Pick a starting scenario, then decide whether to play one of its ready-made shinobi or create your own. Premades can begin immediately. Guided Creation Start opens a registration scroll before world time begins.
Before the first scene
Your own shinobi is built in eight seals, in this order: timeline, name, age, appearance, personality, rank, special power, optional special eye. The power seal contains curated selections for origin, training, attribute presets, catalogue abilities, jutsu and equipment. Only a Custom Clan name and its optional proposed clan ability use text fields; no custom non-clan power or custom eye is offered. The eye seal is last and can be skipped. A complete editable review follows; answer Confirm only when the result is yours.
The default date is the first genin mission period, after graduation and Kakashi’s bell test and before the Land of Waves escort. The eight fixed scenarios and the default guided opening share that date. You may request another era in Guided Creation, but its entire cast and opening must be dated coherently before play. A future character profile in the library does not appear in the present just because you can read it.
You can choose an older novice, a specialist, a squad leader or a stronger campaign concept. The review shows whether your rank, age and powers fit the scenario. It does not secretly downgrade your choice or hand a beginner every advanced technique in the catalogue. Ordinary shinobi without a bloodline or special eye remain fully viable.
Tell the world what you do
Write an intention and an approach: “I keep the ferry passenger behind cover while checking the roofline for the archer.” Ask questions, inspect terrain, speak to people and propose plans. Suggested actions are invitations; freeform actions are always allowed. The narrator resolves consequences and portrays the world, but your shinobi’s important decisions remain yours.
When the outcome is uncertain and failure matters, roll the relevant check under the system rules. A useful tool, good preparation or an ally’s setup can matter as much as a strong technique. In combat, watch distance, cover, tells, openings, resources and the objective. Retreat, negotiation, rescue and delaying an enemy can all win a battle without defeating every opponent.
Use Short, Standard or Cinematic to control description length. This changes the prose, not difficulty or mechanical costs. Ask Explain when a rule or price is unclear. You can inspect a technique’s requirements before committing chakra.
Between missions
Train toward a named goal with a mentor, practice time and a visible milestone. Clan arts, rare eyes, summons and powerful transformations have acquisition routes. Track what is Learned separately from what is Latent, Training, Sealed or Unavailable. A famous name is never automatic mastery.
Other people follow their own duties and ambitions as time advances. Rest, wounds, money, weather, travel and village politics shape what becomes possible. Your choices can change a relationship or redirect an event, and an explicit alternate continuity can diverge further.
Your saved campaign carries its date, location, resources, objectives and consequences between sessions. Keep an optional personal journal or ask for a recap when returning. During creation the clock stays still; after your final confirmation, the first scene starts from the life and powers you actually approved.
