Chapter 5 – Plugging In the Account!
The pain was indescribable. It was like being scraped raw with a knife, but that didn't even cover it. It felt as if a sharp blade was being used to pry open a gap in the delicate flesh of his eyes, and then someone was rubbing hot chili peppers directly into the wounds.
But that wasn't even the worst part. The true, unbearable torture was mental. Every second felt like a sledgehammer slamming directly into the core of his consciousness—a shocking, reverberating agony.
…
He didn't know how much time had passed. The Izaya who had been smiling just moments before was now drenched in cold sweat, his face as pale as if he'd been fished out of a river. But finally, it was over.
As Izaya slowly opened his eyes, a pair of ruby-red pupils were revealed, each marked with a single, dark comma-like tomoe spinning slowly. The Single Tomoe Sharingan.
"System, you'd better come out and explain this…" Feeling that the fusion process was complete, Izaya leaned heavily on the nearby table, wiping the cold sweat from his brow as he questioned the system again. "Why is it that in the original story, others just get a transplant and they're done, but I have to go through so much pain?"
"Ding! This system is fair and just and would never toy with the Host. The reason for adopting this fusion method is that the Host's body inherently contains the bloodline of the Uchiha clan. Only through this method can the power of the Sharingan be brought to its maximum potential, while also preventing accidents during the Sharingan's future evolution…"
"Heh…" Izaya let out a cold, dismissive snort and ignored the explanation. Instead, he began to move his body, testing his limbs.
From the moment he arrived, he hadn't had a proper chance to assess his new body. After a few stretches and basic movements, the expression on his face soured.
The reason was simple: this body was far too weak.
While he had only been an otaku in his previous life, he had at least exercised regularly. This current body couldn't even compare to most genin. In his opinion, it was, at best, on par with his former self. In an ordinary world, that would be fine. But this was the Naruto world! And the original owner of this body had been attending the Konoha Ninja School for years…
"I have no idea how this guy even got into the ninja school…" After a long internal rant, Izaya decided not to dwell on his pathetic physical state. He turned his focus inward, to the Sharingan now residing in his eyes.
The Sharingan, the unique kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan. Divided into one, two, and three tomoe stages, its red color deepening with power. The more tomoe, the stronger its abilities. Beyond the Three Tomoe lay the Kaleidoscope Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. It was one of the most powerful dōjutsu in the entire Naruto world.
In essence, the Sharingan was the bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan, descendants of Indra, the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths. Its abilities were vast and formidable, covering nearly every aspect of shinobi combat. It granted powerful skills like enhanced perception, replication, and hypnosis, giving the wielder insight far beyond an ordinary person. It could perceive the flow of chakra, see through and cast genjutsu, and copy any non-bloodline ninjutsu.
It was the quintessential protagonist's cheat code. The fact that he had obtained it through the system was a massive boon.
As Izaya activated the two Sharingan, a unique energy coursed through his body. It wasn't just an increase in raw power. His reaction speed, his agility—everything felt sharper, more responsive. Compared to his state before unlocking the Sharingan, his combat effectiveness had at least doubled.
"As expected of the ultimate plug-in…" Feeling the surging power within him, a genuine smile finally returned to Izaya's face. The tremendous pain he had endured to obtain the Sharingan hadn't been in vain.
But just then, a sudden, sharp sting shot through his eyes.
"Tch… the physical quality of this body is still too poor," he muttered. All in all, he hadn't even maintained the fully active Sharingan for more than ten minutes. Yet, in that short time, he could feel the strain his weak body placed on the dōjutsu, forcing him to deactivate it.
Thinking this, he directly asked the system, "System, is there any way to improve my physical fitness?"
"Ding! Recommended methods: The Eight Gates, First Hokage Cells, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Konoha's Strong Fist style…"
In response to his inquiry, the system listed a series of methods to enhance physical fitness directly in his mind. But it was frustrating. None of these were things Izaya could obtain quickly, either due to their secrecy or their extreme difficulty.
"Whatever. I'll just have to practice basic physical training honestly for now…" Dismissing thoughts of a quick fix, Izaya resignedly picked up the basic taijutsu manual left behind by the body's previous owner and began to practice.
Basic taijutsu wasn't particularly powerful. Its practical combat application was fairly limited. Anyone who could learn ninjutsu would generally avoid this kind of pure physical exercise. But this basic taijutsu was unexpectedly suitable for the current Izaya! While its combat effectiveness was minimal, the movements it recorded were simple and not difficult to perform.
After a session of clumsy imitation, Izaya actually felt a unique, warm current flowing through his body. And as he continued, in just half an hour, he found he could execute the moves from the manual with surprising fluency.
"Holy crap!" As his movements became more and more proficient, an inexplicable thought arose in Izaya's heart… "Am I… actually a taijutsu genius?"
But the moment the thought formed, the system's ruthlessly blunt prompt shattered his illusion.
"Ding! This is a basic taijutsu manual. The Host's body had already mastered these movements prior to transmigration."
"You…!" Feeling the system's blunt correction, a muscle twitched at the corner of Izaya's mouth. He slowly put down the manual and roared inwardly, 'Don't talk when you're not supposed to!'
Having had his moment of pride crushed by the system, Izaya naturally lost all motivation to continue with taijutsu. Besides, it was now noon. Feeling the fatigue in his body, he decided to take a short nap.
But just as he was about to lie down, the sound of footsteps came from outside his door.
After a few moments, a firm knock broke the silence of his small house.
"Who is it?" In this situation, Izaya didn't get up to open the door immediately. Instead, he remained seated on the floor, a look of confusion on his face.
His hesitation was simple. According to the memories provided by the system, his predecessor had no friends whatsoever—except for Tenten. And Tenten was still out playing on Konoha's main street right now. There was no way she would be coming to find him at this hour…