Kitagawa Minamoto was a transmigrator.
He still vividly remembered that thirteen years ago, he had just stepped out for a walk when, in the blink of an eye, he was struck by an out-of-control construction vehicle...
The timing of his transmigration was neither fortunate nor catastrophic.
Being three years older than Naruto, he managed to avoid the horrors of the Third Shinobi War. However, there wasn't much he could do about many pivotal events.
For instance, just last year, Itachi Uchiha had finally achieved his "enlightenment at Ryūchi Cave" and then, following Obito Uchiha's example, had shown his "filial piety" to the Uchiha clan!
Whenever he thought about this, Kitagawa Minamoto couldn't help but sigh—
Damn it, I transmigrated too late...
If only he were stronger, he could have tried to strike gold with the Uchiha clan!
Fortunately, though, he was also a cheat-wielding protagonist.
Cheat-wielders weren't uncommon in the vibrant and competitive world of shinobi. Even Naruto, who had achieved a perfect ending in his lifetime, had been so overpowered with his cheats that he was practically "nerfed" by the universe.
But even having a cheat wasn't necessarily a big deal. After all, Naruto and Sasuke had repeatedly come close to being defeated by the top-tier powers of the ninja world.
Besides, his cheat required him to complete tasks in exchange for rewards. Compared to those with talent cheats, ancestral cheats, or even cheats like Kotoamatsukami, his was more like a "low-level starter pack."
"Especially since I can't even access my starter pack yet..."
Every time he thought about this, Kitagawa Minamoto gritted his teeth in frustration.
He couldn't understand why the starter pack, which should have been available upon transmigration, required him to first become a ninja.
And not just any ninja—the definition of "ninja" here specifically referred to being officially registered in Konoha's system.
Was the ultimate goal of the universe really... bureaucratic employment?
At this rate, wouldn't he just end up as cannon fodder during the Chūnin exams?
Even if he survived the Chūnin exams, he wouldn't be able to avoid the Fourth Great Ninja War in the future.
From being hit by a construction vehicle before transmigration to being crushed after transmigration, would his entire life amount to nothing but getting wrecked?
Wouldn't that make his transmigration pointless?
Thankfully, he had side quests to save him.
The side quests were simple, and completing them granted rewards. However, the nature of these quests was often... unreliable.
For example, when he encountered Hinata, a quest titled "Delicious and Lovely Sisters" popped up.
Even more outrageous was the time he met Naruto, and the system generated a quest titled "Let Naruto Smoke with Pain Amidst the Ruins of Konoha."
Fortunately, side quests were optional.
But once accepted, they had to be completed; otherwise, no other side quests could be taken.
In addition to that...
"If I give up on too many quests, the system will deem me too weak and forcibly assign tasks."
Becoming "Kakashi's sole disciple" was one such task forcibly assigned by the system.
He had considered graduating early, but the problem was that, after the war, Konoha had implemented extremely strict controls on early graduation.
Other than Itachi Uchiha, who received "special treatment," everyone else—including the so-called "rookies"—had to follow the standard process. This completely dashed Kitagawa's hopes.
[Name: Kitagawa Minamoto]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: None (Possible Descendant of Nobodies)]
[Chakra Capacity: B (Average Chūnin Level)]
[Chakra Nature: Wind, Fire, Earth]
[Skills: Body Flicker Technique, Earth Release, Kakashi's Swordsmanship, Throwing Techniques...] (Ninjutsu power scales with Chakra capacity)
[Items: Starter Pack, Self-Cleaning Clothes That Never Need Washing...]
"Kakashi's Swordsmanship? Not bad..."
As he walked out of the hospital, Kitagawa Minamoto glanced at his status panel. However, his attention was primarily focused on the starter pack.
Thirteen years!
Even Nezha's gestation period was only three years and six months, yet he had waited thirteen whole years for his starter pack!
"Minamoto!"
Just as he was about to rush home and finally open his starter pack, someone suddenly called out to him from behind.
Turning around, he saw none other than Might Guy running toward him.
"Guy-sensei, what brings you here?"
Kitagawa Minamoto immediately set aside his thoughts, put on a smile, and approached him.
Over the years, in his efforts to learn taijutsu, he had "accidentally" crossed paths with Might Guy. Leveraging his knowledge of Guy's personality, they had quickly become close.
Everything he had told Kakashi earlier was true. In fact, much of what he had learned had been "legitimized" through Guy.
As a result, he wasn't worried at all about Kakashi questioning Guy.
