"Just another peaceful day in Konoha," Aoki Yuu thought with a yawn. He sat by the window in the back row, gazing out at the sun-drenched village.
At the front of the class, Instructor Mizuki was explaining the theory of setting traps with kunai. Compared to ninjutsu lessons or combat practice, theoretical classes like this one obviously held little interest for the students.
The portly boy sitting beside Yuu had secretly opened a bag of chips under his desk. He fished one out, popped it into his mouth with lightning speed, let it soften with saliva, and only then swallowed it discreetly.
Yuu desperately wanted to tell him that eating chips like that robbed them of all their pleasure. Chips were meant to be eaten with a satisfying "crack-crack" crunch.
Besides, there was no need for such caution. After all, a certain blond kid in the front row was already sprawled out on his desk, fast asleep and just short of snoring, while Instructor Mizuki pretended not to notice a thing.
The white-haired teacher was known throughout the Academy for his gentle nature, which stood in stark contrast to the short temper of their homeroom teacher, Iruka.
In the end, however, Aoki Yuu said nothing.
The days of secretly sleeping in class, eating snacks, and indulging in other such trivialities were numbered.
In two days, their graduating class was scheduled to finish their studies and, at the tender age of twelve, step into the brutal world of ninja.
Overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of becoming shinobi, they likely had no idea what awaited them. Only Aoki Yuu, as a transmigrator, knew they were destined to face Orochimaru, who was already weaving his schemes; Tendo Pain, who would teach them the meaning of suffering; the Fourth Great Ninja War; and Kaguya, who intended to drain the very life force from everyone.
As a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho clan, the chubby boy was at least a somewhat notable figure. The vast majority, however, were background characters like Yuu, who had left no mark whatsoever on the original story.
He would probably just become another nameplate in the cemetery during some future catastrophe. Or perhaps he wouldn't even merit a stone—just a name in the ninja archives.
Fortunately, he had a cheat.
The Plot Marker System—that was the name he had given his cheat.
Whenever he witnessed a scene from the original plot, the System would issue a reward. Over years of observation, Yuu had figured out that the more famous and spectacular the scene, the more generous the reward.
Of course, the main storyline hadn't started yet, so he hadn't had the chance to "check in" at any truly large-scale events.
When the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked Konoha, he had just been born, his consciousness from his past life not yet awakened. By the night of the Uchiha clan massacre, however, he was fully aware. His heart had pounded with anticipation back then; for such a monumental scene, the System might have rewarded him with a Mangekyō Sharingan.
But after some thought, he decided it would be reckless for a six-year-old to go anywhere near that place just to check in. Even if Itachi didn't cut him down, he could have easily been swatted aside by some other power.
Since he had the System, there was no need to be reckless. As long as he lived his life according to the established order, he would have plenty of opportunities to check in at major events once the main plot began.
Therefore, up to this point, Aoki Yuu had mostly checked in at everyday scenes.
For instance, for the scene "Naruto, Rejected by the Villagers," the System had rewarded him with a boost to his chakra. Although the amount wasn't even close to Kakashi's, it allowed him, as a new Academy student, to possess a chakra reserve on par with a chunin.
For the scene "Naruto Heroically Saves Hinata from Bullies," the System rewarded him with an enhancement to his physical stats. Thanks to this, Yuu, at only seven years old, became physically stronger than a full-grown ninja.
There had been many such rewards, and by accumulating them bit by bit, Aoki Yuu had reached a level where, by his own estimation, his strength was certainly not inferior to some special jonin, even if it fell short of the elite jonin.
Within the confines of the Academy, his power was utterly overwhelming.
Of course, Yuu didn't show off his abilities, displaying only a level slightly above average for his peers. While showing off was satisfying, it wasn't worth the risk of disrupting the original plot and losing the chance to check in at future scenes.
"I've been patient for so long, and now I'm finally on the home stretch."
At the thought of his impending graduation, Yuu felt a surge of enthusiasm. "How did the original story begin? Naruto fails the graduation exam, Mizuki tricks him into stealing the Scroll of Seals, he learns the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, and defeats Mizuki."
He glanced at Instructor Mizuki, who was still smiling gently at the front of the classroom.
"Even if it's not the most epic scene, it's one I can't miss. The System's reward will definitely be much better than what I got for the previous slice-of-life moments."
"And then there's Team 7's first meeting, Kakashi's bell test, and that famous technique—Thousand Years of Death..."
"For scenes as famous as those, I bet the rewards will be pretty good."
"And after that—the adventures in the Land of Waves, the Chunin Exams, the Konoha Crush..."
Aoki Yuu couldn't even imagine how many rewards he would get from checking in at all those events. Reaching Kage-level strength would surely be a piece of cake, right?
As he was lost in his daydreams about the future, a slightly childish roar suddenly erupted from the front of the classroom:
"Kaido! Let's go again!"
"I'm not beaten yet! I can still fight!"
The classroom was instantly plunged into a dead silence.
All eyes shot toward the pink-haired girl who had abruptly jumped to her feet.
The gentle expression on Instructor Mizuki's face froze for a moment before he forced another smile.
"Haruno Sakura, even though you're about to graduate, this is still a class."
"A battle between ninja isn't just a duel of taijutsu and ninjutsu. Trap theory is extremely important. Knowing how to set and identify traps can save your life in a critical moment."
"So please, sit down and don't disturb the other students."
Quiet snickers could be heard from around the room.
"Students? Studying?" Sakura didn't sit down. Instead, she looked around with a bewildered expression and muttered, "Is this... Konoha?"
"No, this has to be a fake! What kind of ability is this?"
She slammed her hand down on the desk and roared furiously:
"Kaido, have you, the man who always relied on Haki alone, really sunk to such pathetic tricks?!"
At the sight of Haruno Sakura's behavior, Instructor Mizuki finally lost his smile, and his face darkened.
Sitting next to her, Ino hurriedly tugged at her clothes. "Sakura, even if you're mad at me over Sasuke, you don't have to be so dramatic!"
"Mizuki-sensei's face is turning black! Sit down, quickly!"
Haruno Sakura slowly turned her head to look at Ino.
Then she glanced down at her own palm, red from where it had struck the desk.
The pain was so real.
No... this isn't right...
Her heart was pounding in her chest.
My body is so weak... I can't feel my Armament Haki at all... Can a Devil Fruit ability really go this far?
Or... did I really come back?
No less stunned was Aoki Yuu, sitting in the back row. He stared at Sakura's back, his pupils shrinking to the size of a pinprick.
What did she just say?
Kaido? Haki? Is that even normal? Are those words that should be spoken in Konoha?
"System, where have you gotten me into?!"