I do not own any rights in regards to either Naruto or The Gamer. I know, it's sad right.

So this story will be set in the Naruto Universe with a Gamer elements mixed in. Feel free to comment and I'll try to answer any questions at the start of the next chapter.

"Alright everyone, your attention please!"

I looked up to where Iruka-sensei was standing at the head of the class, he was smiling at us all with his hands held behind his back. He was always smiling at us, well, when Naruko or Kiba weren't causing problems as least.

"As you all know there is only a week left before the graduation exam to see whether you're all ready to become genin." He waited for the excited mummer to finish making its way through the class. "So in preparation for the day, on Monday we'll be holding our own little mock exam." The groan that went up through the room showed just how enthusiastic we all were about the idea.

"Monday we'll go through all the jutsu that you'll be required to know and properly execute. So make sure to get some sleep tonight and come at your best just like you would for the actual exam. Alright now, class is dismissed, enjoy your weekend." I could see how he made sure not to be near the door, probably for the best since he'd have been run over by the horde of children that stampeded through it at dismissal.

"Mitsuru"

I turned to Iruka-sensei as he called my name, the look on his face was one of concern. He was always worrying about us for one reason or another, though normally I had only seen him wear that look when talked to Naruko.

"Mitsuru, how have your studies been going?"

Oh, I guess this was going to be one of those conversations. "They're going fine Iruka-sensei" It was a lie of course, and from the look on his face I could tell he wasn't buying it.

"Mitsuru, you need to start picking up the pace on your studies. I know because you live alone it's easy to flake off and do something you might find more interesting, but your grades are near the bottom of the class." His eyes locked with mine as he seemingly pleaded for me to take this situation seriously. I tried not to shuffle my feet toward the door and its promise of escape form the awkwardness of the situation. I wasn't used to people showing concern for me and I wasn't really sure how I was supposed to handle it now.

"I'll try harder Iruka-sensei." I was looking anywhere but at him now, he sighed as he waved me on toward the door. I quickly left the classroom and started to make my way to my apartment.

I made my way through the commercial district were the academy was located and weaved through the dense crowed of families and every day shoppers, I was always a fan of this part of Konoha. It was always moving, always alive and buzzing with all the people that filtered through here. When I smaller I used to sit on the roof of the orphanage and watch as the crowed shuffled in and out.

I still passed by the orphanage going to and from the academy, its slightly decrepit form standing just off of the entrance to the district. I always found myself walking slightly fast when it came into view, I didn't have fond memories of the place and being near its grounds was never a comforting experience for me. I quickly left it behind as a continued my way through the residential district, I never felt comfortable in this part of the city.

I know that many of the ninja in the city lived here, but I was a different case. I quickly left the residential district and entered mine, the industrial district. The Industrial district was home to most of Konoha's small factories, criminals, and red light "district". When an orphan joins the academy they're given their own residence, though most that show potential are taken into the lesser branches of one of Konoha's many clans. For those not adopted into a lesser branch family however, someone like me, we get stuck in places like this. I stared up at my rotted and decayed apartment building, the once gray stone had taken on a filthy brown from either its age or prolonged exposure to the factory fumes that got trapped in our little corner of filth within an otherwise beautiful city.

"Hey Mitsuru, how was school?"

I was greeted by one of the working girls that tended to use my apartments corner to conduct her "business". I smiled at her as I came closer, "Same as always Chika, how's work?"

"Same as always." She smiled back as I moved into the building with a quick way goodbye. I had lived here for three years now, at first I had be horrified by all the stuff that went on around here, but the human ability to adapt was an amazing thing. I had made friends with most of the local girls that seemed to enjoy talking to someone that wasn't about to make a proposition.

The small time criminals that scattered about the place mostly knew me as well, stick a ten year old in a den crime and debauchery and they're bound to pick up a few bad habits after all. Though I have to admit, with how small the allowance the city gives me for rent and necessitates, I would have probably starved by now if they hadn't taught me how to come by money in less…savory ways.

