In a classroom at Konoha’s Ninja Academy, a blond boy dressed in orange lay sprawled across his desk, dozing off out of sheer boredom.
His name was Uzumaki Naruto.
But he was no longer the Uzumaki Naruto everyone once knew.
The person inside him now was a transmigrator whose original name was Wang Yiming.
After getting hit by a truck while saving a little girl—a transmigration cliché if there ever was one—he had awakened in the Naruto world as Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto was eleven years old this year, with only one year left before graduation.
At first, he had been nervous enough to resolve himself to work hard.
As a transmigrator, he couldn’t exactly embarrass his fellow otherworlders.
He wasn’t asking to eventually crush Uchiha Madara beneath his feet, but at the very least, he ought to be stronger than Sasuke.
However, before Naruto could even begin working hard, he discovered that his body could train and grow stronger on its own!
[Host has been bound to the Self-Motivated System. The host does not need to work hard. Your body will automatically grow stronger!]
[Ding! Detected Iruka explaining the principles of the Clone Jutsu. Your Clone Jutsu has become excited and automatically reached Proficiency level.]
[Ding! Detected the host displaying the attitude of a complete slacker. Your physical constitution is furious at your lack of ambition and has worked hard on its own, rising to Chūnin level.]
Naruto remained sprawled across his desk like a thoroughly unmotivated slacker.
He didn’t have to work hard.
He just got stronger.
Ah, how lonely it was to be invincible~
At the front of the classroom, Iruka looked at Uzumaki Naruto, who was always bursting with energy outside class yet completely lifeless during lessons, and saw that he had fallen asleep yet again.
Irritation began to build inside him.
“Uzumaki Naruto! We just finished explaining the principles behind the Clone Jutsu. Come up here and demonstrate it for everyone.”
At once, the entire class turned to look at Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke snorted.
“Hmph. The dead last is sleeping in class again.”
Sakura frowned.
“That idiot is going to embarrass himself again. Huh? Wait… why isn’t he making a huge fuss like usual?”
Hinata Hyūga silently cheered him on.
“Do your best, Naruto!”
…
Still half asleep, Naruto dragged himself to the front of the classroom and formed a hand seal.
“Clone Jutsu!”
With a puff, another Uzumaki Naruto appeared beside him.
The clone looked every bit as sleepy and listless as the original.
The entire class immediately burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! I’m dying! Even his clone looks as stupid as he does!”
“As expected of the dead last!”
Unlike the mocking students, however, Iruka thought the Clone Jutsu was nearly perfect.
Because the clone looked exactly like Naruto did right now.
If it weren’t for the fact that the clone lacked a shadow, even Iruka might have had trouble telling which one was real.
“Iruka-sensei, is that enough?”
“Uh… yes. That’s enough. You can go back to your seat, Uzumaki Naruto.”
Iruka watched Naruto shuffle away without an ounce of enthusiasm.
For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Naruto had changed.
“All right. Let’s have the next student demonstrate the Clone Jutsu. Sasuke, you’re up.”
“Wow! Sasuke-kun is so cool!”
“Look at Sasuke’s clone! It has so much personality! It’s just as handsome as he is!”
“As expected of the strongest student in the class! He’s handsome and powerful!”
Unlike the jeers Naruto had received, Uchiha Sasuke was showered with praise from practically everyone in the classroom.
Naruto didn’t care.
He wasn’t becoming stronger so he could show off.
He only wanted enough strength to protect himself.
Besides, standing out wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
As a Jinchūriki, who knew how many ANBU and Root shinobi were secretly watching him every day?
If they discovered that the Jinchūriki was actually a genius, who knew whether someone might drag him off somewhere and try to turn him into a weapon?
That old bastard Danzō had suggested to the Third Hokage more than once that the Jinchūriki should be trained into a killing machine.
If Naruto weren’t the Fourth Hokage’s son, he might already be in Root by now.
[Ding! Your Clone Jutsu has sensed Sasuke’s Clone Jutsu being showered with praise. Provoked by the attention he received, your Clone Jutsu’s mastery has automatically increased to the Transcendent level.]
A warm current flowed through Naruto’s body.
All of a sudden, his understanding of the Clone Jutsu changed completely.
When should he use it?
What situations were best suited for it?
How should he move and act while using the technique to make the deception convincing?
The knowledge poured into him like genuine combat experience.
Even without fighting actual battles, he wouldn’t become some paper tiger who possessed power but had no idea how to use it.
[Ding! Your Substitution Jutsu has sensed the pressure coming from your Clone Jutsu. Its mastery has automatically increased to Proficiency level.]
[Ding! Your Transformation Jutsu has sensed the pressure from the other techniques. Its mastery has automatically increased to Proficiency level!]
Listening to the System chatter endlessly in his ear, Naruto couldn’t help sighing in admiration.
My System really is way too capable!