Fanfic #238 Naruto: The Leveling Shinobi by PaladinKaladin(Naruto)

This fanfic is a gamer Naruto au. I really like this fic because it starts right in the action of Naruto and does a good job of developing based on Naruto's ability.

Synopsis: Naruto wasn't sure what to think when a shiny blue box appeared in front of him, proclaiming him as "The Gamer". In a world where people could tremble mountains, create miniature planets in seconds, and summon tsunamis themselves, he needed to be a lot more than level five. The grinding starts now! "Now what the hell are attribute points?" (Naruto/Gamer/Solo Leveling Crossover)

Rated: M

words: 47k

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/14024841/1/Naruto-The-Leveling-Shinobi

Here's the first chapter:

[ The Game Has Begun ]

Huh?

[ Welcome, Player ]

What the hell?

[ The Player Has Been Identified as Naruto Uzumaki ]

Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing. A floating blue box with words he couldn't understand…this had to be a genjutsu.

What was the seal for disabling genjutsu again?

[Loading Stats…]

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Title: The Gamer

Occupation: Academy Student

Level: LV4

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 2000/2000

STR: 6

VIT: 10

DEX: 5

INT: 3

WIS: 3

LUK: 1

Current Skills:

[Shadow Clone Jutsu Lvl 3]

Class: N/A

[Tutorial Quest Created]

[Quest Details: Learn the intricacies and delve deep into the system of the game.

Quest Rewards: Exp. 1000, knowledge of the system.

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

No…I have to be hallucinating. Is this a dream?

[Quest Denied]

Naruto shook his head, convinced this was all a lucid dream he was experiencing. It had been two days since he stole the Forbidden Scroll and fought with Mizuki, and achieved his goal of becoming a Genin of The Hidden Leaf. The whole experience was exhilarating enough. He deserved a rest.

With a grunt, he fell back to sleep, forgetting the whole box situation instantly.

Rays of light entered his small apartment as the sun began rising in the east, signifying the start of day to the entire village of Konoha. Naruto felt his eyes start to slowly blink open, yawning in satisfaction of a good night's sleep.

He grinned widely as he saw Iruka's headband perched bracingly on the corner of his desk.

Maybe he could sleep for a bit longer…

[Ding!]

[Player has slept! MP and HP restored.]

Naruto's eyes widened in horror as his nightmares materialized in front of him. It wasn't a dream!

A genjutsu? Naruto thought, forgetting he went through the same process last night.

I should've listened to Iruka sensei's class!

Level 4, VIT, Class? What's all this? Naruto looked through all his stats in wonder.

If it wasn't a genjutsu, it must be…well, he didn't know. But he could understand a bit from the status window. His level was his current ability, and "STR" most likely stood for Strength, but he wasn't sure. But the real question stood. Why was all this happening?

[New Skill Achieved: Deduction - Lvl 1]

Huh. That's not too bad. Naruto thought with a contemplative look.

So if he got better at certain skills, the level would increase? If this…thing…showed all the skills and talents he had, what's the issue with it? It was just like real life, but he could track his own abilities better. That was all there was to it. Yeah, definitely all there was.

No issues whatsoever.

Right?

Jumping out of bed, Naruto prepared to dress himself. He opened his closet to reveal his infamous orange jumpsuit. Quickly putting it on, he came to realize that the blue box had disappeared. Maybe it was a one time thing.

[Ding!]

Or not.

[New Quest "First Step to Greatness" Created]

[Quest Details: Go to Academy, get assigned to a ninja team, and become a ninja of Konoha.

Quest Rewards: Exp. 1000, become a true ninja.

Failure: Dream of becoming Hokage crushed mercilessly.

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

Naruto's eyes widened at the conditions placed next to the failure option. Not become Hokage? Hell no! Did that mean he needed to accept the quest? And what was "Exp."? But considering it was in the rewards tab, it couldn't be something bad.

What was wrong with accepting the quest anyways?

How do I accept the quest? Damn it! I should've taken the tutorial. Uhhh…yes?

