The morning after Hiro’s awakening, Shinzo sat on the grass, his eyes locked onto the massive screen in front of him. The image flickered slightly, dispying Hiro waking up in his small room, his face still groggy from the previous night’s ordeal.

  Shinzo had spent years trapped in this isoted realm, seeing nothing but mist and grass, but now he had a window into another world. A world he knew all too well.

  On the screen, Kaya was fussing over Hiro, her worry evident as she checked his forehead and asked him how he felt. The woman practically radiated maternal energy, her concern both touching and overwhelming.

  Shinzo exhaled softly. “This kid actually has someone who cares about him.”

  That thought lingered uncomfortably in his mind. In his past life, if he had disappeared, he doubted anyone would have even noticed. His coworkers might have wondered why he didn’t show up for a day or two, but eventually, they would have moved on. His apartment would have sat empty until the ndlord forced his way inside, likely assuming he had skipped rent.

  No family would have searched for him. No friends would have asked where he went. His existence had been an isoted one, much like this realm, and that realization settled over him with a weight he hadn’t been prepared for.

  His breath caught when his gaze returned to Kaya. Wrapped around her arm was a forehead protector, the metal pte shining faintly in the morning light.

  A Konoha headband.

  Shinzo froze, his chest tightening as his mind reeled.

  This was Naruto. He was in Naruto.

  His absolute favorite anime. The one he had spent years obsessing over. The one whose lore he had practically memorized. And now, somehow, he was seeing it unfold before his very eyes.

  A mixture of excitement and fear coursed through him. If this was the Naruto world, then it meant that the dangers he had once only read about were very, very real. But something was off. Hiro didn’t exist in the story. Neither did Kaya. His mind raced with possibilities.

  “Is this… an alternate timeline?” he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the screen. If that were the case, he’d need to watch carefully for differences. Even small details could change everything. And if he was truly connected to this kid…

  His stomach twisted as an unsettling thought formed in his mind.

  If Hiro died, what would happen to him?

  Hiro’s morning routine continued as he walked outside, Chūta fluttering onto his shoulder with his usual energetic chirps. Shinzo leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head, watching as the boy and the squirrel interacted. Then, suddenly, a loud beeping noise rang through his realm.

  Shinzo flinched. A glowing, translucent menu appeared in front of him, hovering midair like a game notification.

  "NOTICE - ADMIN REQUIRED"

  “…Admin?” Shinzo muttered, blinking at the dispy. He hesitated before pressing the rge OK button that appeared at the bottom.

  The notification disappeared, repced by a second screen.

  "SUMMONING BEAST LINK LVL 1 - AVAILABLE""UNLOCK?"

  Two buttons appeared beneath it: YES / NO

  Shinzo didn’t even think before tapping YES.

  The moment he did, the menu vanished, and on the screen, Hiro’s world shifted. A new notification had appeared in front of the boy, and Shinzo watched as Hiro hesitated before reaching out and accepting whatever prompt the system had given him.

  A pulse of green energy burst from the screen, and Shinzo turned as a massive tree suddenly manifested in his realm.

  The ground rumbled as the tree fully materialized, standing several meters away from him. Perched on one of its branches was a small, familiar figure.

  “…Chūta?” Shinzo called hesitantly.

  The squirrel sat up, tilting its head before letting out a chirp. Then, with one graceful leap, Chūta glided down and nded right on Shinzo’s shoulder.

  Shinzo blinked. Slowly, he reached up and ran a finger along the tiny creature’s fur.

  “Oh my god,” he breathed. “You are adorable.”

  Chūta chittered happily, nuzzling against his cheek. Shinzo melted.

  This was officially the best part of his new existence.

  But the question still remained—how was Chūta here and in Hiro’s world at the same time? The system had clearly created some sort of link, but to what extent? And why did he, of all people, have the authority to approve it?

  The next few days passed with no further system notifications, but Shinzo had already begun making some observations about his role.

  First, Chūta never disappeared. He remained in Shinzo’s realm, acting completely independent of the Chūta in Hiro’s world. However, Shinzo noticed that the squirrel reacted to certain things on the screen—whenever Hiro fed his version of Chūta sunflower seeds, the one in Shinzo’s realm visibly perked up, as if he could feel it. Shinzo even swore he saw the squirrel gaining weight.

  The second observation was far more significant.

  Shinzo had chakra.

  It happened by accident. Kaya was trying to teach Hiro some basic hand signs, and Shinzo, ever the Naruto nerd, instinctively started mimicking them.

  That was when he realized that chakra responded to him effortlessly.

  When Hiro struggled to mold his energy, Shinzo completed the technique on his first try. It felt as natural as breathing.

  He didn’t know why or how, but the knowledge from the manga transted into actual results. Every time he mimicked Kaya’s lessons, his body responded perfectly.

  When Hiro failed to properly gather wind chakra, Shinzo performed it instantly, sending out a sharp burst of air. Unfortunately, that particur attempt sent Chūta flying off his branch, and the squirrel was not happy about it.

  “Okay, okay, I get it! I won’t use jutsu near you!” Shinzo apologized as Chūta scolded him with rapid chittering.

  Still, the realization was shocking. Was it because of his Administrator status? Or had something about his soul been altered when he was brought here?

  Regardless, he now had something to occupy his time. Chakra training.

  The only time the system had required his input in the next few days was during one of Kaya’s training sessions with Chūta. A new prompt had appeared in front of Shinzo.

  "ENABLE SUMMONER LINK CHAKRA SHARING?"

  Shinzo shrugged. Hiro couldn’t use jutsu anyway, so why not power up his squirrel? He tapped YES.

  Chūta’s abilities visibly improved after that. He was learning faster, his wind chakra more refined. Even Kaya had taken notice.

  For now, Shinzo had settled into a routine. He spent his days watching Hiro, training his chakra, and waiting for the next system prompt.

  He leaned against the tree, Chūta curled up on his shoulder, and gnced at the floating system screen.

  “…So, what’s next?” he muttered.

  The system remained silent.

  Shinzo sighed, closing his eyes. Something told him his job as Administrator was only just beginning.

  Mishy