After an unknown amount of time, he regained consciousness in his own body. He was four years old again, and memories—not his own—flooded his mind, detailing how the "System" had developed his body in his absence.
"System," he called out mentally.
[Welcome back, Host.]
"What did you do to my body? And why did you wake me up now?" he asked, his voice a childish whisper.
[This village is saturated with powerful dōjutsu. To compensate, I have enhanced your eyes, granting you perception far beyond a normal human's, much like a fully realized Heavenly Restriction. Additionally, I have inscribed tattoos on your body to act as reservoirs for Cursed Energy and to help you regulate your output to prevent accidents. They are not visible on your face, Host.]
"So you turned me into some third-rate villain," he muttered, collapsing back against the tree he was leaning on.
Lying on the grass and facing the sky, he asked the System another question. "Has anyone noticed my Cursed Energy? Especially since I can't use chakra."
[I have good news and bad news.]
"The bad news first," he said, watching birds scatter across the sky.
[The bad news: You are considered a disgrace and a laughingstock to the Nara clan for your lack of chakra. Only your mother still accepts you.]
[The good news: You are capable of summoning up to three Shikigami at once.]
After the System said that, Megumi's mind was put at ease.
"So, is the war over?"
[Yes.]
Megumi stood up and started making his way home. As he neared the Nara clan compound, he could hear the sounds of women and children crying.
"Why are they crying?" he asked the System.
[...]
When the System remained silent, he continued walking. Why should he feel sympathy for those who scorned him?
Arriving at his home, he saw his mother with two guests: a man with his hair tied up like a pineapple and a beautiful woman talking with her.
As Megumi opened the door, his mother, Kaede, immediately pulled him into a tight hug.
"It's alright, son," she whispered into his ear.
The two guests looked at Megumi, whose young face seemed to have experienced hell. The man spoke first.
"Ahem. I'm Shikaku, your uncle," he said, gesturing to the woman beside him. "This is my wife, Yoshino."
"Good afternoon, Uncle, Aunt," he said, bowing his head respectfully.
Shikaku glanced at Kaede and his wife, receiving a nod from both women.
"Megumi," he began, his face serious. "Your father is dead."
Megumi, who was still trying to place who Shikaku was, received the devastating news without flinching. He looked from his mother to his uncle and his wife.
"Okay. Can I leave now?" he asked, his small hands clenching into tight fists.
Why isn't this boy showing any remorse for his father's death? Shikaku's mind raced. Is it because he never met the man? Or does he truly not care?
"I apologize for his behavior, Clan Head," Kaede said softly. She was accustomed to the lonely world her son inhabited, ever since he was disgraced for having no chakra.
"System, you knew about this, didn't you? That's why you woke me up," he accused inwardly.
[SORRY, HOST. I AM NOT PERMITTED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.]
Hah, that's just funny, he thought bitterly. Shikaku had followed him outside and found him staring at the clan's forest.
"Hey, Megumi," Shikaku said, his voice softer now. "Your father was my brother. He died a hero, protecting this village and his comrades." He dug a hand into his pocket, pulling out a Konoha headband and offering it to the strange little boy in front of him.
Megumi took the headband and tied it around his forehead. "Goodbye, Uncle Shikaku," he said, before turning and heading into the Nara forest.
Once he was deep among the trees, he stretched out his hands to form a hand sign. "Divine Dogs," he commanded.
Shortly, two massive wolves emerged from his shadow—one pure white, the other jet black.
"Who in their right mind calls these 'dogs'?" he mused aloud. "It's so lame." He was on guard as the Shikigami wolves approached, but he relaxed when they began to affectionately lick his hands.
"Stop," he instructed, and they obeyed instantly. "Sit. Go. Come." He began to explore their capabilities. A bold idea came to his mind as he watched them chase each other through the forest, scaring the native deer.
"I hope this doesn't look too flashy," he muttered before forming a new hand sign. "Divine Dog: Totality."
The two wolves melted back into his shadow. Megumi poured more Cursed Energy into the darkness at his feet, and a new beast began to rise. It was massive, at least nine feet tall, with a swirling coat of black and white fur.
Megumi smiled, then climbed onto the beast's back, mounting it like a warhorse.
"Perfect," he said with a grin. "Stay inside my shadow," he instructed the Divine Dog.
"I need to go home; it's getting late," Megumi said to himself, noticing the sun beginning to set.
Using his shadow to travel, a technique he found he could use for short distances up to a kilometer, he arrived home instantly.
"I'm home," he announced, closing the door and looking for his mother.
While they were eating dinner, he noticed his mother watching him out of the corner of her eye.
"Mom, what is it?" he asked without looking up from his food.
Kaede looked at him with worried eyes. "Are you sure you want to go to the Shinobi Academy? How are you going to become a shinobi without chakra?" she asked, not holding back.
He stopped eating, his gaze firm. "Mom, I'm going to prove everyone wrong." His eyes narrowed with determination. "You promised to get me a sword. Don't worry, I won't disappoint you," he added, offering her a rare, bright smile.
After cleaning the dining table, he saw his mother had already gone to her room, so he went to his own. Now that he had all the memories of how the System had operated his body, he went straight to a loose floorboard.
Inside was an ANBU mask and a short blade. The System had apparently stolen them from his mother's room, which confirmed his suspicion that she was a former ANBU member.
He put on the mask and strapped the blade to his back. "Perfect."
[HOST IS THE FIRST UNOFFICIAL ANBU MEMBER.]
[HERE COMES THE KING OF CURSES.]
Megumi's mouth twitched at the System's commentary.
He switched off the lamp in his room and summoned Divine Dog: Totality from his shadow. The massive beast instantly filled the small space. He sat on his ride, and they teleported out without a sound.
Appearing in the Nara forest, they began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, startling the residents below. He finally came to a stop atop the First Hokage's stone head, overlooking the sleeping village.
The great wolf let out a low, rumbling howl that echoed across the quiet village. Megumi felt a sense of triumph before a voice cut through the night.
"Hello there. Who are you? You need to come with me for questioning."
Megumi turned to see who had spoken. Leaning against the stone carving was a man in standard ANBU gear: a grey, sleeveless flak jacket worn over a long-sleeved black shirt and pants. But it was the white porcelain mask that caught his eye—it resembled a dog's face with red markings. A Hound mask.
"Kakashi Hatake," Megumi breathed, his shock palpable.
The wolf, sensing its master's alarm, moved to stand in front of him, a low growl rumbling in its chest as it awaited the command to attack.