This Naruto Is a Player!

Stepping out from his hiding place, Naruto looked at the sky.

It was just dawn, probably around seven or eight o'clock.

He walked towards home, but after a few steps, he felt too slow. He then leaped onto a tree and, with a few continuous jumps, vanished in a flash.

Meanwhile.

The Anbu responsible for protecting Naruto were dumbfounded.

"Sparrow, did you see that?"

"I saw it."

"Was that...?"

"Not the Third Hokage. While incredibly realistic, the Third was still in his office when I handed over duties this morning."

"Then what do we do?"

"You continue to track and protect. I'll inform the Hokage-sama."

"Understood."

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

The two shadows quickly split up, disappearing again within a few jumps.

Location: Hokage Building, Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently swamped with a mountain of affairs. The ongoing wars with the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning generated a huge amount of intelligence and tasks daily, leaving him stretched thin.

Now, he heard a piece of news that surprised him, yet also brought a hint of delight.

"Is the information confirmed? Naruto transformed into my likeness?"

"Confirmed."

Looking at Sparrow again, Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered that this was an experienced Anbu, someone he could trust.

Hiruzen Sarutobi found it strange. Naruto had only begun learning chakra control three days ago. Had he learned the Transformation Jutsu so quickly?

This Transformation Jutsu had even almost fooled an Anbu.

A genius?

Very possible, after all, he was Minato's child.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe and said, "It seems I'll have to go there myself."

On the other side, Naruto's experience was quite astonishing.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama."

"Morning... cough cough, morning." Naruto tried to make his voice sound as deep as possible.

"Good morning, Third Hokage."

"Hmm, good morning."

From the moment he entered the village, greetings like these hadn't stopped.

Everyone he met, every single person, would show a sincere smile and greet him warmly.

The respect in their eyes was practically overflowing.

Little children would affectionately call him "Grandpa Hokage" and chase him for a bit before their parents called them back, telling them not to disturb Hokage-sama's work.

This feeling was incredibly novel; this sensation of being respected, of being respected and loved by many, Naruto, as a "beast of burden" in his previous life, had never experienced.

This level of popularity, perhaps even the world's richest man wouldn't compare?

However, these titles.

Hokage-sama, Grandpa Hokage, Third Hokage.

Naruto looked up and noticed the faces on the Hokage Rock. He froze.

Wait, isn't that the lonely old man? How is he the Third Hokage?

Looking again at the bald stone statue, this isn't right, the statue and the real person had a pretty big difference. If he hadn't seen the real person, he wouldn't have dared to connect this statue with the old man from last night.

However, Naruto also realized he had caused trouble.

He felt a bit annoyed.

He randomly transformed into someone, and it just happened to be this little old man, who turned out to be the Third Hokage.

Is this Hokage very bored?

Eating dinner with him late at night?

Naruto no longer dared to stroll around brazenly. He flashed into an empty alley and dispelled the Transformation Jutsu.

"A bit reckless. I hope no one noticed."

Just then, a notification popped up.

[You have completed a prank mission. This prank scored 9.5 points.]

[You have obtained: 1 Skill Point, Prankster Novice Badge.]

[You have unlocked: Prankster Star Quest Chain. Please check the mission interface for details.]

"What is this? A prank?"

Naruto glanced at the mission interface.

It turned out this was a side quest. According to the game design, this game had a high degree of freedom. Besides the mandatory main quests, players could freely explore and trigger many side quests.

This was one of them.

Naruto glanced at the reward: unrestricted 1 Skill Point?

No, this is 1 Skill Point? An unrestricted 1 Skill Point. It could directly change 90(1/10) to 91(1/10), instead of 90(1/10) to 90(2/10).

He then looked at the Prankster Novice Badge.

[Prankster Novice:]

[+0.2% Chakra Recovery]

[Evaluation: Pranks bring joy, and joy increases recovery.]

Naruto tried equipping it to see the effect.

(Recovery 1.2%(Young) × (1 + 200% + 2000%) × 2 = 55.2%/hour)

It was previously 46%, an increase of 9.2%. The effect was significant.

If "Novice" was this good, wouldn't the later badges be amazing?

"I love pranks!"

Naruto exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

Closing the interface, he scanned his surroundings. No one seemed to have noticed him.

Naruto then let out a sigh of relief, before leaping up.

Whoosh whoosh~

With a few jumps, he arrived back at his doorstep.

Taking out the key from his backpack, he had just entered the door when Naruto saw a figure. Thinking his house had been robbed, he looked closer and saw it was the Third Hokage.

"Grandpa Hokage."

This was the Hokage, the biggest BOSS in the village, so he said "Grandpa" with genuine feeling.

If this Hokage were on Earth, would he be a country's president? Or...?

In short, if this old man was looking out for him, would he still fear being eliminated by the villagers?

"Little Naruto, you're back." Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a kind smile.

He could tell Naruto already knew his identity.

He reached out and fondly patted Naruto's head, asking, "How did I hear that someone in the village was impersonating me?"

"Fake news, all false rumors."

Seeing Naruto's response, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't pursue it. He warned, "Naruto, I know you didn't mean it, but don't transform into other people in the village, or you'll be caught as a spy."

"Mm, got it."

Thinking of his recent experience, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Hokage, how did you become Hokage?"

The Third Hokage recalled, "Well, I was designated by the Second Hokage. I was prepared to sacrifice myself for my comrades, but the Second Hokage appointed me as Hokage..."

Naruto wasn't interested in these secrets. He just wanted to know how to become Hokage.

He had really enjoyed the feeling from his journey earlier. Everyone he met respected him, greeted him warmly, and even the children respectfully called him 'Grandpa Hokage.'

That feeling was quite exhilarating.

But that was as the Third Hokage.

What about him, Naruto? Once he stepped outside, everyone he encountered would either ignore him, if they were nice, or treat him with hostility, if they were not.

Forget greetings, it would be good if they didn't throw rotten eggs.

What if he didn't go out?

No.

He, Naruto Uzumaki, why couldn't he go out?

If he became Hokage, would everything change?

"Grandpa Hokage, how does one become Hokage?"

What efforts were needed to become Hokage?

Could one become Hokage just by becoming the strongest?

Naruto was curious.

Hearing this, the Third Hokage felt deeply comforted and satisfied.

This was guiding Naruto on the right path; his teaching that night had indeed been correct.

Feeling the burning of Naruto's Will of Fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi taught him again: "A Hokage needs great strength, extraordinary patience and perseverance, and most importantly, the recognition of their comrades and everyone.

Great strength requires you to continuously grow and learn, refining your abilities every day.

Extraordinary patience and perseverance require..."

At this moment, Naruto felt an intense headache.

Perhaps, it's fine if he doesn't go out.

What about the villagers' cold stares?

He'd just walk around them.

He wasn't made of glass; he had an incredibly thick skin. If they want to stare, let them stare. He couldn't control other people's gazes, but he could manage his own mindset.

At worst, he'd get into a fight.

That would be great! He had just learned some ninjutsu!