[May 18, Konoha Year 54, 3:30 PM.]
[Ninja Academy training ground, first-year exercise area.]
More than a month after the start of the school year, the first-year students finally welcomed their first pop quiz.
Shuriken Throwing had just concluded, and now it was time for Taijutsu sparring.
The students were gathered in a circle, either standing or sitting, watching the two figures sparring in the open space.
The two figures were very small, with chubby, baby-faced cheeks, looking only about five or six years old.
One had blonde hair and blue eyes, the other had silver hair and red eyes.
The blonde child continuously attacked the silver-haired child, but his disorganized 'wild punches' were easily parried by the silver-haired child.
Due to an overly forceful straight punch, the blonde child's stance became unstable, and his body leaned slightly forward.
Seizing this opportunity, the silver-haired child ducked and moved close to the blonde child, grabbing his arms and throwing him with an over-the-shoulder throw.
As the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground echoed, Iruka, acting as the referee, immediately announced the result: "Uzumaki Naruto is down! The match is over! The winner is Haruto!"
"Both parties, form the Seal of Reconciliation!"
No sooner had he spoken than the blonde child slowly stood up from the ground, saying with an unwilling expression, "Darn it, I almost won."
Upon hearing this, Iruka's forehead was covered in black lines.
Every move was seen through; how could he have the nerve to say he almost won?
However, he did not discourage Naruto, as his attitude towards Naruto had changed recently after resolving his inner conflict.
"Hey… Haruto, what are you staring at? Are you looking down on me?"
When Naruto walked up to Haruto and extended his middle finger at him, he suddenly saw that his opponent, who had just defeated him, was spacing out, and he immediately shouted in dissatisfaction.
Haruto snapped back to reality and subconsciously blurted out a hurtful remark: "Sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Naruto instantly bristled, "Damn it, you really are looking down on me! Just wait, I'll beat you and that stinky Sasuke down sooner or later!"
"Then you better work hard, because I won't let you catch up."
Haruto suddenly grinned.
This confident smile made Naruto slightly stunned, and it also made the nearby Iruka, as well as the observing classmates, slightly stunned.
How did Haruto suddenly become so cheerful!
However, that adorable, baby-faced countenance, which already hinted at how handsome he would become when he grew up, made Haruto's smile incredibly impactful, causing many young girls' cheeks to flush and even eliciting screams.
"Haruto-kun is so handsome!"
After forming the Seal of Reconciliation with Naruto, Haruto returned to his team, half-heartedly responding to his classmates' praises while staring intently at the virtual panel only he could see in front of him.
If not for his strong psychological fortitude, Haruto would already be trembling with excitement.
If the occasion weren't inappropriate, he might even have screamed to vent his emotions.
Six years after transmigrating, he finally awakened his golden finger!
Haruto, a transmigrator, is six years old this year.
Unlike transmigrators who possess someone's body and live using another's body and name, or those whose bodies transmigrate to another world, Haruto was a 'native' born after ten months in his mother's womb in this world.
Unfortunately, he was born in the same year, month, and day as Naruto.
He was born just as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox incident occurred, his mother died from severe injuries protecting him, and his father, a Konoha Chunin, was instantly killed by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's AOE while assisting the Third Hokage with his captain.
Having just transmigrated and finding himself all alone, Haruto was bewildered.
This is too cliché!
Could he have become the protagonist of some novel?
But as he grew up, Haruto realized he had thought too much.
Transmigrating into the Hokage World, where bloodlines are supreme, and being a civilian orphan without a Bloodline Limit, such a beginning was destined for him to be mere cannon fodder.
If he was lucky, perhaps during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Uchiha Madara might grab him by the neck and ask, 'Do you also wish to dance?'
To be praised by Lord Madara with 'I declare you the strongest,' one must be a genius who has reached the pinnacle in a certain field.
Otherwise, no matter how hard one tries or how good one's talent is, Kage-level is the limit.
Being the same age as Naruto and Sasuke, he was destined to stay in Konoha until he was twelve, making the chance to defy fate almost zero.
Years passed, and realizing that he truly had no golden finger, Haruto decided to become a minor character and start slacking off.
He no longer fantasized about reaching the pinnacle of the Ninja World; he only hoped to survive the Konoha Crush Plan, Pain's attack on Konoha, and the Fourth Shinobi World War, and then marry a beautiful, well-endowed supporting character.
However, Lady Luck seemed to be deliberately playing a joke on him.
Just now, when Haruto defeated Naruto.
A golden light suddenly flashed from Naruto's body, and then a golden beam of light flew out from him, landing nearby and forming a floating golden orb.
It was this orb that made Haruto freeze in place.
A few seconds later, this golden orb automatically flew towards Haruto, like an auto-pickup in a game.
After the orb merged into his body, this virtual panel automatically appeared before Haruto.
The virtual panel displayed Haruto's personal information.
[Host: Haruto]
[Age: 6 years old]
[Bloodline Limit: None]
[Spatial Backpack: Asura Chakra (Gold)]
Above was Haruto's incredibly brief information, with Haruto's avatar to the left of his name.
Below was a spatial backpack, like in a game, with a 5x5 grid.
In the first slot, there was precisely that golden orb.
But upon seeing the information that appeared for that golden orb, Haruto's breathing hitched slightly, and his heart was filled with excitement and fear.
The excitement came from the fact that this thing was one of the few existences in this world that could allow one to defy fate.
The reason Naruto and Sasuke could become saviors was because they were both reincarnations of the Six Paths Sage's sons.
The Chakra of Asura and the Chakra of Indra granted them the ultimate Yang Power and Yin Power.
Those who possessed Asura Chakra would have the true Sage Body inherited from the Six Paths Sage.
Those who possessed Indra's Chakra would have the Sage Eyes, also inherited from the Six Paths Sage.
When one party developed the Sage Body or Sage Eyes to their extreme, and then merged with a bit of the other's Chakra, they could awaken one of the supreme ocular jutsu with the power to destroy and create worlds… the Rinnegan!
Uchiha Madara was the best example.
The fear came from the fact that the Chakra of Asura had a contingency plan from the Six Paths Sage.
Each generation's reincarnations of Asura and Indra were one of the Six Paths Sage's trump cards to deal with his mother's resurrection.
Did Naruto suddenly drop this thing completely, or did he only lose a part of it?
Or, like in a game, was this just a dropped material that had no impact on Naruto at all?
Of course, the most crucial question was, would fusing with this thing be influenced by Ōtsutsuki Asura, or would the Six Paths Sage come looking for him?
Haruto didn't know.
He only knew that he was very tempted right now!
Uchiha Sasuke craved power for revenge, some people craved power to save or destroy the world… Haruto craved power because he was just an ordinary person in his previous life.
In his previous life, he couldn't obtain superpowers, but in this life, he had the opportunity to access such extraordinary power. Even knowing that the end might just be cannon fodder, and even knowing that he would face life-and-death crises later, Haruto still chose to be a Ninja.
And now, an opportunity to go from cannon fodder to overpowered was right in front of him.
If he was going to be timid and hesitant, he might as well just hang himself!
Thinking this, Haruto's eyes suddenly became resolute.