Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 2: Haruta

"So it's you—the kid from that orphanage who was taken into Root?"

Orochimaru paused for a moment as he recognized Haruta's face, then a playful smile spread across his lips.

"If I remember correctly, your name is Shigaru Haruta, right?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. Lord Danzo sent me to see you."

Haruta nodded. It was quite absurd for Orochimaru to expose his identity as a Root member in front of Anbu operatives.

But he had an even more outrageous identity—

He was a transmigrator!

In his previous life, he had been a laid-back office worker—one who avoided unnecessary trouble, enjoyed a drink after work, and mastered the art of slacking off while on the clock.

He still remembered the night before he transmigrated. He had met a college girl at a bar who told him about her unfortunate circumstances—her father was critically ill, her mother was unemployed, and her younger brother was still in school, while she herself struggled to pay tuition.

Wanting to do a good deed, he had planned to "understand her situation better." However, before anything could happen, he dozed off while waiting for her to finish showering—only to wake up in this world!

Fortunately, the timeline he had landed in meant he didn't have to worry about surviving the Third Shinobi War. But Konoha's "iron fist of discipline" soon taught him how harsh reality could be.

As an orphan taken in by Yakushi Nono, he not only witnessed Obito—the "most devoted grandson"—send the Fourth Hokage and his wife to their deaths, but also personally experienced Danzo's recruitment of orphans for Root.

Originally, he had just wanted to sit back and watch the drama unfold. But when Yakushi Kabuto volunteered himself, Danzo's gaze unexpectedly fell upon Haruta as well!

Although he wasn't assigned to infiltrate foreign villages, Root was never a place fit for humans.

Danzo's training methods were as traditional as they were brutal.

Instead of lectures, he preferred using fists to enhance physical awareness—a "hands-on" approach to achieving spiritual enlightenment.

In such a harsh environment, and with his own uncertain future ahead, Haruta's mindset began to shift.

"If I don't kill this old bastard first, how the hell am I supposed to survive?"

For the sake of his own life, Haruta made a firm resolution: Danzo must die.

And as fate would have it, it was at that moment that his transmigrator's cheat finally arrived.

—

"Since you're from Root, then..."

Orochimaru gave Haruta a bemused look but did not forget the most important matter at hand.

"Did you bring what I asked for?"

"I wouldn't dare neglect Lord Danzo's mission."

Haruta immediately retrieved a scroll and tossed it to Orochimaru.

Even after defecting, Danzo never cut off his support for Orochimaru. Haruta was merely the delivery boy.

Orochimaru caught the scroll with ease and began inspecting it carefully. Meanwhile, Haruta took the opportunity to quietly open his status panel.

---

[Shigaru Haruta]

[Overall Physical Attributes: Lv6]

[Chakra: Lv6]

[Abilities: Suiton (Lv5), Doton (Lv6), Taijutsu (Lv5), Fūinjutsu (Lv5), Unclaimed Cursed Seal… (More)]

[Free Attribute Points: 5]

---

Haruta's cheat didn't come with an AI assistant, and its mechanics were quite simple.

In short, it materialized his objectives into system missions—completing them yielded rewards.

How he completed them didn't matter…

And the rewards were completely random—jutsu, money, even ninja tools.

However, the most valuable reward was free attribute points, which he could distribute to enhance his stats.

The only catch was that each level-up required an increasing number of points.

For example, upgrading an Lv6 ability required 6 points.

This mission wasn't particularly difficult, yet it had given him a significant reward.

In addition to the free attribute points, he had obtained a [Unclaimed Cursed Seal].

"If I remember correctly, Orochimaru developed the cursed seal from his research on Jūgo, who could naturally absorb and integrate senjutsu energy."

Senjutsu was essentially Sage Mode, and even though Orochimaru's version was flawed, the thought of it still excited Haruta.

After all, his system didn't grant bloodline abilities like the Sharingan or other Kekkei Genkai.

At first, he had found this quite puzzling.

But after digging deeper, he had despaired.

Simply put, his family lineage was utterly ordinary—his ancestors were neither noble nor powerful.

In other words, he had no special bloodline potential.

And since bloodlines weren't part of his system's reward pool, his only path forward was becoming a pure "stats monster."

For example, his "Overall Physical Attributes" stat was a comprehensive measure of strength, speed, reaction time, mental fortitude, and more.

Each two-level increment roughly corresponded to a rank in shinobi strength.

At Lv6, he was already in the Jōnin tier—and a well-rounded one at that, with no weak points!

His Chakra stat determined his total chakra reserves and was interlinked with his physical attributes, since chakra was generated through a balance of physical and spiritual energy.

Jutsu like Doton and Fūton simply indicated his proficiency in those nature transformations.

But most importantly—his growth potential had no apparent limit.

Of course, that was something to worry about later.

Right now, he needed his cheat to help him break free from Danzo's grasp.

Because following Danzo was a one-way ticket to death!

—

"Not bad."

As Haruta examined his status panel, Orochimaru finished inspecting the scroll. He looked at Haruta with intrigue.

"But I'm quite curious about something. You're currently in Anbu—was it because of Uchiha Shisui?"

"And why did you choose such a… dramatic way to visit my lab? Isn't that a little disrespectful?"

Even after leaving Konoha, Orochimaru still kept tabs on certain matters—like the fact that Uchiha Shisui had joined Anbu.

As for this current situation…

"It was Jiraiya, Lord Orochimaru."

Haruta spoke softly, and Orochimaru's expression shifted in understanding.

"Ah, if Jiraiya had noticed something, then their actions make 'perfect sense.'"

"As for myself… well, it's just as you said, Lord Orochimaru."

"I thought so."

A trace of disdain appeared on Orochimaru's pale face as he lightly shook his head.

"Danzo would never risk sacrificing his clan-affiliated subordinates. But an orphan from a commoner background? You're the perfect choice for him."

"Having a Root member embedded in Anbu to monitor Uchiha Shisui… yes, that sounds exactly like him."

Haruta pressed his lips together. In truth, he desperately wanted to leave Root—but saying that out loud was out of the question.

"Danzo is as ruthless as ever. And my former sensei remains just as hypocritical," Orochimaru sneered.

"Danzo is nothing more than Hiruzen's disposable glove. Do you really think Hiruzen isn't aware of his actions?"

"My sensei has grown even more cowardly and weak—he won't even dirty his hands with a little darkness anymore…"

What's the point of telling me all this?

If you're trying to manipulate me, could you at least be a little more subtle?

Haruta couldn't help but internally complain.

Orochimaru was skilled at sowing doubt, subtly feeding shinobi shocking revelations that could lead them to question everything.

In another situation, Haruta might have indulged in some conspiracy talk with Orochimaru. After all, he had read plenty of novels in his past life.

But right now, he was more worried about Uzuki Yuugao bringing reinforcements.

If she returned and found him chit-chatting with Orochimaru, things would get messy!

—

"Alright, you may leave now."

Orochimaru seemed to lose interest in conversation, waving him off.

"But a word of advice—you should leave some 'evidence' on yourself. Otherwise, how will you explain this encounter? Need my help?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Orochimaru, but I can handle it myself."

Haruta quickly shook his head—he definitely didn't want Orochimaru touching him. Who knew what kind of surprises he might leave behind?

Orochimaru smirked and turned to leave.

But just as he reached the exit, he glanced back and chuckled.

"You'd better hurry… your teammates won't last much longer."