"Clan-less" seemed like a bleak prospect, offering no special abilities or starting bonuses. And the description of it was downright appalling: zero money, orphan status, and average chakra reserves. Plus, the player wouldn't start out in the Leaf Village.
No wonder it was the only option left; it was a slap in the face compared to the advantages the other characters provided.
Amidst the bleakness of the cons, there was only one pro: support techniques are easier to learn. Such techniques are commonly classified as buffing allies, laying traps, or intel gathering.
Maybe, just maybe, this particular character wouldn't be a complete letdown.
Arthur wasn't one to give up easily; he'd turn this minor misfortune into an opportunity.
With a finger, he minimized the clan selection menu to navigate back to the information that explained Naruto's story. This time, he read it carefully. Specifically the hidden training methods, the forgotten jutsu, and the unexpected power-ups that were possible to attain.
He searched for loopholes—for those moments when the underdog triumphed and ingenuity overtook brute force. He also explored every side character, every forgotten technique, and every seemingly insignificant detail that he could.
And who was going to stop him? There was no timer for when he had to select his pitiful Clan-less character. If there was a way to overcome his limitations, it would be hidden somewhere within the story—somewhere the developers neglected.
Hours—or perhaps it felt like hours—melted away as he delved into the narrative. When he was finished, he closed the information window with a resigned sigh.
The reading felt like a massive information dump. Although not everything was learned, he wasn't going in as blind anymore. Now he had a strategy to use with the weakest character. Maybe not a perfect one, but it was his.
It's then that he pressed back on the character selection menu and confirmed his character.
The world quickly dissolved in a swirling vortex of white light. When it solidified, he found himself standing in the heart of a dense, emerald forest.
Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting shadows on the grassy floor. From a distance, the sound of unseen chirping birds could be heard.
He was alone—a single figure in a vast, indifferent wilderness. No welcoming NPCs, no starting village—just him and the brown tunic on his back. This was part of the challenge, part of the test; this was his starting point.
Relaxing himself, he surveyed his surroundings. Nothing could be seen, but everything most certainly looked and felt real.
The first thing he did was walk steadily through the undergrowth.
He marveled at the lightness of his body. Each step felt effortless due to the effect of chakra, the life force that fueled just about everyone in this world.
Even without a prestigious clan lineage, he could still feel the faint thrum of it within him. It was like a pool of water or a wellspring waiting to be tapped before acting like an extension of his limbs.
Perhaps he didn't have things like the Hyūga's Byakugan; he had something the natives here didn't: the wisdom and foreknowledge of a seasoned adult.
Arthur's pulse quickened as he continued to navigate the terrain. It wasn't long until he heard a scream pierce the air. It was a female's voice, coming from somewhere deep within the forest.
He pivoted towards the source of the sound, believing this to be the tutorial he needed.
The screams grew louder and more desperate until he finally burst into a clearing and saw a young girl, no older than twelve, cowering on her knees in front of a burly man with a blue armband on. Her tear-streaked face and trembling form were unmistakable signs of terror.
The man himself, easily two heads taller and twice as broad as Arthur, grasped the girl's arm with cruel intentions.
"Someone help me!" she screamed.
Even if this was a game, an innocent was in danger. Arthur couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Let her go," he said with surprising authority.
The burly man turned his head, shifting his gaze from the girl to Arthur. He looked at the unexpected arrival as if he were appraising an insect. "A pipsqueak? Go home, kid, unless you want in."
Arthur didn't answer. He knew words wouldn't deter this brute. So he squared his shoulders; years of self-defense training from earth were waiting to be used. Then with one burst, he lunged and aimed for a basic jab.
But the man, seemingly anticipating the move, reacted with an even faster speed!
A single, brutal shove sent Arthur sprawling back into a tree, causing the air to whoosh out of his lungs.
'What?' he thought to himself, feeling that searing pain.
When he dropped to his knees, he couldn't help but groan at how real that felt. No, that wasn't just real; that was agonizingly real!
He coughed, trying to catch his breath as the burly man suddenly loomed over him. A single kick landed on his side, sending another wave of pain through his small frame.
Arthur whimpered, and his bravado crumbled under the onslaught. Panic, cold and sharp, began to gnaw at the edges of his mind.
Why did it hurt so much? He didn't sign up for this!
Just then, a memory flourished: he recalled the last words Dr. Kapoor had said before he entered here: Death in there is for real.
Had they lied about the dampened pain response? This had to have been a joke. This was just a virtual world, right?
Just then, the man licked his lips over Arthur. He proceeded to beat on him more as the pain increased ever so much. The thought of him dying for real settled in with every blow he was given.
This wasn't a game anymore; no one outside was coming to his rescue.
The burly man laughed, a cruel sound that scraped against Arthur's nerves.
"I dunno know what you were planning, kid, but you gotta pretty stupid to attack a ninja."
Ninja? Why would a ninja, regardless of their village, want to hurt an innocent girl for no reason?
