Naruto: Different Path

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Ryujin's life as a high school student feels unbearable. He comes from a poor family, has somewhat unattractive looks, and his academic performance is mediocre. 

In addition, his father has high expectations for his exam scores, which makes life even more difficult. 

At home, his father regularly scolds him, and it's not uncommon for him to be ridiculed by teachers and classmates at school. 

The high school experience, which many people describe as a beautiful time, holds no appeal for Ryujin. To him, there is nothing worth remembering about it.

High school, a place filled with sincere friendships, the age where love blossoms, and a hub for those who believe that knowledge can change their destiny, may have once been a time of beauty and innocence. 

But today, in Ryujin's eyes, everything feels disappointing. 

He's considered achieving good grades to please his parents, but subjects like English are so frustrating that he can't enjoy them. 

He's even dreamed of talking to girls, but when he sees their looks of disdain, he knows it's better not to humiliate himself.

Perhaps the only joy in his life comes from online games, which adults call poison. 

His obsession with them and his endless drive to sneak off to internet cafés to play stem from his dissatisfaction with life and the difficulties he can't escape. 

Aside from online games, his favourite is watching a few Japanese anime series, especially Naruto, a show he started watching in elementary school. 

The show's protagonist is the ultimate underdog, initially rejected by everyone but eventually recognized as a hero.

His love for the show isn't just because he enjoys the anime but because it resonates with him. 

He often re-watches Naruto when he's not gaming, never missing any details. 

He frequently imagines what it would be like if there were a world like that—where he could be the protagonist. 

Even if he weren't acknowledged initially, his limitless potential would allow him to change his circumstances through hard work. 

It would not be easy, but at least there would be hope. This idea must have been so deeply rooted in his mind that he had a strange dream one night. 

He dreamed of an old man with a long white beard, holding a black staff, and what stood out most were his eyes—Rinnegan. 

Shocked, Ryujin exclaimed, "Are you the legendary Sage of Six Paths? How could I be seeing you?" 

The old man laughed and replied, "The Sage of Six Paths? Haha, he only transcended space to a certain extent." 

"I am an existence that has completely transcended both time and space. Enough talk. I'll let you become Naruto for once."

...

When Ryujin woke up, he realized that his house was completely different from his own. He had turned into a child, and through the mirror, it was clear that he had become Naruto—specifically, Naruto as a child. 

First, he was shocked and disbelieving, and then he began looking around. Suddenly, a sharp headache hit him as he absorbed Naruto's memories. 

At least, now he wouldn't have any issues with language. 

After processing these memories and looking around, he confirmed that he had travelled to another world and become the protagonist.

Dissatisfied with his original life, Ryujin decided that since he was in this world, he would make the most of it. 

From now on, he was Naruto. 

Naruto looked around at his small, shabby home and then at the bustling streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, and he immediately understood: no matter what world you're in, power is everything. 

If you have strength, you'll do well anywhere; without it, you'll always be at the bottom. In the world of ninjas, strength is defined by personal combat ability.

Knowing the Naruto storyline, the first thing Naruto (Ryujin) thought of was increasing his strength. 

In this world, strength is determined by a few key factors: chakra, ninjutsu, and combat skills. 

Naruto already had a large amount of chakra out of these, and he had even more with the Nine-Tails' chakra. 

Combat skills, however, had to be built through experience, and the only thing he could personally train was ninjutsu.

Speaking of ninjutsu, Naruto was extremely envious of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, which could copy others' ninjutsu. 

As the Sharingan evolves, it can cast powerful genjutsu and perform techniques like Amaterasu and Susanoo. 

If it evolves further into the Rinnegan, it grants the power to control life and death. 

However, Naruto didn't have Uchiha blood, and obtaining the Rinnegan was beyond his current strength. 

But he figured he would try it once he gained enough power. 

For now, though, all he could do was start with the basics—chakra control, taijutsu, and other fundamental skills.

Determined to make a change, Naruto (Ryujin) decided to take immediate action. 

He began with the simplest form of training—strengthening his body. 