[Quest Accepted]

That was easy.

"Time for some breakfast!" Naruto said cheerfully, putting the blue box out of his mind for the moment. Iruka had previously told him that tunnel visioning wouldn't be a good thing for a Hokage to do. If there was one thing the blond was good at, it was treating things that are really important like a joke.

He opened the door to his fridge, and his mood immediately brightened.

Instant ramen and milk, what more could a future Hokage want?

[Would the player like to observe the ingredients?]

Observe? Ehh…sure.

[Items: Carton of milk, a dozen pack of instant ramen.]

[Observing…]

[Alert! Carton of milk may contain poison. Effects include: diarrhea, sickness, and overall weakness.]

"What the!" The spiky blond shouted. Poison? He drank these regularly!

Naruto checked the carton with urgency, before coming to an obvious realization.

"It's expired…" Naruto whispered. "NOOOO!"

After the screams of frustration died out, he decided it was best to stick with water for the day, and maybe buy some new cartons when he came back from the academy.

Even though I lost some milk…this box seriously just prevented a horrible day from happening. Naruto thought seriously.

He finished his breakfast in a hurry, tied on his headband, and made his way to the academy.

I wonder who I'm gonna be in a team with…

Well, he obviously wanted to be in a team with Sakura the most. Maybe Shikamaru or Choji. Kiba would also be alright, to be fair. Sasuke…he seriously didn't want to be in the same team as the dobe. They were rivals! Competitors!

Naruto shuddered.

Damn. I'm gonna be late for class.

The blond went by his usual shortcut to the Academy, going by roofs, suspicious alleyways, and empty roads.

[Ding!]

[Skill: Running has increased by one level.]

[Running is now Lvl 6]

Neat! Naruto thought as he rounded the final turn to the academy.

He went into the building with confidence, making sure to flash his new headband to every teacher he walked past. And then he went into the class.

"What's Naruto doing here?" Sakura asked instantly, being near the entrance when he entered.

"Naruto?"

"I thought he failed."

Putting on his signature grin, Naruto put a finger to his headband. "I'm the future Hokage! Why are y'all so surprised? This headband is Izuka's!"

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that last part.

"You stole Iruka sensei's headband?" Kiba asked, shocked.

"Too far, man."

"No, no. He gave it to me! I earned it!" Naruto exclaimed, quick to crush the misunderstanding.

[Ding!]

[New Skill Achieved: Public Speaking - Lvl 1]

"He's right, guys."

Naruto swerved his head around to meet the eyes of his hero, Iruka sensei. Tears animatedly poured from his eyes as he profusely thanked the man. After a quick reprimanding, he went to his seat. He had been waiting for this moment for two days, the satisfaction of proving the others wrong was more than worth the wait. If there was one thing Naruto loved, it was proving people wrong. That was one of the reasons he was becoming Hokage in the first place.

His blue eyes went to the local emo, who looked ahead in contemplation, not sparing a glance to the other students, nor the fangirls sitting around him.

Hmph. Think you're so cool? Wait till you see my new jutsu!

Naruto smiled in pride as he remembered the jutsu he learned from The Forbidden Scroll. It was the first real jutsu he had ever learned, other than his also infamous henge jutsus. Last night he spent the day making clones and creating conversations with them, which, in hindsight, sounds incredibly lonely. The realization sobered his mood again.

"This is so boring!" Naruto said out loud. "When will the teams be announced?"

"Be patient, Naruto," Iruka half-shouted from the podium. "First period hasn't even started yet."

He needed something to appease his boredom. Where was that blue box?

And there it was. The shiny, blue box appeared in front of his eyes, visible to only…

Wait.

Was he the only one who could see the thing?

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto yelled to the pink haired girl.

The girl had her patented look of annoyance present on her face as she looked at Naruto. "What?"

And nothing.

An awkward pause issues shortly after.

"Nothing, hehe," Naruto said bashedly, hand on his hair.

"Weirdo…"

So, that proved another point. Naruto was the only one who could see the shimmering blue box in front of him right now. That made him feel good, for some strange reason. He was…special.