I still remember the first time Chika, who I had known for about a year at the time, saw me pickpocket a merchant that had come down to the district for "business". She had slapped me, hard. I had almost yelled back before I noticed the tears in her eyes, she lectured me for almost an hour about getting my shit together. When she was done, she had made me promise to never pickpocket someone again unless I absolutely had to.

I had kept that promise, though sometimes I still had to go gamble with my monthly allowance at one of the local bars to make sure I could cover everything I would need for the month. Sure, twelve year olds probably shouldn't be in bars, but if you have money then no one around here could much care about proper social conventions. Normally it would be risky to gamble the only money I had, but then again, I always cheated at the card games, so it tended to even out the risk well enough.

I walked out of the staircase and onto the fourth floor, the smell of stale urine and cheap pipe weed permeated the place. I had spent the first six months in the building trying not to vomit every second I had to spend here, eventually though I just stopped noticing it all together.

I made my way to my door and quickly entered, the smell of lilac wafted through the small apartment. I had set it up after the first year, three different spots in the apartment held small jars with slow burning incense. I had to replace them every two or so days, but the money I spent on them was more than worth it to keep the reek at bay.

I looked around my little box "home". The thin barely there brown carpet, the tacky wallpapered walls, and my old torn couch setup in front of my old television and equally old gaming system. Still I had to smile, yeah it was shitty, but it was still my own little corner of the city. It would do just fine until I could afford a better place with my genin wages.

"If I even pass the test that is."

I scratched the back of my head as a bit of shame crawled through me, Iruka-sensei had honestly been concerned for me and I did all I could to shake him off back at the academy.

I knew my grades were bad, ever since I had moved here I had trouble sleeping most nights and so I ended up sleeping most of class away to compensate. It was the smog, or so the doctor at the hospital had told me. It made my lungs constrict just enough so that when I laid down to try and sleep my breathing would always become irregular and my body would think I was starting to suffocate. I couldn't really afford the medication to stop the reaction, and medication for health issues wouldn't be covered by the city until I was an official shinobi of Konoha. So for now I'll just have to figure something out before it's too late.

"I have to…"

I had a dream, and if I didn't become a shinobi I wouldn't have any other way for accomplishing it. It was a stupid dream sure, but I still wanted it.

To have a house and a family of my own, and as an orphan with nothing really of his own, but a few bits of furniture, becoming a ninja was the only real way to make an honest living. The small time criminals around had offered me work, but after Chika and some of the other girls had a "talk" with them, the offers stopped coming.

Sometimes, these women were terrifying.

I dropped my jacket on the arm of the worn couch and kicked off my shoes, before I started though, I had to own little tradition to take care of.

It was my birthday after all, and some traditions were meant to be kept.

I made my way to the small fridge in the corner of the apartment that served as the kitchen nook. I pulled out the small bottle of cheap sake, not the best, but then I wasn't trying to get drunk or anything. Not this time at least.

The tradition had been there before I had even been old enough to have my first memory of the orphanage. The older kinds had passed it down to one another, the tradition started when you turned ten. You'd have to drink shots of it for every year you'd been at the orphanage. My induction to the tradition had been a hard one. Ten shots of sake for a ten year old had been enough to leave me sick for the few days that followed before the recruiters for the academy came. They had tested us to see which of us had been adapt enough to show signs of the ability to manipulate our chakra, even if only slightly.

Unfortunately, I was still sick as a dog when they had tested me. I had only barely been able to concentrate enough to skim by. With the results I had had though none of the clans were interested in me. So I ended up here, but the tradition was something I had decided to continue, just not ten shots at a time. I wasn't at the orphanage anymore, so now I just drunk a single glass every year on my birthday.

I filled my glass and plopped down on the couch, I was trying to figure out where to practice tomorrow as I turned on my television and the gaming system. The old system wasn't all that much to speech of, it was years out of date and the few games I had were all simple text rpgs. Still, they were more than enough to keep me occupied during the nights I couldn't sleep, which was nearly every night at this point. I had quickly found that I enjoyed the escape it offered, the stories had made for a good way to zone out for a few hours before getting back to what I needed to get done.