Every day, he stuck to running, doing push-ups, and consistently working out to build his physical strength. 

He even practised some basic Chinese martial arts to enhance his reflexes. 

The Third Hokage, as usual, spied on him through his crystal ball and thought to himself, "He knows he'll be going to the Ninja Academy soon, so he's started training his body."

A few days passed quickly, and the day of enrollment arrived. 

As soon as Naruto walked into the Ninja Academy, he recognized all his classmates immediately. 

Even though they were still young, it was easy to tell who was who. 

Once almost everyone had gathered, Iruka-sensei entered with a smile. 

After quickly scanning the room, his eyes landed on Naruto, and for a brief moment, a flicker of disdain crossed his face. 

It wasn't surprising; it was only natural, given Naruto's reputation. 

However, due to the Third Hokage's rules, Iruka couldn't show it too openly, so he continued his duties.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Iruka, and I'll be your teacher from today onwards. Let's start with a simple self-introduction." 

When it was Naruto's turn to introduce himself, he didn't act like the clueless character from the original story. 

However, he still confidently stated that he wanted to become a powerful ninja. 

The current Naruto is quite different from the one in the original series, but they share one thing—a liking for beautiful girls. 

He glanced around the class and noticed that Sakura Haruno was already a budding beauty. 

Ino Yamanaka wasn't bad either, and Hinata Hyuga would grow into one of the great beauties in the Naruto universe.

Unfortunately, Sakura wasn't interested in Naruto—she liked Sasuke, just as in the original series. 

Naruto's eyes drifted to the corner of the room where Sasuke sat, and sure enough, he was just as the original series described—brooding and distant. 

Sasuke, like Naruto, was also lonely, though that wasn't something Ryujin (now Naruto) could change at the moment.

Girls like Sakura and the others were drawn to Sasuke for two simple reasons: his excellent grades and good looks. 

If Naruto wanted their attention, he would have to improve in those two areas. 

As the days passed, Naruto learned a lot at the Ninja Academy. 

Although the material was a bit dry, he couldn't deny that their learning was useful. 

However, something seemed strange to him—things didn't seem as difficult as they were in the original series. 

Could it be that crossing over into this world had changed his abilities? In reality, it made perfect sense. 

The soul inside Naruto now was not the same as before, so naturally, his talent had also changed. 

As time passed, the Ninja Academy began teaching students how to refine their chakras. Chakras are formed by combining physical and spiritual energy. 

After learning the method, Naruto returned home to start practising. 

It was said that very few people could successfully refine chakra on their first attempt, and those who could were usually considered geniuses. 

However, when Naruto sat down and began refining, he found the process surprisingly smooth. 

Not only that, but with continued practice, he realized that his chakra reserves were extraordinarily large.

This wasn't unexpected. After all, as a descendant of the Uzumaki clan and the Fourth Hokage, Naruto had naturally strong physical energy. 

Additionally, his spiritual energy was enhanced by the fusion of two souls within him. 

Still, having much chakra was one thing—being able to control it was another. 

Naruto was often labelled a "dead last" because of his poor chakra control. So now, Naruto decided to focus on improving that control.

In addition to physical training in the woods, Naruto practised walking on trees and standing on water daily. 

The former helped strengthen his body, while the latter was excellent for refining chakra control.

Day after day, Naruto stuck to his routine. On one of his usual runs in the woods, he suddenly spotted a kid in a green jumpsuit also running. 

There was no doubt—this was the energetic Rock Lee, embodying the spirit of youth. 

Seeing him, Naruto immediately had an idea and ran over, shouting, "I challenge you!"

As expected, Lee's eyes burned with the fire of determination. 

"Guy-sensei, someone has challenged me! Alright, I accept your challenge. Come at me!" Naruto threw a punch, which Lee swiftly dodged. 

Naruto followed up with a spinning kick, but Lee skillfully blocked it with his hands and countered with a kick of his own. 

Naruto had to block with both arms and use the momentum to retreat before charging back with a flying kick.

They sparred for nearly thirty rounds, but Naruto was gradually overwhelmed. 

