The forty-sixth year of Konoha.
The Land of Wind, Hidden Sand Village.
Rasa stood with his hands clasped behind his back, expressionless, silently gazing out the window.
Outside, there was nothing but endless yellow sand. The air was bone-dry, and the hot wind blew grit against the glass, making a constant cracking sound.
After staring for a long while, Rasa finally shook his head. At that moment, he didn't know whether he should feel happy or sad.
He had been reincarnated into the world of Naruto, taking over the body of Rasa.
This was completely different from his previous life - where he only earned a little money each day, and even had to spend ten minutes after work voluntarily sweeping the floor.
Four days off per month. How could this possibly be better?
And yet, here he was, in a world filled with beautiful women.
By all logic, Rasa should have been delighted.
But he wasn't.
Why?
He lowered his head and studied his hands, noticing the thin calluses—especially the thick one on his right middle finger, worn down from holding a pen for more than a decade.
Yes. He had been reincarnated into Naruto's world, replacing the real Rasa.
To everyone else, he was Rasa.
In pictures and portraits, it was his own image. Even his name had shifted to Rasa.
But the most crucial detail was this: he had not inherited Rasa's strength.
With his ordinary modern physique, even a random academy student could take him down without effort.
And so far, he hadn't discovered any kind of cheat ability.
Although Rasa was a man with lustful thoughts, he also feared death. In this situation, how could he think about women? If his survival was secured, perhaps it would be another story.
Knock, knock.
The sudden knock pulled him from his thoughts.
Unlike on Earth, he didn't rush to open the door. Instead, he drew a breath and asked in a low voice:
"Who is it?"
"Lord Rasa, it's me."
The gentle voice of a young woman reached him, and Rasa let out a silent sigh of relief.
It was his sister-in-law—or rather, the sister-in-law the real Rasa had known.
He pushed open the door, only to be blasted by a wave of scorching heat. Squinting against the sun, he adjusted for a moment before lowering his gaze to the girl standing outside.
She was a beautiful blonde, sixteen or seventeen at most, wearing a Sand Ninja forehead protector. Her skin was fair, her figure slim, but there was tension in her delicate brows.
Rasa found himself looking down, eyes flicking briefly to her feet before he pulled his thoughts back in line. Smiling gently, he asked:
"Yasha Rei, what is it?"
Yes—Yasha Rei. In the original Naruto, Yashamaru was a man. But in this world, she was a woman.
And a strikingly beautiful one, easily scoring ninety out of a hundred.
When he inherited this identity, he also gained Rasa's memories.
The Naruto world was mostly the same as the one he remembered—but with key differences.
For example, Yashamaru had become Yasha Rei, a woman.
And in the original story, by this time, Rasa and Karura had already formed a relationship.
But in these memories, Rasa of this world showed no interest in romance—he lived as an ascetic, focused only on ninjutsu.
This version of Rasa was stricter, stronger than his counterpart of the same era—yet two years younger.
His interpersonal relationships, however, were much weaker.
Oddly, that fact reassured Rasa.
Yasha Rei looked at him curiously. She thought Lord Rasa's eyes and tone seemed much gentler than before.
She quickly shook off the thought and said in a formal tone:
"Lord Rasa, Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizo request your presence in the Kazekage's office. They said it's a matter of great importance."
Elder Chiyo? The Kazekage's office? Something important?
Rasa rifled through his inherited memories but found nothing that matched.
Even so, unease gnawed at him.
Because it was Chiyo who had sent the summons.
Normally, such orders would come directly from the Third Kazekage.
But Chiyo, half-retired, had bypassed the Kazekage himself and sent for him directly.
A chilling thought struck him—he had already guessed the possibility.
Noticing his strange expression, Yasha Rei hesitated, then asked softly:
"Lord Rasa?"
"It's fine. If it's urgent, let's go."
Rasa waved her along and headed toward the Kazekage's office.
Yasha Rei followed three steps behind, as etiquette demanded.
Superiority and rank were absolute here, especially in the ninja world where strength ruled.
She was only a chunin, while he was already a jonin and the Third Kazekage's disciple.
On the way, Rasa politely acknowledged the greetings of villagers and fellow ninjas.
More than ten minutes later, they reached the Kazekage's office. Yasha Rei knocked, gave his name, and stepped aside as Rasa entered.
She shut the door gently behind him, taking her place among the guards outside.
Inside, Rasa walked steadily to the gathering.
There were about twenty people present—all among the strongest senior ninja left in the village.
He recognized them instantly thanks to his inherited memories.
At the center sat Chiyo, looking about sixty but far less lined than she would be a decade later. Beside her stood her brother, Ebizo.
Then Rasa's eyes fell on a striking kunoichi.
She had a tall, curvaceous figure and wore bold, revealing clothes. Her hairstyle—green bun with orange bangs—would look ridiculous on most people.
But on her, it only enhanced her allure.
Her chest was… overwhelming. So much so that Rasa estimated even both hands wouldn't fully cover them.
His gaze lingered for a few seconds before moving on.
This was Pakura—the support ninja who, in the anime, only appeared briefly during the Impure World Reincarnation arc.
As expected, female characters looked even more exaggerated when brought into reality. She was easily at an E-cup.
After scanning the room, Rasa sat in the only empty chair—beside Pakura.
The moment he sat, Chiyo raised her left hand.
The doors and windows slammed shut, and the already dim office grew darker.
Her cloudy eyes swept the room, pausing a beat longer on Rasa.
Then, in her old, hoarse voice, she spoke:
"The Third Kazekage and his two guards have been missing since this morning. The Shadow Guards scoured the village in secret but found nothing."
The air tightened instantly.
Except for a few, the jonin gasped and muttered in shock.
But Rasa only sighed.
Exactly as he suspected.
Chiyo and Ebizo had bypassed the Kazekage, summoned the top shinobi, and now delivered this news. There was no other explanation.
The Third Kazekage's disappearance was the spark of the Third Great Ninja War.
Pakura's eyes widened at the news, but soon turned to Rasa.
He alone remained calm, his eyes fixed ahead, unmoved.
She grew curious. Did Rasa already know?
She hesitated. Though she knew of him as the Kazekage's direct disciple, he was a man of few words, always training.
She herself was often away on missions, and they had barely interacted beyond polite nods.
But after only a moment's pause, she asked in a cool, commanding tone:
"Lord Rasa, judging by your expression… did you already know about this?"
Rasa, still lost in thought, was pulled back by her voice. He looked at Pakura.
Ignoring the faint fragrance that wafted from her, he forced down the urge to smile. This wasn't the time.
Instead, he answered calmly:
"No. I only guessed. For Lady Chiyo to bypass Master and summon us directly, I thought perhaps he was ill, or something had happened. But I never imagined it would be this serious."
He lowered his head so no one could see his face.
Pakura sighed inwardly, mistaking his silence for grief.
After all, the sudden disappearance of the Kazekage and his guards was ominous.
But Rasa wasn't mourning his master.
He lowered his gaze for another reason—
To hide the shock in his eyes as he stared at the glowing words floating before him:
Super Favorability System.
...
...
[Image] Pakura
[Image] Yasha Rei