Chapter 2 – The God-Level Selection System
After finishing the ramen, Izaya didn't dwell too much on the system's previous reward choices. Sure, the Ichiraku Ramen had been incredibly delicious, but that wasn't the main reason he had chosen to return to the village.
Looking at the rewards offered by the two choices, a simple Three Basic Jutsu training scroll wasn't enough to make him betray Konoha! The very idea was absurd. He pictured a future where he was a notorious rogue ninja, and when asked why he had turned traitor, he'd have to answer, "It was for a scroll containing the Clone, Transformation, and Substitution Jutsu." It was too embarrassing to even contemplate.
Besides, while Konoha had its flaws, was he really the type of person to abandon his home so easily? A paltry three basic jutsu were not worth the price of betrayal.
Of course, that wasn't the real, underlying reason.
The truth was far simpler: he simply didn't dare to defect. Right now, he was unarmed, penniless, and knew no real ninjutsu. He didn't even have a pretty lady to run off with! Even if he did have those things, he still wouldn't choose the path of a rogue ninja. He remembered all too well what happened to traitors in the original story. None of them met a good end.
Just look at the Akatsuki organization—a whole den of rogues. Look at the former villain bosses like Madara and Obito—dead. Look at Uchiha Itachi… well, his story was complicated. And Orochimaru? His life was a constant cycle of near-death experiences and body-swapping. It was a miserable existence.
"Isn't Ichiraku Ramen fragrant enough?" Izaya muttered to himself, using the thought as a comfort. He then turned his attention inward, silently studying the system residing within him.
After about an hour of mental probing, he finally grasped the basics of this so-called God-Level Selection System. It would automatically activate whenever he encountered a critical juncture or decision point, presenting him with choices and rewarding him based on the path he selected.
As for the quality of the rewards… they seemed to be determined by the severity of the problem he faced. However, the system itself seemed to be the sole judge of what constituted a "severe" problem.
For instance, the two major choices he'd encountered so far—choosing his destination world and his initial growth path—felt monumentally important to him. Yet, judging by the rewards offered, the system seemed to treat them as rather trivial matters.
"Whatever, no point overthinking it," Izaya finally concluded, giving up on deciphering the system's internal logic. He instead began walking in the direction he hoped Konoha was in.
While he was in the Naruto world and outside Konoha, a major issue remained unresolved: he had no idea what timeline he was in. As a fan, he knew the plot from the First Great Ninja War to the Boruto era, but that didn't mean he didn't care about the specific year. The world during the First War, before the Five Great Ninja Villages were properly established, was a far more dangerous and chaotic place than the relative stability at the start of the original series.
He desperately hoped he was in the latter timeline. It would give him time to develop his abilities using his foreknowledge, and it was infinitely preferable to starting on hellish difficulty right from the get-go.
"Finally!"
After walking along a forest path for over ten minutes, his legs growing tired, a wide smile broke out on Izaya's face. Through a break in the dense, verdant trees, he finally caught sight of the outskirts of Konoha Village. And most importantly, he could see the monumental Hokage Faces carved into the mountain overlooking the village.
There were four of them.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Seeing the four faces, a significant portion of Izaya's anxiety melted away. This confirmed he was in a timeline after the Third Great Ninja War; otherwise, the Fourth Hokage's face wouldn't be up there.
"If that's the case, this is… acceptable," Izaya murmured, a genuine smile gracing his features as he continued his trek towards the village gates.
However, just as he approached the main entrance to Konoha, a black blur shot towards him with incredible speed.
Swish!
Before Izaya could even process the movement, a kunai, glinting with a sharp, cold light, was already at his throat. The attacker gave him no time to react. The figure seamlessly caught the thrown kunai with one hand while using his other arm to firmly restrain Izaya in place.
"Who are you? Why have you been loitering around Konoha's perimeter?" a voice demanded.
It was a crisp, young voice, laced with a cold detachment and a unique, simmering killing intent. In his previous life, Izaya had just been an otaku; he had never been in a situation like this. Yet, somehow, he managed to suppress the rising panic in his heart. He tried to ignore the sharp blade pressed against his neck and slowly began to turn his head to explain.
But the moment he saw his captor, Izaya's eyes widened in shock.
Long, black hair. A Konoha forehead protector. A face set in a stoic, unreadable expression.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
And this was Itachi before his defection.
Why am I running into Uchiha Itachi here of all people? Izaya's mind raced.
While this encounter confirmed the timeline was before the Uchiha Clan Downfall, placing it in the early years of the original story, Izaya was still utterly surprised. Itachi, meanwhile, watched Izaya's strange, silent reaction with a hint of deepening suspicion.
"I will ask you one more time. Who are you?" Itachi's voice was colder now, the pressure intensifying.
Simultaneously, the familiar chime echoed in Izaya's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for activating the selection system—Reply to Uchiha Itachi."
{Option 1: Tell the truth about your civilian status. Reward: Chakra Extraction Method.}*
{Option 2: Find an excuse to fool Uchiha Itachi, and later become a bohemian rebel. Reward: Uchiha Itachi Friendship -100.}*