Level 4, is that low or high? Naruto thought with a frown.

I observed the items in my fridge…does that mean I can observe other people?

[Skill: Deduction has increased by a level.]

[Deduction is now Lvl 2]

Naruto looked at the closest student, who happened to be Shikamaru. The pineapple-headed boy was fast asleep, lightly snoring into the crook of his pale arm.

Uhh…observe?

[Observing…]

[Observation successful!]

Name: Shikamaru Nara

Title: N/A

Occupation: Academy Student

Level: LV6

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 150/150

STR: 2

VIT: 4

DEX: 3

INT: 13

WIS: 6

LUK: 3

What the hell? This is fake! It has to be! Naruto thought in frustration. No way lazy bones is higher than me!

"INT" had to mean intelligence, if Shikamaru was so high in it. Naruto noticed how Shikamaru's chakra was also much lower than his own with satisfaction. Was that because of…who cares, honestly. So what if he had a demon in his belly? What's the chance of it suddenly escaping? Naruto realized he didn't actually have an answer for that.

So he checked Sakura next.

[Observing…]

[Observation successful!]

Name: Sakura Haruno

Title: N/A

Occupation: Academy Student

Level: LV2

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 100/100

STR: 1

VIT: 2

DEX: 2

INT: 6

WIS: 2

LUK: 5

Naruto winced at what he saw. He wasn't sure whether to celebrate or cry that he was higher than Sakura's level. But he wasn't surprised by the pink-haired girl's stats. Her "fights" in sparring sessions would usually end up with cat scrambles, any sense of the taijutsu they learned completely absent. Not that Naruto could be talking, he rarely used actual taijutsu in his fights either.

Of course, he checked Sasuke's next.

Now, Naruto wasn't dumb. He knew that Sasuke was stronger than him currently. He wouldn't be disappointed no matter how severe the difference. He angled a glare at the brooding boy.

[Observing…]

[Observation successful!]

Name: Sasuke Uchiha

Title: "Last Uchiha"

Occupation: Academy Student

Level: LV12

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 250/250

STR: 9

VIT: 7

DEX: 14

INT: 7

WIS: 4

LUK: 2

WHAT? HOW? WHEN? Naruto yelled in his mind.

Sasuke was an entire EIGHT levels higher than him. Eight. Naruto wasn't sure how to catch up. He wasn't even sure howto level up.

[Ding!]

[Players can level up by gaining experience points from completing quests or increasing levels of skills.]

Great. Naruto drawled.

"I will be announcing the teams now!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he immediately went into a mode of rapt attention. Even Shikamaru, for once, came out of his slumber. Most of the students had similar expressions, for valid reasons. The team you were assigned into literally had the potential to decide your future for the next few years. Most people hoped they got into teams with their friends, or people they knew were strong in some way.

But Naruto just wanted to be in a team with Sakura.

[Ding!]

[The Player is very fortunate that intelligence levels do not decrease.]

Naruto's eyes twitched.

He was tunnel visioned that he didn't listen to any name that wasn't his own, completely ignoring the cries and shouts of his other classmates as the teams were announced one by one.

"Team 7 will include Naruto Uzumaki…"

NOW!

"Sakura Haruno…"

"YATTA!" Naruto shouted with joy. No way his luck came through for him in such a crucial moment! For someone with Luck points of a mere one, Naruto was thoroughly impressed with himself.

"And Sasuke Uchiha."

"SHANNARO!"

Oh no…

{—-}

"My first impression of you is…you all are annoying."

Naruto sweatdropped. This guy was their Jonin sensei? Truth be told, even he didn't expect his prank to work on the man. Tall, silver-haired, and face mask on, their sensei looked quite exotic, and if it weren't for the Jonin vest he carried Naruto wouldn't be surprised if Kakashi wasn't even from their village.

He could tell that Sasuke was judging their sensei with detailed scrutiny as well, if the boy's narrowed eyes were any sign.

Sakura just looked pissed.

