Minato with a Gacha

MC's POV

As I sat alone in the dimly lit room, trying to make sense of everything, I felt a strange, sudden sensation—a buzzing in my mind, like an unseen hand flipping a switch.

Then, without warning, a holographic panel appeared before my eyes, startling me enough that I jerked backward.

"What the—?"

The panel hovered there, just out of reach, transparent yet perfectly readable. At the top, bold letters glowed in a font I recognized immediately from countless RPG games. It read:

System Menu

Beneath the title, a range of options was neatly organized, just like a game interface. There was "Inventory," "Skills," "Character Profile," "Quests," and "Messages." I stared, my mind reeling.

I had a system. A real, game-like system, with menus, abilities, and everything that came with it. It was surreal, yet at the same time oddly familiar, as if the universe had ripped the mechanics straight from my old world and tossed them in for kicks.

Swallowing, I reached toward the "Character Profile" option. The instant my mind focused on it, the menu shifted, and I was greeted with a new panel.

Character Profile

Name: Minato Namikaze

Title: Fourth Hokage of Konoha

Level: 1 (Current Incarnation)

Rank: D-Rank

Attributes:

Strength: D

Dexterity: D

Intelligence: C

Wisdom: C

Endurance: D

Luck: S

Skills:

Active Skills: Damocles

 Eye of the Storm

I scrolled through my profile, equal parts fascinated and bewildered. This was… an actual game-like character sheet. My character sheet. Every stat, every ability, are displayed like a bar in the corner of the screen. I almost laughed, the absurdity of it settling in alongside the overwhelming sense of relief. I wasn't completely defenseless in this world. Whoever—or whatever—had brought me here hadn't left me without tools to survive.

But I knew better than to assume anything in a world like this. I needed to take my time, explore every detail of this system, and understand how it worked if I wanted even a chance of surviving as Minato.

I focused on the "Skills" section, where I saw two active skills listed at the top.

Active Skills

Damocles

Description:

This skill ensures that the user will always incarnate in a position of power or authority. In any world or timeline, the user will be placed in roles of influence. However, the "Damocles Effect" also brings great risk. The user's life will perpetually be in serious, even fatal, danger. Each reincarnation includes unique threats based on the position granted, often escalating over time. The higher the authority, the greater the danger.

Side Effect: Damocles heightens the perception of enemies, amplifying the likelihood that the user's enemies will perceive them as a target or threat.

Cooldown: None, this effect is active continuously.

The implications of this skill hit me like a sledgehammer. Damocles… a skill that would ensure I'd always be in a position of power, but in return, it would guarantee that my life would be at risk. So that explained why I was dropped into Minato Namikaze's body of all people—a leader, a warrior, but one with an enormous target on his back. Minato's power came with countless enemies and constant threats. I was living proof of this skill's consequences.

I swallowed. Just how far did the influence of Damocles go? Would this skill keep placing me into positions of power, even if I managed to get out of this one? And if so… what kind of danger would I face next?

Shaking off my unease, I turned to the second active skill.

Eye of the Storm

Description:

The user will always find themselves at the center of significant events, attracting pivotal and often world-altering circumstances. This skill can pull the user into either positive or negative outcomes.The Eye of the Storm effect ensures that wherever the user goes, they will find themselves embroiled in moments that determine the fates of others, and ultimately, of the user as well.

Side Effect: Eye of the Storm increases the user's exposure to entities of power, raising the likelihood of crossing paths with legendary or dangerous individuals.

Cooldown: None, this effect is active continuously.

I let out a shaky breath, my mind racing. "Eye of the Storm"… so I was destined to be drawn into major events whether I liked it or not. It didn't matter how hard I tried to avoid it—this skill would push me into situations where I was either a key player or a target. Perhaps both. No wonder I'd found myself in Minato's body during the Nine-Tails attack.

This wasn't just a game; it was a trap. Each skill might sound powerful on paper, but they each came with risks that put me on a path with almost no way out. Damocles would ensure I held power—and would ensure I was constantly in danger because of it. Eye of the Storm would make certain I was at the heart of every significant event, drawing powerful individuals and deadly situations to me like a magnet.

So these were the "boons" I'd received… and they both came with strings attached, yanking me from one perilous situation to another. I was no ordinary reincarnator. I was an entity created to live on a razor's edge, carrying a blend of authority and unpredictability that practically ensured constant conflict.

I sighed, feeling the weight of these skills settle over me like a cloak. And as much as I wanted to laugh at the irony of it, I couldn't ignore the reality staring back at me.

My system wasn't here to help me survive or thrive in this world; it was here to throw me right into the fire. Whether I succeeded or failed seemed almost irrelevant—the system had its own agenda, pushing me into danger, forcing me to face threats, and testing me at every turn.

But… it wasn't hopeless. I had strengths, I had power—Minato's power. With the right strategy, maybe I could turn this system into an advantage, use these skills for my own gain. After all, I was already in a position of authority. And with Minato's face, maybe I could pull off this "Hokage" act long enough to find a way to work this system to my advantage.

I'd been a nobody once, just another cog in the machine with no real purpose beyond surviving another day. But now, with this system, I had abilities, authority, and knowledge, even if they came with threats.

Maybe… just maybe, I could find a way to make this work.