Basic Jutsu of a ninja—albeit in a "system-modified" format. Substitution was already a god-tier survival skill; now, Clone and Transformation joined the ranks.
In the original Naruto world, a standard "Clone Jutsu" was merely an afterimage with no physical presence. However, this system version allowed for a physical strike—making it a diet version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
As for the Harem Jutsu... Hayate shivered. He needed to test if he could use the underlying Transformation Jutsu to become someone else. If he was locked into only turning into a woman, he vowed never to use it. The sheer cringe factor was too high.
Despite that, he was immensely satisfied. Completing the "Basic Three" provided a massive boost to his utility. Infiltration and stealth would now be significantly easier, which was crucial for his upcoming plans.
However, Naruto's arrival meant his combat slots were full once again. The road to recruiting Tsunade remained long, and finding more recharge items was now more urgent than ever.
Looking at his 6,296 Gold Coins, Hayate decided to stop for the night. His luck with the chests had been explosive, and he didn't want to risk a "pity pull" by pushing his luck too far.
He clicked to claim the ninja. Instantly, the chakra within his body swelled again. The muscle memory and theoretical knowledge of Naruto's three skills flooded his mind.
With this boost, his chakra capacity increased enough to grant him three additional uses of Chidori. He was moving steadily toward becoming a "Chakra Ton" (Chakra Tank). While he wasn't at the level of specialized bloodline limits or Tailed Beasts yet, he was already far beyond the average Jonin.
Scanning his remaining shards, he noted the progress on Hidan and Young Kakashi. He had a premonition that these two would be completed before he ever saw enough shards for Tsunade.
Hayate didn't head to the combat interface. Instead, he entered the Practice Range. He needed to dismantle and understand these new mechanics.
In the range, he first triggered Clone Combo. A duplicate of Hayate appeared, striking the air before Hayate himself followed up with a jump-strike. After the sequence, the clone vanished.
He then broke it down. The "combo" was just a preset move, but the underlying Clone Jutsu was what mattered.
"Ninja Art: Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, a duplicate stood beside him. Their visions synced, and Hayate found he could control its movements with a thought. Unlike a Shadow Clone, this clone had a very short duration and vanished upon being hit. It didn't relay memories back to the host upon dispelling; it was more like a single-task program. You set the command upon summoning, and it executed.
The key difference? This clone had the power of one hit. It could strike once before losing its stability. Hayate nodded; that one hit could be the difference between life and death in a sneak attack.
Next, he focused on the Transformation Jutsu.
Through trial and error, Hayate discovered he could indeed transform into anyone, provided he was familiar with their appearance. However, it wasn't a perfect biological mimicry like Mystique from the X-Men.
While Mystique could replicate retinas and fingerprints to fool high-tech scanners, Hayate's transformation was primarily visual. To fool a fingerprint or iris scanner, he would need to have seen and memorized the target's specific biological data via his Sharingan first.
Without that data, the transformation was a perfect illusion for the human eye, but it would fail against advanced tech like blood-type sensors or high-end biometric locks.
Still, with his Sharingan, he only needed a single glance at a target to gather the physical data required to bypass most security.
The foundation was complete. He was no longer just a powerhouse; he was now a true ninja.