The time had passed quickly, before I even realized it the hour had passed midnight and I was now officially thirteen. "Cheers" I whispered to the empty apartment as I paused the game and drank the sake. I leaned back into the couch and sighed, another year closer, and I smiled.

Then the burning started, I thought it was just the sake warming my empty stomach since I had forgotten to eat dinner, but then it started to spread. The pain grew worse as it seemed to seep into my bones and radiate through me. I could feel myself being burned alive, but when I tied to scream out for help I couldn't force out a sound. The pain continued to surge until I felt myself slipping away, and the world faded to black.

I opened my eyes slowly, the world around me was blurry and my foggy mind had yet to make its way out of the haze of sleep. I just laid there for a few moments before I remembered the pain, the feeling of being burned alive.

I tried to sit up quickly, but my body radiated pain and a dull throbbing throughout it, leaving me winded from the effort. I settled back onto the ground as I tried to catch my breath, then I noticed something strange.

"Do you wish to view the Status Window?"

(YES/NO)

Is this some kind of joke, some spiking the sake and trying to turn me into a lunatic? I tried sitting up, slowly this time. I stayed on the floor and leaned back against the couch I had fallen down in front of. The message was still there though, floating in a blue info panel like window that remained unmoving at around shoulder height to me.

"Is this some sort of genjutsu?" I could get my head around that at least, but then who would bother putting me under a genjutsu, and if I was under one then knowing I was under it should let me break the illusion.

"Release" I tried to expel chakra through my body in all directions to break the genjutsu, but nothing changed. The window was still there, and so I reached up slowly and with a shaky hand I pressed the "Yes" option.

Status Window

Name: Mitsuru Takehiko

Job: The Gamer

Level: 1 Next Level: 0/250

Title: Konoha Academy Student

Specialization: N/A

HP: 160 (+6/hour)

CP: 640 (+ 32/minute)

STR: 5

VIT: 8

DEX: 6

INT: 12

WIS: 10

LUK: ?

Perks:

Kekkei Genkai: [Chakra Aspect/The Gamer], this bloodline limit is passed down through [?] awakening on the family member's thirteenth year. It creates a state of subconscious within your chakra, allowing it to take on the aspect of the user's nature. Once formed, the individual's aspect cannot be changed or altered.

(Job: The Gamer, CP +400)

Kekkei Genkai: [?], ? ? ? ?

(Dormant: +1 WIS per lvl, +1 VIT per lvl)

Bloodline: [?], ? ? ? ?

(Kenjutsu skills +30% exp gain, Kenjutsu skills +20% effectiveness, DEX +1 per lvl)

Bloodline: [?], ? ? ? ?

(-20% to all CP costs, +10% to all skill exp gains, +1 INT per lvl)

Skills:

[Gamer's body (passive) lvl/MAX]

Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world as it were a game.

After sleeping in a bed, the user recovers all HP, CP, and cure minor status effects.

[Gamer's mind (passive) lvl/MAX]

Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through, allows a peaceful state of mind. Enables immunity to psychological status effects. Immunity to genjutsu from individuals with levels lower than your own.

Status Effects:

Malnourishment: (Moderate effect) Due to a lack of appropriate nutrition the individual is suffering from malnourishment, this results in a weakened body and a slower rate of growth.

(Physical skill effectiveness -10%, Physical skill exp gain -10%, HP -40, rate of bodily growth -20%)

Money: 0 Ryo

Points: 0

"This, is supposed to be me right?"

I stared at the floating screen of information in front of me, detailing information about myself that even I couldn't have known. There was something that stood out to me about the information though, it said "Kekkei Genkai: [Chakra Aspect/The Gamer]" so that means that all of this is some sort of bloodline limit that just turn me into so sort of living game character.

I would very much like to call this some sort of twisted joke…but I also know that genjutsu can't be physically touched like when I pressed the "yes" on the floating window. So that means I am either insane, or this is real and I have some shit to figure out.