Arthur remained on the ground, gasping for breath. Denial warred with horrifying clarity: Dr. Kapoor hadn't been lying. The pain, the fear—it was all real. This wasn't a game; it was life or death.
His stomach churned. Shame and anger bubbled within him, momentarily eclipsing the throbbing pain in his body. This supposed ninja, the symbol of protection for others, was a monster.
No, a sinner!
As the ninja turned around, Arthur's eye caught a glint of metal—a kunai, the standard weapon for a ninja—hanging from the man's pouch.
Desperation ignited. Arthur lunged, heaving himself off the ground. The ninja barely reacted in time as Arthur snatched the kunai from its holster and plunged it right through the ninja's skull!
A sickening crunch was heard as he stumbled back. The girl screamed when the ninja fell backward. Arthur felt nausea filling his insides. He hadn't meant to kill him, but the desperation of the situation had left him with no other choice.
It was a virtual game, right? So why did it feel like he truly had killed a man? The knife plunging through flesh; he had never done that to someone; it made him want to throw up. And that's just what he did.
The girl watched as sweat beaded on his forehead. His vision was blurring. When he looked at his hands, he saw the ninja's blood smeared all over them. His eyes widened with disbelief. This was blood, real blood!
Suddenly, three figures clad in worn leather vests appeared. Their faces were obscured by ragged hoods. Arthur swiftly turned to them, afraid of any witnesses.
"Woah!" the middle one shouted upon seeing the scene. "Easy there, partner. We're not here to hurt ya."
"Seems like we've stumbled upon something unpleasant," the second figure stated.
Arthur's gaze darted between the three and the ninja's lifeless form. Explaining the situation in his current mental state wouldn't be easy, but he had to say something.
"There's been a misunderstanding," he stammered in a hoarse voice. "He was attacking the girl, and I…"
The words got stuck in his throat. How could he explain taking a life, even a virtual one, to these strangers?
The three didn't seem interested in explanations. Their eyes narrowed beneath the hoods, fixated on the dead ninja and the blood staining Arthur's hand. One of them then whispered something to the middle figure, pointing at the dead ninja.
"A Leaf ninja, you say?" their middle figure drawled.
"What?!" Arthur repeated.
When he looked back at the dead ninja's body, he saw that the blue armband had a symbol etched on it: it was a crude drawing of a leaf, the same symbol that all Leaf shinobi from that village wore!
How was Arthur supposed to know that? He hadn't seen it clearly due to having had the wind knocked from him. More so, why was a Leaf shinobi harassing a girl in the wilderness in the first place?
"Looks like you've got yer'self in a heap of trouble," the third man said. "Killing a Leaf shinobi? That's a heavy crime in the Fire Country."
Arthur shook his head as he desperately pleaded, "No, you don't understand. The girl was crying out for help and—"
"And what?" one of them interrupted him. "You keep talking about that girl, so who is she?"
A second figure in the group looked closely at the girl and said, "Looks like a slave to me. Both of them do. Better get her back to whoever owns her."
"A slave?" Arthur shockingly asked. "But she—!"
A sudden strangled cry from the girl cut him off. She stood up, shrieking, "He's lying!" Arthur turned her head to see her pointing an accusing finger at him. "He just attacked us out of nowhere!"
Arthur's vision seemed to tilt on its axis. Disbelief choked the air from his lungs. This girl, whom he'd just tried to save, was now turning on him to save her own skin? Primal rage threatened to consume him.
"You lying piece of—!" But the shout died in his futile threat as one of the men chuckled.
"Looks like we have a clear culprit," the man said. "We can't have this criminal go unpunished, can we, boys?"
"You believe her over me?!" Arthur snapped.
"Just who do you think we are, kid? Ninjas like the one you just killed? As if! We're bandits who happened to hear screaming and thought we'd check it out."
The other two grunted in agreement as their hands hovered near the weapons strapped to their hips.
Arthur couldn't believe what he was hearing. None of it made sense. If these really were bandits, and he had killed a Leaf shinobi, then what would have happened had he just waited? Would the bandits have come first and attacked the Leaf shinobi, prompting Arthur to help?
No, that wouldn't have made sense because the girl was crying out for help. However way he looked at things, he was trapped between a rock and a hard place. The girl's lie condemned him, while the act of taking a ninja's life painted him as a villain regardless.
What kind of sick game was this?
"We'll take you in," the man announced. "For killing a shinobi, a Leaf shinobi at best, you might go for a good price."
Price? Even if they didn't seem to want to kill Arthur, they were going to sell him off into slavery? No way. He had just arrived in this world. The last thing he wanted was to fall prey to these ruthless opportunists.
But this was a three-against-one situation. He had only one option left. Mustering every ounce of his remaining strength, he began running away.
Boom!
The moment he turned around, he had hit the leg of one of the bandits. They were fast, way too fast for him to have even heard their steps.
Before he could say or do anything, an impossibly fast fist connected with his jaw, putting him in darkness.