"This world… is so boring."
Amano Ren sighed as he gazed out the window. Reality placed too much pressure on people, and society was riddled with problems. He didn't even know when people of his generation had started glorifying "sorrow culture." Misunderstanding parents, critical teachers, deceitful classmates, life's endless pressures, and twisted love lives—it all seemed heavier and more exhausting than in previous generations.
The improvement in living standards hadn't just brought comfort—it had brought greater stress.
"That's why I like the second dimension. That kind of pure love, precious friendships, and harmonious families… it makes me envious. If given the choice, I'm sure many would rather live there than in this world."
Amano Ren smiled faintly. His yearning wasn't just for a fictional world. If it weren't for the fear of pain, perhaps some people here would have chosen to end their lives.
"No… not even for my parents," he whispered, shaking his head. Standing up to leave, he suddenly paused.
"Huh? What's that?"
A flash of red streaked across the sky, heading straight toward him. Amano Ren squinted—he didn't understand how his nearsighted eyes could track something moving faster than the eye could normally perceive, yet it appeared crystal clear.
"So… a supernatural event? How interesting!"
A smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Spiritual treasure? Martial arts manual? Inheritance? Pocket dimension? System? Or even body possession? All of that would be fine. I don't mind. But there's one thing—if possible, please take care of my parents."
With those words, the red light shot straight through his forehead and merged into him. At that exact moment, the clock on the wall froze at twelve o'clock… and stopped entirely.
"Hmph. If it weren't for the Third Hokage, I really wouldn't want to save this monster!"
"Yeah, I don't know what the Third Hokage is thinking. This kind of monster should just fend for itself."
"If it weren't for the Third Hokage's orders, I would have killed him to avenge my fallen comrades!"
The chattering voices irritated Amano Ren, and he frowned.
"The Third Hokage?"
"What Third Hokage? Who is this Third Hokage?"
"Where am I? I thought I just encountered something supernatural… That red light… did it take my soul?"
Confused, Amano Ren slowly opened his eyes. Before him stretched glaring white walls and the sharp scent of medicine.
"Hospital?" he muttered, instinctively covering his nose.
But then he noticed a small, tender hand before him. It was scarred, yet the wounds were rapidly healing.
"This is a child's hand… but who hurt him so badly? All these scratches… And the speed of healing—it's beyond a normal child, even a normal person. This world isn't my own… is this time travel?"
A thoughtful glint appeared in Amano Ren's eyes.
"This damned monster isn't dead. Why isn't he dead? Why shouldn't he die?"
A vile voice suddenly rang in his ears. Amano Ren saw a massive arm lift his head and slam it onto the floor.
"Ugh!"
Pain exploded through him, forcing a groan. His internal organs throbbed violently; some even felt shattered.
Although a surge of energy within him tried to heal his body, a child's frame was far weaker than an adult's. Without that energy, he would have been gravely injured.
"Damn it! Using that much force on a child? Do you want him dead… and in the hospital?" Amano Ren cursed silently.
At that moment, a figure entered his line of sight. A woman in her forties, her expression giving him an unsettling feeling—a look of pure disgust.
"Be careful. Just vent your anger. If we actually kill him, we can't explain it to the Third Hokage. Quickly bandage his wounds, then I'll take him back. The Third Hokage is waiting for news."
"Third Hokage… is that him? But such treatment… could it be…"
Amano Ren's face paled. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed his head. Memories that weren't his own flooded in.
"So many fragments… can a child even have this many?"
He gritted his teeth and tried to endure it. But the pain in his mind and body was too intense. No matter how he resisted, he passed out after only a few breaths.
How long he remained unconscious, he did not know. When he awoke, his body had been moved from the hospital to a small room.
The pain in his mind had finally subsided. He took a deep breath and began slowly digesting the flood of memories.
A few minutes later, Amano Ren opened his eyes, a complex expression on his face.
"As I expected… the Third Hokage is Sarutobi Hiruzen. And since the original self was called a monster, and this happened in Konoha… there really isn't anyone else but Uzumaki Naruto? No wonder I've traveled to the Naruto world."
"How ironic… that Minato Namikaze's son, the Fourth Hokage's child, was treated this way."
Amano Ren reviewed Naruto's memories: nothing but abuse. Scalding water mixed with spoiled milk forced into his mouth; every meal tainted with sand or spoiled ingredients; every child he met would insult or beat him for amusement and parental praise.
"Haha… Minato, is this the Konoha you protected?"
Naruto's life had been dark from the start—spurned, bullied, treated like a monster. Was anyone worse off in the original story? Nagato? Obito? Sasuke? Itachi? Perhaps.
"But no matter what… the Naruto world is like a two-dimensional world. Once I grow strong enough, I may even explore other worlds."
A smile flashed across Amano Ren's face. Naruto's identity—son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—meant extraordinary talent. The influence of the Nine-Tails aside, Konoha's shadow had shaped him too.
In short, Uzumaki Naruto's abilities were far greater than the original story suggested.
"Next… I will replace you and live in this world. You're too exhausted. I'll make them pay," Amano Ren whispered softly, as if speaking to himself—or to someone else.
A blond child with six whisker marks glanced at him tenderly… then vanished. Amano Ren did not notice.