Chapter 1: Rebirth in the Steel Bloodline Clan
The cold bit into my bones before I even opened my eyes. One moment, I was sprawled on my bed in my tiny apartment, scrolling mindlessly through my phone. The next, I was lying on a rough wooden floor, the metallic scent of iron and burning wood filling my nostrils.
I blinked, trying to make sense of the world. My hands—small, yet surprisingly strong—brushed against a coarse fabric that smelled faintly of smoke and metal. A sharp ache in my head made me sit up. And then it hit me: I wasn't in my world anymore.
I touched my face. Sun-hardened, rougher than I remembered. My chest tightened as the memories came flooding back—I had died, but I was alive again. Only this life… it wasn't mine. It was someone else's, someone born into a clan during the Warring States Period of the ninja world.
Steel. The word whispered in my mind as I noticed the heavy bracelet around my wrist, etched with the symbol of my new family. The Steel Bloodline Clan. Minor yet deadly. Known for their mastery of chakra-infused metal techniques.
And I knew everything. The wars, the clans, the future heroes and villains of this age. Names like Uchiha and Senju floated in my mind, as vivid as ghosts. I had to survive. I had to play my part carefully.
A voice broke my thoughts.
"Finally awake. You slept longer than expected," said a woman, stepping forward. Her dark hair was tied back in a braid, and her eyes were sharp as steel. "You are Raizen Kurogane, youngest of the Steel Bloodline. You are expected to train, endure, and survive. The clan depends on all of its blood to remain strong in these times."
I nodded, swallowing the unease in my chest. I had to act like a loyal son while quietly absorbing everything around me—the politics, the rival clans, the dangers that lurked beyond our walls.
Training began the next morning. The elders tested my chakra control, my physical strength, and my skill with weapons infused with chakra. Others faltered, struggling to meet the clan's harsh standards. Me? I excelled. Not because of natural talent alone—my modern knowledge of physiology, strategy, and chakra mechanics gave me an edge no one could explain.
During a quiet moment, forming hand seals with careful precision, I paused and let my mind drift to the future. Wars were coming. Clans would rise and fall. Uchiha. Senju. Hashirama. Madara. I knew their names, their fates, even if this world had not yet realized them.
A small smile tugged at my lips. If I could survive, I could guide my clan—subtly. Influence events without tipping the scales too heavily.
That night, I sat atop the cold stone walls of the Steel Bloodline compound, staring at the jagged mountains in the distance. Somewhere out there, rival clans schemed. Chaos waited to spill across the land.
I clenched my fists. The warmth of determination spread through me.
I am Raizen Kurogane of the Steel Bloodline. I was born into this world for a reason. And I will not waste this life.
From that night onward, I would be both student and strategist, shadow and steel—an observer of history, a force in the making.