But he knew a quick way to check whether their sensei was capable or not.

Observe.

[Observing…]

Naruto smirked. Time to see whether this old man is the real deal or not.

[Observation failed.]

[Target's level is too high.]

Naruto gaped in shock. This means…our sensei is seriously strong! It seemed there were some limits to the blue box thing. The blond looked up to their sensei in a new light.

[Would Player like a partial observation?]

[Yes/No]

Hmmm…yes?

Name: Kakashi Hatake

Title: "Copy Ninja"

Occupation: Jonin Sensei

Level: ?

HP: 100/100

MP: 100/100

Chakra: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

LUK: ?

"Damn it!" Naruto mumbled to himself, drawing a strange look from Sasuke.

Copy Ninja? What does that mean?

"Well…" Kakashi sighed. "Let's start with introductions."

"Like what?" Sakura asked.

"Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams, and more."

"Then why don't you start first? You're our sensei, after all," Naruto asked in wonder.

"For once, I agree with Naruto," Sakura grumbled.

Kakashi put a hand on his chin "Hmm…"

Naruto felt his hands start to twitch in annoyance. He had a feeling that their sensei would do this a lot. And the blond was definitely, definitely not patient in any way, shape, or form.

"All right. I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you kids about my likes and dislikes. Dreams? Eh…I mean, I have a lot of hobbies, I guess?"

Naruto waited for him to continue.

And waited.

"That's it?!" Naruto blurted out.

Sakura looked peeved. "He just said his name…"

Kakashi sighed again. "Well, that's over. Your turn."

Never slow to respond, Naruto went next.

"I'll do it! My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are…cup ramen! But the ramen Iruka sensei gets me at Ichiraku's is even better! Dislikes…ehhh…waiting for the instant ramen to cook is definitely annoying. If only I could decrease the time to one minute instead. My dream is simple. One day, I'm gonna surpass the old man as Hokage and make everyone in the lead acknowledge me with respect, dattebayo! Hobbies…pranking is pretty fun."

[Skill: Public Speaking has increased by a level.]

[Public Speaking is now Lvl 2]

Kakashi nodded. "Cool. Next?"

So Sasuke went on a tangent about how he wanted to kill a certain someone.

Definitely trying to act cool. Naruto thought, seeing through the whole facade. I'm definitely NOT scared that he might be talking about me. Best to keep some distance for a while just in case, though.

Sakura went next.

Typical fangirl stuff. I thought you were on my side, Sakura! The blond whined in his head. Maybe…my efforts are hopeless…

[Ding!]

[Intelligence has increased by one level]

Naruto tried not to cry on the spot.

"Hehehe…" Kakashi giggled randomly.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Well, to be honest, I've been keeping a secret from you guys. And trust me, you won't like it."

Secret?

"Do you really think you can become a genin from doing three, weak jutsus? There's another exam. Or training, rather. Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine become Genin. The rest…back to the academy. Tell me, Sakura, what is the failure rate for this exam?"

The girl in question gulped. "Sixty-six percent."

"That's not fair at all! You know how much I worked to master those jutsus?" Naruto bellowed.

Kakashi had an air of indifference. "Then maybe you're not ready to become a ninja yet."

Naruto's gaze hardened. "Well, whatever. I'll beat whatever training you put up, sensei."

"It wouldn't bode well to call me sensei, since you most likely will be going back to the academy soon."

"Well that's the reason I called you sensei to begin with. You better get used to my voice, sensei, cus' you're gonna hear it a lot more soon, dattebayo!" Naruto boomed, his voice dripping with confidence.

"Ahh…okay. Well, either way, tomorrow we will be having survival training on the field. Bring all of your tools. And make sure to skip breakfast, I don't want you to throw up on the freshly cut grass. Take these handouts, the details are printed."

Naruto quickly took the handout, memorizing all the details in a hurry.

"Cya'." And with a final peace sign, their sensei disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

I need to learn that jutsu.

