In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a teenage boy was running a small street stall, selling handmade crafts like grasshoppers woven from palm leaves.
As he worked, weaving yet another delicate grasshopper with practiced hands, he watched the people passing by and sighed inwardly.
It had already been years since he hit the jackpot and reincarnated into the world of Naruto.
Right now, it was Year 54 of the Hidden Leaf calendar. At this point in the timeline, the Third Great Ninja War was nearing its end, and a ceasefire agreement between the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Leaf was about to be signed.
In just a few more years, the Uchiha Clan would face extermination. The Six Paths of Pain would invade the village. The Fourth Great Ninja War would erupt…
Unfortunately, he had no aptitude for chakra as someone born into the ninja world. He couldn't cultivate it, nor could he become a ninja.
To make matters worse, his parents had died young, leaving him an orphan. He had no choice but to make a living selling palm-leaf grasshoppers and other handmade trinkets.
He sighed again, fingers weaving deftly, when a soft, childlike voice interrupted him.
"Excuse me, how much is this little grasshopper?"
"Three taels."
The response came automatically. As he looked up, his eyes landed on a young girl dressed in a white kimono, her shoulder-length black hair framing a delicate, adorable face. Her pale lavender eyes stood out Byakugan eyes.
In a single glance, he recognized her: Hinata Hyuga, princess of the Hyuga clan.
If the timeline remained unchanged, this would be the year she was kidnapped by the Hidden Cloud. Of course, the attempt would fail her father, Hiashi, would intervene.
But Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi, would end up dying in his place.
These thoughts flashed through Romon's mind. Then he noticed Hinata staring at him silently. Her innocent white eyes seemed to gaze straight through him, her face tinged with an odd expression.
What's with that look?
It's not like I look strange or anything.
He instinctively touched his face. That movement seemed to snap Hinata out of her daze. She hesitated, then asked the vendor his name.
"My name's Romon," he replied curiously. "Just a regular guy who sells handmade crafts for a living."
Hinata tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze growing even stranger as she muttered under her breath, "It really is exactly the same… Not just the face, even the name, and the way you make crafts…"
Exactly the same?
Romon grew even more confused. Yet deep inside, he suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity toward Hinata an odd warmth, as if she were his other half.
The thought came out of nowhere and left him dumbfounded.
Hinata… my other half?
My waifu from the two-dimensional world?
That kind of thing was fine to fantasize about before reincarnating, but why now after living as an ordinary person for over ten years and resigning myself to this life why was I suddenly having these absurd thoughts?
He shook his head vigorously to clear the nonsense from his brain, then said to her, "A palm-leaf grasshopper is three taels. Just a bit of labor cost."
"I'll pay," Hinata replied. "But not right now."
She looked straight at him. "Right now, Mister Romon, please look into my eyes."
"Eyes are the window to the soul. If you look into mine, maybe you'll understand the connection between us."
Romon felt a growing sense of unease at her words, but still met her gaze.
The moment their eyes locked, that strange warmth intensified. She felt even more familiar no, not just familiar. It was like looking at another version of himself.
Wait—what?
These thoughts are getting out of hand what the hell!
He smacked his forehead in frustration, trying to snap himself out of it. But just as he did, Hinata mimicked him and tapped her own forehead gently.
His eyes flew open.
Did I… just control her body?
How is that possible? I'm just a normal guy. I don't even have chakra!
Even as disbelief surged through him, memories not his own began to flood his mind.
They were Hinata's memories.
She… was also a transmigrator.
She'd been hit by a truck too, just like him, and sent to the Naruto world.
But the most terrifying part?
Before she reincarnated, her name was also Romon. She was skilled in handcrafting just like him.
Romon's expression changed drastically. A terrifying thought struck him like lightning.
That truck didn't just shatter his body it splintered his soul.
His soul had been torn into fragments, and those fragments were reborn separately in the Naruto world.
One part became him Romon.
The other… became Hinata Hyuga.
Finally, everything clicked. That strange sense of familiarity when looking into her eyes, that ability to control her body they were the same person, two halves of a split soul.
At that moment, Hinata also received all of Romon's memories. Her eyes welled with gentle compassion as she reached out to him and said in her soft, childish voice, "You've suffered so much these past years. From now on, come live with the Hyuga clan. I'll take care of you."
"Huh?"
Romon was stunned. He hadn't expected Hinata to say something like that.
Was she… trying to support him?
Live off a little girl's money?
That's messed up!
But then, flashes of his past came rushing back: cooking alone, living in loneliness, painstakingly weaving grasshoppers and straw sandals just to survive.
Those memories overwhelmed him.
Yes, he could keep living off palm-leaf crafts and sandals.
But wouldn't it be better to live a life of comfort, cared for by Hinata Hyuga?
After all, Hinata was just another version of himself. Living off her wasn't freeloading it was self-care.
Romon stood up immediately. "Let me pack up real quick."
"No need," Hinata said sweetly. "Just come with me. The Hyuga clan doesn't care about a few grasshoppers and trinkets. When we get home, I'll make sure you eat the best food!"
Her voice was still soft and gentle, almost melodic.
But to Romon, it was like divine music. Her words hit him right in the heart.
He smiled the most radiant smile he'd worn since reincarnating into this world.
Meanwhile, the other vendors who had watched the scene unfold were completely dumbfounded.
Romon the guy who sold straw sandals and tiny handmade crafts, who could barely afford to eat most days had actually caught the eye of the Hyuga clan's princess?
And now she was taking him away?
Was he… becoming her live-in fiancé?
Was he about to hit the jackpot?
What the hell just happened?!