"Ryoma-kun! Kushina has been captured!"
Ryoma turned to see a group of young shinobi rushing toward him, their expressions tense. The moment he laid eyes on them, a flood of strange yet familiar memories surged into his mind, freezing him in place.
He had crossed over… into the world of Naruto.
This was Konohagakure.
If his memory was correct, less than ten years had passed since the Second Great Ninja War.
Though dark currents ran beneath the surface, on the outside, this was a rare period of peace.
As for him—Ryoma—he was just an ordinary genin.
His current identity was that of a war orphan, picked up by members of the Uzumaki clan on their way to Konoha when Kushina had first been brought to the village.
The young men and women before him were all shinobi of his generation. Leading them was Mikoto Uchiha, alongside Minato Namikaze and two brothers from the Hyūga clan.
Mikoto was both Ryoma's childhood friend and Kushina's best friend. Minato and the Hyūga brothers were also from the same graduating class.
From his inherited memories, Ryoma knew that Minato was a prodigious shinobi who had mastered numerous jutsu at a young age. Though officially still a chūnin, his actual strength was already on the level of a jōnin.
The man who will one day become Hokage in his early twenties…
The Hyūga brothers, too, were among the top chūnin of their generation.
Ryoma, however, was just a regular genin—nothing special.
As he was still processing his new memories, a line of glowing text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[System initializing. Based on the host's current circumstances, three starting options are available:]
Option 1: Play it safe, stay out of the plot, and live as a salted fish.
Reward: C-Rank Taijutsu – Leaf Great Whirlwind.
Option 2: Create chaos, hinder the rescue, and join the villains.
Reward:Mangekyō Sharingan.
Option 3: Leave Konoha immediately and join the mission to rescue Kushina.
Reward:Supreme Starter Pack.
[Mission will be settled upon completion.]
Ryoma's eyes widened.
The real perks of transmigration had arrived!
As expected, a system may be late, but it's never absent.
This was the classic "god-tier choice."
Option 1 was the safest—but also the least rewarding.
The Leaf Great Whirlwind? Wasn't that the taijutsu Guy later taught to Lee? A decent move, but definitely a salted-fish reward.
Option 2 was tempting, but in reality, it was suicide.
The Mangekyō Sharingan sounded incredible, but Ryoma wasn't an idiot. With his current skills, he'd be caught before he could cause any real chaos.
Konoha's ANBU and Root operatives were no joke. Even if he somehow succeeded, awakening the Mangekyō without being an Uchiha would make him a prime target for capture and experimentation.
Option 3, however… the Supreme Starter Pack sounded impressive. He didn't know exactly what it contained, but it had to be better than the Leaf Great Whirlwind.
Besides, the mission requirements were straightforward—he didn't even have to rescue Kushina himself. The system counted it as complete as long as he immediately left the village and joined the rescue operation.
Still, the kidnapping of Kushina was suspicious.
How could a few mid-level Kumogakure shinobi infiltrate Konoha without being detected and abduct the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?
Right now, the village still had Hiruzen Sarutobi in his prime, the young Legendary Sannin, and elite jōnin like the White Fang of Konoha.
The whole thing reminded Ryoma of the start of Naruto's story—when Mizuki manipulated Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, only to be defeated by Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
The pattern felt… too familiar.
No matter how he looked at it, this kidnapping felt deliberate—someone inside Konoha must have turned a blind eye.
In any case, Ryoma had already made up his mind: complete Option Three to the best of his ability. Leave Konoha immediately and join the rescue of Kushina!
Uchiha Mikoto muttered angrily, "Those bastards… they chose to strike when the Uchiha were holding a clan memorial, taking advantage of the reduced security to kidnap Kushina!"
"I heard it was an undercover agent from Kumogakure planted inside Konoha who carried out the abduction," another added.
Minato Namikaze frowned. "I'll head to Kushina's house first to check the situation."
Before anyone could reply, Minato's figure blurred and vanished, leaving only an afterimage in the air.
The Body Flicker Technique.
A ripple of envy passed through the group.
"What incredible speed!" someone exclaimed.
"I heard the Third Hokage taught him one of his secret techniques," another whispered.
Ryoma knew better. That wasn't the Third's jutsu—it was the Flying Thunder God Technique, the legendary space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage.
While the anime had often made Hiruzen Sarutobi look unimpressive, Ryoma's inherited memories told a different story. In this era, the Third Hokage's prestige in Konoha was sky-high.
Turning to Mikoto and the Hyūga brothers, Ryoma said, "Let's go search outside. We might find some clues."
Mikoto shot him a look. "You? Go out there?"
One of the others chuckled mockingly. "Ryoma, you're better off staying in the village. With your strength, you'll just get in the way."
"Yeah, you—the dead-last—trying to play the hero and save the beauty?"
"If you're that weak, don't be reckless…"
Rolling his eyes, Ryoma ignored them. He gathered chakra into his legs and sprinted toward Konoha's main gate.
The basic D-Rank Body Flicker he could use wasn't exactly impressive—only about twice as fast as normal running. Compared to Minato's blinding speed, it was nothing.
Before long, he reached the road leading to the main gate. From a distance, he could see a crowd gathered there.
Tch… I won't be able to get out that way.
Fortunately, he remembered a side path where the wall could be climbed. He immediately turned in that direction.
But when he arrived, he found a guard waiting.
And not just anyone—it was a young Uchiha Fugaku, the future father of Itachi and Sasuke.
"Ryoma? What are you doing here?" Fugaku asked.
Ryoma pointed quickly to the side. "Fugaku, look over there!"
The moment Fugaku turned his head, Ryoma dashed past him without hesitation.
"Hey! Don't go out there! It's dangerous—there are enemy shinobi from Kumogakure…"
Fugaku reached out to grab him, but at that moment Mikoto and the Hyūga brothers appeared.
"Forget it," Fugaku said, withdrawing his hand. "If that idiot wants to throw his life away, it's not my problem."
He turned to block the others. "What about you? You're not going out either."
Meanwhile, Ryoma scaled the wall in a flash and slipped out of Konoha.
[Ding! You have left Konoha Village. Mission completion: 50%.]
What's next?
Just then, Ryoma spotted something on the ground—a single strand of long, dark-red hair.
"This… is Kushina's hair!"
[Ding! Clue found. Mission completion: 60%. Please continue tracking.]
...
TN:
I'm translating this fic 😊 because I like it, and it's been abandoned halfway every time. Please support this fic with power stones and reviews!