The blond's mind was set on a new goal. He needed to pass whatever training Kakashi set on them. No matter what it takes. Even if he had to forfeit all of his ramen packs. Kami forbid it comes to that. What's so tough about the training anyways? Naruto was hyped to show his new jutsu to everyone, maybe even knock Kakashi sensei down a peg or two.

Naruto looked at the other two, wondering what they thought of everything.

"Are you guys going to train or something?" Naruto asked.

Sakura had already left.

Sasuke still sat, hands crossed in a brooding state, staring into the handout in his hands. Naruto shrugged, he needed to train as well, might as well go home and do some exercises.

Push-ups? Sit-ups? Maybe I'll fight with some dummies.

[Ding!]

[New Quest: "Learning the Uchiha" Created]

[Quest Details: Challenge Sasuke to a spar.

Quest Rewards: Exp. 400, learn the Uchiha Taijutsu style, and increase Taijutsu level by 2]

Failure: Dream of becoming a Ninja crushed mercilessly.]

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

Spar? Now? Naruto thought incredulously. He looked at the failure tab. Yeah, there was no escaping this. It was almost like the system was forcing him to fight Sasuke right now. Besides, he got some rewards in the meanwhile. Four hundred experience sounded good to him, especially considering the fact that his previous quest never came to fruition because of Kakashi's intended training.

He might as well accept.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto greeted, trying to act as friendly as possible. The smile on his face was almost painful as he stretched it to the utmost limit.

"Hn."

Naruto resisted the urge to punch the other boy in the nose.

"Uhh, you know, since we have a training session tomorrow. How about we spar? We can practice for a bit."

Sasuke didn't look up from the printout. "No thanks. I'm not going to get any training from the dead last."

I need to persuade him, even if it requires a lot of goading on my part!

"Dead last? Not anymore! I learned a new jutsu, believe it!"

Please, please get interested!

Sasuke looked up at last. "And that is?"

Naruto grinned. He put two fingers together in a cross sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a succession of poofs and smoke, two shadow clones appeared next to Naruto, each of them holding up a thumbs up sign.

Sasuke snorted. "Hmph. Some clones, so?"

Naruto's eyes glimmered. He'd expected that reaction. In an instant, he threw a punch at his clone. The clone caught it in the bare of his palm a second later.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Fine, I'll guess you and your clones could be good target practice. Where should we spar, dobe?"

The blond just wanted to get this over with and gain the points, and didn't want to extend the spar for too long.

"Right here, right now."

Sasuke immediately switched to his basic Taijutsu stance. "Hn. No matter how many jutsus you learn, I'll always beat you, Naruto. The result is inevitable."

"Maybe you can beat me for now, I'll admit it. But can you beat five of me together?" Naruto grinned smugly as he placed his fingers on top of each other. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two more Naruto's appeared beside the already present three. The roof they were fighting on was pretty small, so Naruto couldn't really go all out like he did against Mizuki. It wouldn't be appropriate to do so for a spar, anyways.

Naruto rushed forward along with his clones for the first punch. The raven-haired boy quickly parried it with the side of forearm, before delivering a shot right to Naruto's stomach. The blond took the blow head on. While Sasuke was fast, he wasn't the strongest. In fact, Naruto felt like he and Sasuke were on even terms in terms of strength alone.

[Scanning…]

Before his opponent delivered another knee to the crook of his chin, his clones instantly jumped onto the boy. One grabbed his leg, and the others grabbed Sasuke's upper body. Sasuke immediately crouched, before delivering a sweeping kick to all of the clones behind him. He flipped into the air, at the same time dodging a hook from the real Naruto, which ended up landing on one of his own clones.

Poof.

Four left.

With the space he now had, Sasuke immediately went into a series of hand signs.

Naruto's eyes widened. A jutsu? "Get him!"

"You got it, boss!"

The four dashed to their opponent, issuing a devastating kick to the boy's jaw. But it never landed. The Uchiha became a fountain of smoke instead.

"You think you're the only one who could make a clone? Solid or not, it serves the same purpose."

Behind us!

