The first thing I was aware of was the smell. Damp earth, rust, and the coppery tang of blood. Then came the pain, a throbbing ache in a skull that didn't feel entirely like my own.
I looked at the canopy of giant, unfamiliar trees above, their leaves filtering a harsh, afternoon light.
My vision blurred slightly. What… where…?
Suddenly a cold, blue screen materialized in front of me.
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[System Initialization Complete.]
[Welcome, User. Your journey to power begins now.]
[Prime Objective: Achieve a Noble Death.]
[Reward: Ascension commensurate with the perceived grandeur of your sacrifice.]
[Secondary Protocols: Activated to facilitate objective.]
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A wave of disorienting memories of —a car crash, a blinding light , intense pain —flooded into me, followed by a weaker set of memories from this new body. A battlefield. Running. Hiding. A sharp pain…
I pushed myself up. I was small. I looked at my hands. They were soft, unscarred hands of a boy no older than seven or eight. I see no point in panicking. The System's message was clear. Die heroically, get powerful. It was a simple, terrifying transaction.
A sound cut through the forest silence. It was a low, hiccupping sob. The raw, unfiltered cry of a child.
My eyes narrowed. A target.
I crept forward, my new body moving with an unnatural precision and stealth, maybe a beginner gift from the System.. well its actually not that bad, if i want to doe heroically well i need some decent powers atleast so i dont die like a weakling.. well i will think about this stuff later..
I arrived at the place that was the source of that sound... I peered through a thick bush.
There i saw a little boy, even smaller than me, well.. according to this new body of mine. He was around four or five years old. He had a ridiculous bowl-cut and was sitting in the mud, his face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking. And he was wearing the distinct armor of a Senju clan child.
Well how do i know about senju clan , maybe its something to do with my original memories.. This new body memories matches the description of the world of naruto. A popular anime in my previous world.. well whatever need to focus on my goal to power..
My heart raced with opportunity.
This is it. A perfect start. Die saving a Senju heir? That's got to be worth a decent power-up. Well this strange hair cut plus senju clan armor.. well it doesn't take so much to guess his identity..
Suddenly out of nowhere, a figure dropped from the trees behind the crying child. He was a shinobi. Maybe from an enemy clan. His face twisted in a cruel grin. He raised a wickedly curved knife. The child was oblivious.
Perfect.
"HEY!" I screamed, my voice higher than I expected. I burst from the bushes, not towards the enemy, but towards the child, putting myself directly in the path of the blade. I spread my arms wide, a picture of perfect, selfless sacrifice. Yes! Do it!
The enemy ninja was stunned, surprised by the sudden appearance of another child. His swing, meant for a clean kill, went wide and off-balance.
And I, in my glorious attempt to be a hero, tripped over a gnarled root hidden in the mud.
I fell forward not onto the knife, but into the Senju toddler, knocking us both into a heap. My flailing hand, clutching a rock I didn't even know I'd picked up, smacked against the enemy shinobi's skull. It wasn't even a powerful blow, not at all.
But it was enough. The ninja, already off-balance, yelped in surprise and pain. His foot slipped on the muddy bank of a nearby stream. There was a sickening crack as his head struck a protruding stone on the way down. He landed in the shallow water and didn't move.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the sniffles of the toddler I was now lying on top of.
I pushed myself up, staring in utter disbelief at the dead ninja. Are you .. . KIDDING ME?!
[Perceived Sacrifice: Moderate.] [Reward: Chakra Reserve slightly enhanced. Minor Proficiency in Taijutsu granted.]
A tiny surge of energy warmed my stomach. I didn't feel powerful. I felt cheated.
The little boy beneath me stopped crying. He looked up at me with huge, dark, watery eyes. His bottom lip was still trembling, but he was staring at me as if I'd just descended from the heavens draped in sunlight.
He had seen me, putting myself in danger to protect him then charge at a terrifying enemy, and "vanquish" him with a single, mysteriously effective move. He hadn't seen the trip. He hadn't seen the sheer, dumb luck. All he saw was a brave older boy who saved him. I dont know whether to laugh or cry at this .. sheer luck of it all.. But fir me it wasn't good at all..
Hash.. probably its fine i have ample opportunities in front me.. bigger and well enough for the heroic and grand death.
"…Aniki?" he whispered, I suddenly got out of my zone and looked at him. The word of the child filled with awe and a desperate hope.
I opened my mouth to correct him, to say… something. But the look in his eyes… it was like I was his entire world suddenly made safe again. A strange feeling, uncomfortable and warm, pricked at the back of my cold, calculated heart.
Before I could speak, more figures crashed through the undergrowth. Senju patrols, drawn by the noise. They took in the scene: their lost heir, a dead enemy ninja, and me—a mysterious, serious-looking child standing protectively over him.
The tallest one, a man with kind eyes and severe scars, stepped forward. "Kawarama? What happened here?"
The little boy—Hashirama—pointed a chubby finger at me, his voice firming with conviction. "He saved me! He was super brave and strong! He beat the bad guy! He's my Aniki now!"
The Senju shinobi looked from the dead adult ninja to my unassuming child form. Their expressions shifted from suspicion to bewildered respect. The scarred man offered me a hand.
"Come, child. You are under the Senju's protection now. Tell us your name."
I looked at the offered hand. I looked at the adoring eyes of the future God of Shinobi. I looked at the dead man who was supposed to be my ticket to power.
My plan had failed spectacularly. It had backfired in the most profound way possible.
I hadn't found a noble death.
And as I numbly took the man's hand, a treacherous, tiny part of me, the part that wasn't screaming in frustration, thought that the little boy's hand clutching my torn shirt felt… oddly anchoring.
[New Objective Updated: Ensure the survival and prosperity of Senju Hashirama.]
I mentally cursed the System. This was going to be much, much harder than I thought.