Despite his training, Lee's regimen was far more intense, and Lee was a taijutsu genius with impressive combat skills. 

Eventually, Naruto couldn't keep up but didn't want to lose too embarrassingly. 

He quickly said, "I surrender, but I'll beat you next time!"

Lee nodded seriously, "You're a worthy opponent. I've now gained another rival besides Neji." 

"I look forward to your next challenge and will work hard too!" 

He struck a thumbs-up pose with his usual burning enthusiasm. Naruto broke into a cold sweat at the sight.

However, this encounter with Lee significantly improved Naruto's taijutsu skills. 

He memorized most of Lee's moves in just one match and incorporated them into his training, gradually mastering them.

Months flew by, and Naruto made considerable progress in many areas. 

First, in chakra control, he had reached the point where he could walk on tree trunks and even walk slowly on water. 

Thanks to his frequent sparring with Lee, Naruto had become the strongest in his class in taijutsu. 

His skills with ninja tools had also improved significantly through practice.

After this period of training, even the least talented students in the class had learned how to refine chakra. 

The Academy began teaching basic jutsu, including the Three Basic Techniques (Transformation, Clone, and substitution jutsu). 

Naruto picked up this jutsu quickly, which drew gasps of admiration from many of the girls in class. 

However, Naruto knew that learning and mastering a technique were different. 

For example, Kakashi was a master of the Substitution Jutsu, while most other Genin barely managed with it.

Whenever he had time, Naruto practised the Three Basic Techniques, aiming to one day reach Kakashi's level—or even surpass him. 

After mastering this jutsu, Naruto's sparring matches with Lee began to change. 

What started as simple taijutsu battles now involved Naruto occasionally using the Substitution Jutsu or Clone Jutsu. 

Lee, who didn't use ninjutsu, found it increasingly difficult to keep up. 

Their matches often ended in draws, and sometimes Naruto even won by a small margin.

Yet, Lee remained as spirited as ever. 

Naruto knew that Lee hadn't taken off his weights nor used the Eight Gates technique, but Naruto had no intention of relying solely on taijutsu or adopting such methods. 

After all, his body was still too young for weights, and the Eight Gates technique placed too much strain on the body.

Naruto had made solid progress in chakra control, taijutsu, and the Three Basic Techniques by now. 

With his inherent talent and continuous training, his strength will continue growing.

However, Naruto knew deep down that the speed at which he was improving still wasn't enough—it was nowhere near the level of Uchiha Itachi in his youth. 

Even though people might start calling him a genius, it still wasn't sufficient. 

Naruto looked at how villagers and most ninjas treated him and realized he would need great strength to earn their respect. 

But, unlike Itachi, who had his father teaching him ninjutsu, Naruto had no one to guide him—at least not yet. 

The things taught at the Ninja Academy were no longer enough to meet his needs. So, how could he learn ninjutsu? 

He couldn't just invent some Ero Jutsu, as he needed to build a perfect self-image.

At that moment, Naruto thought of something… Yes, the object he thought of was the Scroll of Seals. 

The Scroll of Seals contained many forbidden techniques, ranging from lower-level jutsu like Shadow Clone Jutsu to higher-level ones like the Reaper Death Seal. 

But stealing the Scroll of Seals wasn't something to be taken lightly. Naruto recalled how, in the original story, he had managed to steal it easily. 

After thinking it through, he figured it was likely that the Third Hokage secretly wanted Naruto to improve his skills and become a ninja like his father, the Fourth Hokage. 

Moreover, since Naruto was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, having weak abilities was not good. 

Perhaps the Third Hokage had intentionally allowed him to steal it. With that thought in mind, the Scroll of Seals didn't seem so out of reach. 

However, Naruto would need help from one person—Mizuki.

(A/N 1: As the author of this story, I'm also a huge fan of Naruto. Sadly, the anime has already ended, but writing this fanfiction is my way of paying tribute to it. {Huh Boruto? Who is that?})

(A/N 2: I won't spend too much time rehashing elements from the original series in this story. The focus will be on how the protagonist's changes affect the story and what new paths it will take after chapter 10)

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