I quickly decided that insanity was not my favorite of the two options. I read over the bloodline limits description….it seems all that time spent playing games has come back to bite me. The Kekkei Genkai seems to be called "Chakra Aspect", and if I'm understanding this correctly it gave my chakra a kind of subconscious. Then my chakra, in its apparent infinite wisdom, decided that my most important "aspect", was my love of video games…..I should have listened to Iruka-sensei and studied.

I sighed as I pulled myself up from the ground, I couldn't help but feel immediately weary of the day already. "Happy Birthday" I congratulated myself in a bitter sarcasm. Should I go to someone? Who should I even go to? The only shinobi I even know is Iruka-sensei and I get the feeling I would just be dragged in front of the Hokage and then turned into an asylum…

Ping*

Due to your habit of making intelligent decisions, you gained one WIS.

….I don't know whether I should laugh or cry over that one.

"Ok, clam down. You can make this work."

An now I have started to talk to myself….the insanity option is looking more likely by the second. "I need a shower" I looked down at myself and saw that the sake I had drunken before my….episode….last night had at some point been vomited onto the floor, and as I had been lying on that floor, I was now covered in it now.

I stripped off my clothes as I went and tossed them into the small mesh basket on the bathroom floor. I stepped into my small porcelain tub and turned on the shower, the heat form the water did miracles to release the tension in my muscles. I was tempted to just stay in the shower and avoid the rest of it, but once the water started to turn cold the appeal quickly disappeared. I stepped out and looked into the mirror, at least my appearance hadn't changed. It felt like I was being burned alive last night, it's nice to know that I don't look like a piece of charred meat that hopped of the barbecue.

My hair was still just as golden, and my eyes were still that same shade of burgundy red. I was still just as pale though, so I can see that those invisible flames didn't manage to do much for my tan. I was still one of the shorter of the boys in my class though, and like everything else appearance wise that hadn't seen fit to change.

"Wait, one of the things on the status window mentioned something about growth didn't it?" I tried to remember what it said, but I blanked on most of it after the whole "bloodline limit turned you into a game character" thing. How do I get the window to open again, the first box called it a "status window" I think.

"Status Window" I called aloud and the in front of me appeared the same box as earlier. I took a deep breath to calm myself before I read everything over again, only this time I did my best to pay attention to every line. "Malnourishment" was the name of the status effect, and it seemed to reduce my body's growth rate by twenty percent, no wonder I was one of the shortest boys if I was growing so much slower than them.

Gamer's Body seemed interesting as well, it said I would recover completely after I slept, but I still feel like I got hit by a pissed off jonin. Ah, I re-read the skill and noticed the "in a bed" part. Though it does look like if I can get "Malnourishment" down to a minor effect instead of a moderate one a nights sleep will take care of the rest.

Gamer's Mind caught my attention as well, from the description I'm guessing this skill is why I'm not huddled in a corner right now with my head between my knees. There was more though, there was two traits under my "perks" section with the label of "bloodline". Does that mean one of my parents was like this too? There's also the problem of the other bloodline limit that's blanked out, it had the status dormant on it as well. Two bloodlines that had perks attached and a bloodline limit from each.

"Just who the hell were my parents?"

Ping*

A new quest has been created.

To move forward, first look behind!

Primary objective: Find information about your parents.

Completion Reward: 2000 exp, Family Heirlooms, Proceeding Quest Unlocked

Completion Failure: Loss of personal identity.

Accept (yes/no)

I looked at the floating window and even with this Gamer's Mind skill I still felt conflicted over what to do, I suppose the skill is only there to stop me from freaking about things. I had never really thought out about finding my parents, I mean sure, I spent a few years like every other orphan, wishing that they walk through the doors and carry me away to some place better. Eventually you grow out of that though, but now I have a quest, which sounds ridiculous, telling me that the option is there if I choose to peruse it.

For the second time in as many hours my hand shook as I pressed the "yes" option on the message box.

This was going to be a long day.