Naruto: King of Shadows

The Hidden Leaf Village was alive with energy as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow over the rooftops. The streets bustled with activity shinobi returning from missions, merchants closing their stalls, and children running through the village without a care in the world.

But for Naruto Uzumaki, this place had never truly felt like home.

He stood at the edge of the Hokage Monument, looking down at the village. The cool evening wind ruffled his golden hair as he sighed, his cerulean blue eyes reflecting something deeper than sadness acceptance.

The truth was, he had long since stopped expecting warmth from the people here.

His parents, the great Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, were legendary figures in the village. His younger siblings, Menma and Mito, were hailed as prodigies, showered with praise and affection. They had chakra. They could become great shinobi. They belonged.

Naruto, however, was different. Very different.

No matter how hard he trained, how much effort he put into learning ninjutsu, he could never mold chakra like everyone else. His body rejected it, refused to channel even the smallest amount. It was as if he had been born broken, an anomaly in a world where chakra was everything.

At first, he had tried to make up for it in other ways working harder, training longer but it never mattered. No one cared. His father looked at him with silent disappointment, his mother with gentle but distant pity. Menma and Mito barely acknowledged his existence unless they needed something.

The rest of the village followed suit.

Even the teachers at the Academy eventually stopped trying.

"Just focus on support roles," they had told him once, as if that was the only path left for him.

But Naruto refused to be just a spectator in someone else's story.

He clenched his fists as a familiar blue light flickered in front of him.

╔════════════════════╗

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Age: 15

Level: 1

HP: 100% / 100%

MP: 100% / 100%

Class: None

Mana Type: Mana (Unique, Non-Chakra)

Special Stat: [Mana Surge]: Activated (Boosts all mana-based skills temporarily)

Abilities: None (Gacha Available)

Skills: None

Gacha Pull: Available

Training World: Locked

Status: Ready

╚════════════════════╝

This system had appeared before him on his tenth birthday, the only thing that had ever given him a shred of hope. Unlike chakra, his body could use mana something foreign, something unnatural in this world.

But it was his.

Still, it wasn't enough.

He had spent five years trying to grow stronger, but the system moved at its own pace. The village didn't know, his family didn't care, and his progress was painfully slow.

Naruto's gaze flicked to the [Gacha Pull] option.

He exhaled slowly.

Maybe this time…

He tapped it.

[Gacha Pull in Progress…]

Rolling…

3…2…1…

[You have received: "Shadow Summon: Rank D"]

Effect: Summon a shadow creature to assist in battle. Limited to three uses per day.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly.Finally, something useful.

He clenched his fist, feeling the shift in his body as mana responded. His shadow flickered unnaturally for a moment before settling. He hadn't tested his abilities much, but he knew this power was the key to his future.A future that no longer involved Konoha.

He turned toward the village one last time.Tomorrow, he would be gone.And no one would even notice.Naruto had always known he was different.

It started when he was five. Menma and Mito were already showing signs of talent Menma had perfect chakra control, while Mito could already shape a Rasengan with their father's help. Their parents beamed with pride, showering them with love and attention.

Naruto, meanwhile, could barely get a spark of chakra to properly mold.

"Keep trying," Minato had told him with a kind but distracted smile, too busy watching Menma demonstrate his new technique.

Kushina had patted his head, reassuring him, but there was an underlying sadness in her eyes.

It was the same look everyone gave him.

Pity.

As he grew older, it became worse.

At the Academy, Menma was at the top of the class, Mito right behind him. Sasuke, their ever-present rival, competed with them, always trying to prove himself as the best. Naruto? He wasn't even acknowledged.

Iruka-sensei tried. He really did. But there was only so much he could do. The other students ignored Naruto or treated him like a joke, assuming he was just a lost cause.

Even the villagers, who adored Minato and Kushina, viewed him as an embarrassment.

He was the Hokage's son, yet he wasn't strong.

He wasn't useful.Even when he tried to connect with his siblings, Menma would scoff.

"Just stay out of our way, Naruto," Menma had said once after Naruto had tried to spar with him. "You're not a ninja. Stop pretending you can be."

Mito, at least, had some guilt in her expression. But she never spoke up against Menma. She never defended him.

Their parents never corrected them.

No matter how much Naruto wanted to scream, to demand why he was treated like this, he already knew the answer.

He didn't belong. And so he came to the conclusion that he would leave this damned place. Without a second thought about it.

As Naruto stood at the village gates.

It was the dead of night. The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the path ahead.

No one was there to stop him. No guards noticed him.

He had erased all traces of his presence with the system's Stealth Mode, a passive ability that he had unlocked at Level 3. It was one of the few gifts his power had given him so far.

With one last glance at the place he had called home, Naruto turned away.

The wind whispered through the trees, and for the first time in his life…

He was free.