"I heard there was an incident with your team," Guy said, looking Minamoto up and down with concern.
"What happened? How did you end up in the hospital? That Kakashi..."
"Guy-sensei, I'm fine," Kitagawa Minamoto shook his head and smiled.
"It wasn't Kakashi-sensei's fault. It was... our own mistake."
Kitagawa Minamoto felt too embarrassed to admit that his team had fought each other. After all, he bore a significant portion of the responsibility for the incident...
To complete the quest "Become Kakashi's Sole Disciple," Kitagawa Minamoto had carefully planned everything.
He remembered that one of Kakashi's previous teams had a notable "brotherly feud," and the system likely assigned him this quest because of that precedent.
So, after the team assignments were announced, he had made an effort to bond with his two teammates, repeatedly emphasizing his determination to become a ninja and showcasing his unwavering resolve.
Fortunately, his academic performance had always been decent. On the day of the test, he had given it his all, demonstrating his "dominance."
As for the final bell dilemma...
With both teammates already mentally and physically exhausted, his silence naturally shifted all the pressure onto them.
Unsurprisingly, the two of them ended up drawing their weapons against each other.
Of course, if they had failed outright by fighting over the bells, Kitagawa Minamoto had a backup plan.
He would simply tweak the speech he had prepared for Kakashi.
"Thank you, Guy-sensei, for your guidance. Without it, I wouldn't have earned Kakashi-sensei's approval."
Kitagawa Minamoto bowed slightly toward Guy. He genuinely regarded Guy as his "savior."
In fact, Kitagawa Minamoto suspected that Guy might have done even more for him behind the scenes.
As a civilian orphan whose parents had died in service and who had been raised by his grandfather before becoming an orphan again, his prospects weren't exactly bright.
Normally, such individuals would be assigned a random instructor, and whether that instructor was a Jōnin was uncertain.
After all, Jōnin typically mentored students from prominent clans or those with exceptional talent. Civilians like him were often overlooked...
The primary role of a standard instructor was to help newly graduated Genin adapt to the ninja lifestyle and learn the ropes of various tasks. Their relationship was more akin to that of a superior and subordinate.
Being placed under Kakashi's mentorship was an unexpected stroke of luck, and Kitagawa Minamoto was willing to believe that someone had helped him behind the scenes.
"As long as you're okay... Wait a minute!"
Guy paused, his expression suddenly changing.
"Are you saying you passed Kakashi's test?"
"Yes," Kitagawa Minamoto nodded.
The next moment, Guy slapped him on the shoulder, grinning and giving him a thumbs-up. His sparkling white teeth seemed to gleam blindingly in the sunlight.
"Great job! I was worried about you! Too bad my application didn't go through—Kakashi got lucky! Well, to celebrate your success, let's run ten laps around Konoha!"
[New Side Quest: Outrun Might Guy!]
[Defeat Guy in a race. Accept?]
"..."
Kitagawa Minamoto grimaced and immediately declined. He had no intention of wasting time on this right now.
"Guy-sensei, I just finished the test, and Kakashi-sensei told me to rest and prepare for tomorrow, so..."
"Oh, I see," Guy rubbed his chin, then nodded with a smile.
"That makes sense. You need rest. In that case, I'll run for you—twenty laps! This is youth!"
With that, Guy flipped into a handstand and vanished in a puff of green smoke, leaving Kitagawa Minamoto speechless.
Once Guy was out of sight, Kitagawa Minamoto let out a sigh of relief and quickly headed home.
He had waited this long without opening the starter pack, a testament to his caution.
Now, all he wanted was to see what this thirteen-year-old starter pack contained.
"If it doesn't have anything good, I'll throw myself into danger and take you down with me!"
Slamming the door open, he quickly shut it with his foot and muttered under his breath, "Open Starter Pack!"
In an instant, his vision blurred, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
His breathing grew heavy, and the next moment, his vision went black as he collapsed onto his bed.
A cold, emotionless voice echoed in his mind.
[Starter Pack Opened]
[Reward Acquired: Ōtsutsuki Clan Bloodline (Blank Slate)]
[Host is advised to develop it carefully.]
"..."
...
[TN-Final: Original Term - "Betsutenno Kuchi" - Final Translation: "Kotoamatsukami" - Justification: The original text was making a joke combining "Talk no Jutsu" and "Kotoamatsukami" (Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan ability). For clarity, I've replaced this with the proper term while preserving the meaning that it's a powerful "cheat" ability.]