The Back Mountain of Konoha.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A young boy in an orange jacket with spiky blond hair darted across the treetops, a giant scroll strapped to his back that was nearly the same size as his body. He leapt from branch to branch with surprising agility for someone so young.
He had eye-catching blond hair and a pair of goggles on his forehead. Judging by his age, it was obvious he hadn't graduated from the Ninja Academy yet. The absence of a forehead protector made that clear—he wore goggles as a substitute, trying to get used to the idea of being a real shinobi.
"Naruto! Stop running! Hand over the Scroll of Seals and I might give you a quick death!"
"You damn fox brat—if I catch you, you're finished!"
Mizuki's voice echoed angrily through the forest as he chased Naruto at high speed, hopping from tree to tree. His words were full of venom.
Naruto, hearing those threats from behind, felt a chill run down his spine. His steps hastened. He knew Mizuki was furious—and worse, he wasn't joking. If he got caught now, he might really die without a trace.
Mizuki followed Naruto's trail carefully, noting every mark left behind. His eyes narrowed when he saw the clear footprints stamped into the bark of the trees.
"Hmph… What a stupid fox brat," he sneered. "Can't even cover his tracks properly. How does he think he's going to outrun a real ninja like this?"
Today was supposed to be the Ninja Academy graduation. And today, the trap Mizuki had carefully laid for months had finally worked.
He had tricked Naruto.
By feeding him lies about the Scroll of Seals and its power—claiming it was a secret way to pass the graduation exam—he'd gotten Naruto to steal it for him. Now, all that was left was to catch up, take the scroll, and leave the village.
Once he had the Scroll of Seals in his hands, everything would change.
His first plan was to offer it to Lord Orochimaru as proof of loyalty—buying himself protection and guidance from one of the most feared Sannin in the ninja world. Or, maybe, he'd learn a few forbidden jutsu from it, go into hiding, and train in secret. Then, one day, he'd emerge as a force to be reckoned with.
Maybe not invincible—but definitely a major player.
The thought thrilled him.
After all, Mizuki knew his limits. Despite years in Konoha, he was nothing more than a low-level instructor—teaching kids who hadn't even become genin. Always on the sidelines. Always hearing stories of others' fame and power, but never earning any of his own.
He was tired of it.
The envy had long since twisted into something darker. He didn't just want recognition—he needed it. He wanted people to look at him the way they looked at the Hokage: with awe, respect, even fear.
And Orochimaru… Lord Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, was the key. The shortcut. The only one who could give him what he truly craved.
Power.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Naruto was panting hard. The long sprint had pushed his body to its limit. His legs were burning, chest heaving. But he didn't dare stop.
Mizuki was still right behind him—he could hear the man's voice getting louder, closer, more vicious.
Then, it happened.
Naruto's foot missed a step.
He stumbled—and fell hard to the ground.
"W-What the hell?! Did I… transmigrate? Or did I just become Naruto?"
Satoru looked around at the forest scenery. Then down at his own hands… and clothes.
He was stunned.
This wasn't a dream.
It was real.
He had transmigrated.
And not just anywhere—he was inside the body of Naruto Uzumaki, with Mizuki hot on his heels and a massive forbidden scroll on his back.
"What kind of messed-up situation is this…?!"
Just two minutes ago, he'd been lying on his bed, lazily scrolling through TikTok. A clip of Naruto and Sasuke's iconic battle at the Valley of the End was playing when a strange comment caught his eye:
[Congratulations to the host for successfully activating the system. Sign in under this comment to complete the system binding! Transmigration will initiate after binding is complete. Please maintain confidentiality to avoid mass panic.]
Satoru snorted.
Ever since transmigration and system novels became popular, he'd seen comments like this under countless videos. Just dumb clickbait trying to farm likes and replies. Normally, he'd ignore it—or maybe leave a sarcastic reply and move on.
But today, for reasons even he couldn't explain, he decided to play along.
He typed out the four characters: "Sign in complete."
The moment he hit send, his phone began to heat up unnaturally. Before he could react, a blinding light engulfed him. His vision blurred, and dizziness washed over him.
When he came to, he was falling—hard—and hit the forest floor with a painful thud. On his back was something massive and heavy: a giant scroll.
Satoru blinked in shock.
"…No way. Did I seriously just… transmigrate?"
He looked down at his hands, then at the unfamiliar orange outfit, and finally at the oversized scroll strapped to his back.
"…I became Naruto?!"
Before he could fully process what had happened, a torrent of memories began flooding his mind—Naruto's memories. They played out like a fast-forwarded documentary: twelve years of loneliness, rejection, and silent suffering.
Whispers behind his back.
Villagers giving him dirty looks.
Children refusing to play with him.
Teachers subtly mocking him.
And then there was Mizuki, the so-called instructor who tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Seals—and who was now chasing after him with murderous intent.
Satoru instantly recognized the scene.
"This is the start of Naruto…"
It was the beginning of everything—the first episode. That moment when Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals and learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He let out a sigh and plopped down against the base of a tree.
"What's the point of running? I know how this plays out."
In the original plot, Naruto would open the Scroll of Seals, quickly learn the forbidden Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multi Shadow Clone Technique), and soon after, Iruka would arrive and get beaten badly by Mizuki. Just when Mizuki tried to finish him off with a shuriken, Iruka would throw himself in the way, protecting Naruto and offering him the emotional validation he'd long craved. Touched by those words, Naruto would snap—unleashing a thousand clones to beat Mizuki into the ground. Then Iruka would give him his forehead protector, and Naruto would finally graduate.
Satoru remembered it all clearly.
He'd always thought Mizuki was a complete idiot. The Third Hokage had a crystal ball and could monitor the village in real-time. Konoha had dozens of elite jōnin—no way they didn't notice Naruto running around with a stolen scroll. And that scroll? It wasn't just any scroll—it was the one that stored all the forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. How could a mere academy student sneak off with it that easily?
It was clearly a setup from the start. But Mizuki, being a moron, still thought he could get away with it.
"Man, knowing the plot really is a cheat…"
Satoru chuckled and looked down at the scroll. There was no danger. The Hokage was watching. Iruka would show up on cue. The real priority now?
Learning the jutsu inside.
He remembered that in the anime, Naruto always struggled with regular clones—but somehow managed to master the Multi Shadow Clone Technique in one night. The irony always stuck with him.
"Well," Satoru grinned. "Let's get started."
...
TN:
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