Konoha — Ichiraku Ramen.
"Thanks for taking care of me today, Uncle Teuchi. Goodbye."
Standing at the entrance of the small ramen shop, Uchiha Yun gave a slight bow, his voice soft yet respectful. Behind the counter, the ever-kind Teuchi wiped his hands on a cloth and placed them on his hips, grinning warmly.
"Don't be so polite, Yun. Honestly, I should be thanking you. With your help, I managed to get through one of the busiest days this shop's ever seen. Let's give it our all again tomorrow."
Yun's expression faltered slightly.
'Tomorrow...?'
'That's right—tomorrow is the entire reason I came to Ichiraku in the first place.'
His eyes swept over the humble storefront—the worn wood, the gentle aroma of simmering broth still lingering in the air. Despite everything that would happen in the years to come—the Nine-Tails' attack, Pain's destruction of the village—this little ramen shop remained untouched. A constant in the chaos. Safe. Timeless.
In contrast, the Uchiha compound… not even it would be spared.
'According to my memory, if that lunatic hadn't intervened, Izumi would've died that night. Just goes to show—even the Uchiha clan land isn't safe when it all begins.'
Yun glanced down at his small hands, calloused from training but still unmistakably those of a five-year-old.
'In this body… staying in the compound during the Nine-Tails Riot would be suicide.'
He sighed aloud.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly tonight..."
With hurried steps, Yun made his way back toward the Uchiha district, the evening shadows long and ominous under the pale glow of the moon.
Uchiha Fugaku's second son had just been born not long ago—another detail that helped Yun confirm the timeline. That placed today's date firmly at October 10th—the eve of catastrophe. Tonight was the night the Fourth Hokage's child would be born. And along with him… the Nine-Tails would be unleashed.
But for Yun, tonight held a different significance.
Tonight, his cheat would finally activate.
...
"I'm back."
Sliding open the door to his modest home, Yun stepped inside. In the living room sat a young girl, her dark eyes lighting up as she saw him. A small teardrop-shaped mole beneath her left eye gave her an innocent, doll-like charm.
"Onii-chan, you're so late! Uncle Teuchi must've had a great day."
Yun smiled and ruffled her hair gently. "There were a lot of customers today. Did you train today too, Izumi?"
Uchiha Izumi nodded with a pout. "I did. But I still don't get it—why are you working at Ichiraku Ramen? You haven't trained taijutsu with me in forever."
Yun's smile didn't falter, but he didn't answer. Before he could speak, a soft voice chimed in from the kitchen.
"Yun, you really don't have to work so hard. We still have savings. It's enough to get us through until you become a Genin and start taking missions."
Their mother, Uchiha Hazuki, stepped into the room carrying a tray of tea. Her eyes were gentle but shadowed with concern, guilt quietly simmering beneath the surface.
"I know, kaa-san," Yun said, accepting a cup. "I've saved quite a bit over the last six months. I spoke with Uncle Teuchi earlier. I'll stop working after tomorrow."
Hazuki's shoulders relaxed. It had always eaten at her—the sight of her five-year-old son working odd jobs just to help the family survive. Now that he was finally easing off, she felt she could breathe again.
"I'm glad," she said softly.
Yun took a sip of tea, letting the warmth settle his nerves. "I'm a bit tired today. I'll take a bath and head to bed early."
He turned to Izumi, who was still looking at him with puffed cheeks. He patted her head again.
"The day after tomorrow, Onii-chan will take you to train again. No slacking, okay?"
"I never slack!" Izumi huffed. "Onii-chan is only a few minutes older. Don't come crying when I surpass you!"
He chuckled and waved her off, making his way to the bath. Technically, she wasn't wrong—they were twins, after all.
…
*Tick... tick... tick...*
As the minute hand on his clock passed midnight, Yun's eyes shot open. In one smooth motion, he sat up in bed, heart pounding.
'Finally... it's time.'
Transmigrated into this world as an Uchiha, the same age as Itachi, he had lived five years in fear. Fear of a future he knew too well. Fear of betrayal, slaughter, annihilation.
There were countless nights he thought of escaping alone. Fleeing from a fate that wasn't his. But then came his mother's quiet strength, and Izumi's soft voice calling him "Onii-chan" from her earliest words.
He had no family in his past life. And now, he had something to lose. Something precious.
But above all of that…
'There's that lunatic who'll butcher the entire clan like livestock—no matter the age, no matter the reason. And I liked him, too. I admired him, even. But now that I'm here... I can't forgive it.'
Why should a family that had no say in clan politics be slaughtered like dogs?
Why should two children and a widow pay the price for this cursed village's paranoia?
His fists clenched, the rage he kept buried threatening to spill out.
'If fate can be changed, I'll change it.'
'And if not…'
'Then eight years from now—or sooner—I'll kill you first, Uchiha Itachi. Before you can awaken your Mangekyō Sharingan. Before Shisui's death becomes your breaking point.'
…
[Plot Activation: Naruto World]
[Information Exchange Protocol Initialized]
[Rule Reproduction System Online]
Yun took a deep breath and gave the mental command:
'Open exchange interface. Redeem novice reward. Transaction partner—S-rank shinobi, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.'
[S-rank shinobi Namikaze Minato located]
[Temporal flow rate of the transaction space has been altered]
[Activate Shadow Mode?]
'Yes. Activate.'
A sensation of disorientation hit him. The room blurred around him like smeared ink before it sharpened again into clarity. His bed was gone. In its place was a long table. Across from him, sitting in an armchair, was the man known as the Yellow Flash—Minato himself.
The Fourth Hokage furrowed his brows.
Yun glanced down. His body was now a silhouette, completely black—featureless. Just like a criminal from a Detective Conan episode. All that was missing was the creepy background music. The resemblance to Black Zetsu was uncanny.
"No need to waste your energy," Yun said, his voice distorted and mechanical due to Shadow Mode. "Your Flying Thunder God won't work here. Neither will ninjutsu, genjutsu, or even chakra. This space nullifies all forms of combat."
Minato immediately sprang up but was slammed back down by an unseen force. He grunted in surprise but didn't resist further.
"This space," Yun continued, waving a shadowy hand, "is bound by certain inviolable rules. No attacks. No genjutsu. No lying. No deception."
Minato's mind raced, but then—click. A set of rules etched themselves into his consciousness, and his expression hardened with realization.
"You're not the creator of this space. Just a user."
"Yes," Yun replied. "This is an intelligence transaction space. Neutral ground. You can withhold information, but you can't lie."
Minato nodded slowly. "So the moment a lie is told, the space rejects the contract. And Kekkei Genkai, techniques, even talents, can be traded as chips?"
"Correct," Yun confirmed. "But the trade doesn't take them away from you. The space simply makes a copy and engraves it into me. I don't replace it—I replicate."
Minato narrowed his eyes. "And what determines the value of the information?"
Yun leaned in. "Impact. A piece of intel that saves one life might get me a jutsu. Save a village? I might get your talent in space-time ninjutsu."
Minato hesitated. "I have nothing I want to trade. I won't give my ability to a stranger."
Just as he moved to stand, Yun calmly stated:
"Kushina dies tonight."
Minato froze.
A glowing line appeared on the table before him.
[Truth]
His breath caught.
Yun's voice was low but unwavering. "The contract only requires your consent. If my intel is false, you lose nothing. But if it's true... and you reject it... then what's more valuable to you—Flying Thunder God, or Kushina's life? Or... even, Naruto's life?"
*****
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