A kick dug itself into Naruto's gut as the blond grunted in pain shortly after.

Sasuke glared. "There's more to a spar than just straight out brawling, Naruto."

Duck. Dodge. Weave. Punch. Poof.

Three left.

"Taijutsu is the basis of fighting for all shinobi, and if you don't even know that, you don't need a spot on my team," Sasuke stated, as if it were fact.

Another clone barged towards the Uchiha, not at all heeding the words that were spoken.

Sasuke spun.

A foot flew through the air and viciously tagged the clone in the cheek, destroying the clone entirely.

Only a single clone left.

[Scanning complete.]

[Does Player wish to learn Uchiha Clan Taijutsu?]

[Yes/No]

Yes, yes, do something stupid system! Naruto groaned, holding his stomach in pain.

[New Skill Achieved: Uchiha Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 1]

Instantly, a wave of knowledge entered him. No, a tsunami.Fighting stances he never learned, experience he never gained, and technique he never worked for. Punches, kicks, spins, flips, dodges…Naruto relived everything in a span of a second.

And he didn't feel remorse for a second.

He felt a sudden urge to laugh, but fought it down. The blond, who was always smiling and laughing, just felt the sheer addictiveness of having power in one's fingertips. It was so easy, so unfair.

His last clone died out.

Naruto fell into a stance, one that the Uchiha was very familiar with.

Sasuke's eyes widened, before narrowing once more. "Copying your opponents, I thought you had more shame than that, dobe. Doesn't matter, like I said, the result is inevitable."

They rushed forward again, but something in the air was different. Naruto was moving completely differently—the bulky, rigid movement seen before not visible once in the current bout.

Sasuke didn't notice.

The second he threw a jab at the blond, Naruto countered.

Naruto spun in the air, landing a reverse roundhouse on the unsuspecting opponent.

Sasuke grunted as he was knocked back a few feet. Naruto stood, shocked.

He just landed a clean hit on Sasuke.

Growling, Sasuke Uchiha went on the offensive.

He leaped into the air, aiming all of his momentum onto Naruto's head with his legs—

Sasuke realized how blue Naruto's eyes were for the first time.

Naruto had jumped at the same time.

Staring back into the eyes of his rival, Naruto threw an elbow straight into his back, sending the Uchiha to the ground.

Without even looking at his face, Naruto could tell Sasuke was mad. No, furious.

In an instant, Naruto was on the back foot once again.

While he learned Sasuke's Taijutsu, it was only a beginner version of it. A mere imitation, not the actual thing. He had a tiny shred of muscle memory embedded into him, but it wasn't the same as the blood, sweat, and tears Sasuke had put into making his own style. He lacked the same finesse and agility Sasuke utilized while fighting, due to his unfamiliarity with the style in general.

The duel continued, and Naruto began to realize he was going to lose. It was almost like Sasuke was predicting his movements.

That's when it hit him.

Sasuke was able to predict his movements because it was his own style.

He needed to revert back.

Putting his hands into the correct position, he bellowed out, "Shadow Clone Jut—"

Sasuke ripped into his hands and pulled them apart, before immediately kneeing him immediately after.

Naruto lost.

"I don't know what you did to copy me, and I'll admit, it intrigued me a little. But like I said, multiple times, the result is inevitable, this spar is over," Sasuke said arrogantly, putting his hands in his pockets, and began walking towards the exit.

Naruto laid on his back, panting heavily as the exhaustion crept to him.

But he wouldn't let the jerk get the last word.

"You won this time, Sasuke. The result may have been inevitable. And you might have beaten me without using any jutsu. But I saw you clutching your arm—I managed to hurt you. That's a victory for now, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, hand to air.

He didn't hear any response, but he knew the Uchiha was listening.

[Ding!]

[Quest: "Learning the Uchiha" Completed!]

[Rewards: Exp. 400, Uchiha Taijutsu style learned, Taijutsu Lvl increased by 2.]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You leveled up! Player is now LV5.]

[One attribute point gained.]

Now what the hell were attribute points?