Konoha Year 41, March 18th.
"Crap, crap, crap…"
Wearing his goggles, Uchiha Obito sprinted toward the Ninja Academy. But by the time he arrived, the teachers had already taken down the banner from the entrance ceremony, and the students who had attended were scattering.
He was late.
And being late meant that, even if he passed the entrance exam, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the Academy. He'd have to wait another whole year.
Obito slumped in frustration.
Just then, a boy with silver hair walked past him. Wrapped in a scarf, clutching his enrollment papers under one arm, Hatake Kakashi suddenly stopped, glanced back, and spoke coldly:
"Late to something this important? A person like you has no right to be in the Academy. Forget it—you're finished."
With that, Kakashi shrugged and turned away.
Obito's teeth ground together as he glared at him. This bastard… nothing he said was ever kind.
At that moment, a voice like an angel rang out.
"It's okay. I picked this up for you!"
Obito turned, stunned. There stood Nohara Rin, smiling gently, holding his registration papers in both hands.
Her smile seared itself into Obito's heart. His cheeks flushed, and clapping his hands together, he grinned sheepishly:
"Thank you so much! I owe you big time!"
Rin laughed softly. "You don't need to be so polite."
Kakashi glanced back at them, sneered, and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking away.
Not far off, beneath the shade of a roadside tree, Souta Kiryuu quietly watched this classic scene unfold. A strange feeling welled up in him—like he was witnessing history itself.
His family name was Kiryuu. His given name, Souta.
In truth, for three generations his ancestors had never carried a family name—only given names.
The surname "Kiryuu" hadn't been chosen by Souta himself, but by his father. Out of hope for his son's future, and in remembrance of the day he had fallen in love with his wife beneath the trees, he gave Souta this family name.
A simple, ordinary story.
But Souta knew the truth. His father probably hadn't thought of the name until the very day Souta passed the Academy exam.
Turning away, Souta strolled back toward home, his focus shifting inward—to the mysterious, radiant purple orb swirling in his mind.
He had awakened it this morning, along with the memories of his past life.
A traveler reborn into another world. Of course, a cheat ability was included.
He simply hadn't had time to explore it earlier because of the Academy entrance ceremony.
"Cash in on the future…?" Souta murmured as he absorbed the orb's message.
"Borrow from future achievements? Like getting an advance on your salary?"
"No, wait—that's more like overdrawing the future."
"Actually, it's even better. It doesn't seem like I need to pay it back."
He frowned. "Still, this cheat is a little vague. It'd be nice if it were more straightforward."
As if in response to his thought, the orb suddenly shifted. It spread wide and reshaped itself into a panel.
The interface was starkly simple, with only two options:
[Overdraw Ten Years of the Future][Overdraw One Hundred Years of the Future]
Only the first glowed with pulsing violet light. The second remained dim and gray.
"Now this—this has style." Souta grinned. His heart stirred. If only it had an explanation attached…
The moment the thought formed, a note appeared below the options:
[You may overdraw future achievements and experience—including ninjutsu proficiency—but not memories.]
"Memories aren't included, huh? That's fine." Souta nodded to himself. "I might not remember every detail of the story, but now that I'm here, plenty of events will change anyway."
"But information about people, about the world—that won't change. Even without future memories, it's no problem."
"What really matters are ninjutsu… and experience."
Excitement sparked in his chest.
To be honest, when he'd first awakened and realized he had been reborn into the Naruto world, Souta had been uneasy.
This was not a world where normal people lived long. Especially not in Konoha—favored by fate, perhaps, but cursed with endless dangers.
And becoming a ninja was dangerous in itself. Even if you survived the regular missions, the Shinobi World Wars were disasters that swallowed lives in bulk.
Sure, he could refuse to become a ninja.
But compared to being a helpless civilian, Souta would rather take his chances as a shinobi and fight for his fate.
"Besides—I have a cheat. That makes me a walking exploit!"
Buoyed with anticipation, he quickened his pace.
When he returned home, his parents were busy downstairs.
They ran a dango shop: the storefront on the first floor, their living space on the second.
"Dad, Mom—I'm back. The entrance ceremony went fine!" Souta called, waving his papers before darting upstairs.
His father watched him go, pride shining on his face, relief settling in his chest. "Our family finally has another ninja."
But his mother's brow creased with worry. "Being a shinobi is dangerous."
"Don't worry," his father reassured her with a smile. "The war's already over. By the time Souta graduates, he'll just take simple missions. It'll be safe enough."
He had high hopes for his son, yes, but they were modest hopes.
Just becoming a genin would be enough.
If Souta managed to reach chūnin, that would be a tremendous surprise.
As for jōnin? No. That was beyond imagining. No one in their family for three generations had ever reached that level.
…
Upstairs, Souta collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes, focusing once again on the panel.
"Ten years of training results, plus cultivation experience, combat experience, mission experience, knowledge of all kinds…"
"In ten years I'll be fifteen. As a transmigrator, maybe I won't be Hokage-level or Sage of Six Paths-level by then… but at the very least, I should be a jōnin."
"Alright then. Let's see my future. Show me ten years from now!"
With determination, Souta chose [Overdraw Ten Years of the Future].
In an instant, the panel dissolved back into a blazing purple orb. Light surged outward, filling every fiber of his being.
His mind went blank. His body convulsed as if jolted with lightning. Every muscle, every cell trembled violently.
He didn't know how much time passed before his consciousness returned. When it did, it felt as if he had just woken from a six-year dream.
Wait—six years?
Souta's eyes flew open. "Hold on… I died after six years?"
"And why, aside from the Three Basic Techniques and the Body Flicker, is the only jutsu I got Water Release: Wild Water Wave?"
"Is this supposed to be a jōnin's future?"
He bolted upright, his face twisted with disbelief.
So in ten years, all he had amounted to was a weak genin?Maybe even dead in six years?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Even if this body's talent was ordinary, he knew the story. With that advantage, how could his future self be such trash?
At the very least, the Sexy Jutsu, the Harem Technique, even the Rasengan should've been within reach!
He could not, would not accept it.
Just then, new words appeared on the panel within his mind:
[The future is not set in stone.][The present determines the future.]