It was a busy day in Konoha. Shinobi leapt across rooftops, some carrying mission scrolls while others hurried through the crowded streets. The atmosphere was tense. Whispers of conflict floated between villagers as rumors of skirmishes among the Five Great Nations spread like wildfire.
Tensions were high, fueled by unresolved issues and lingering resentment from the Second Shinobi World War. A fragile peace clung to the world, but beneath it simmered a storm. Political instability and a dangerous power vacuum made it feel as though a new world war could break out at any moment.
The scene shifted to the Ninja Academy. Inside a wide classroom, rows of young children sat at their desks, listening—or pretending to listen—to a chunin instructor at the front. He stood tall with a piece of chalk in his hand, pointing at diagrams drawn across the blackboard.
"Now remember, chakra is created by molding together the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained through experience and meditation," the instructor explained, his voice stern but calm. "When you balance these two energies, you can produce chakra. Too much of one, and your control will falter."
Some students nodded along, eyes bright with curiosity. Others stifled yawns or exchanged whispers behind their hands. A few had already given up and were slumped across their desks, quietly dozing.
At the very back of the room, near the window, a boy sat gazing outside. His messy black hair fell over his forehead in two uneven bangs, and his amber eyes stared blankly outside. Though his gaze seemed distant, there was a sharp, chilling coldness hidden in those eyes—something no one else could see.
The boy wore a simple purple T-shirt and black shorts. At first glance, he appeared like any other seven-year-old in the academy. But appearances could be deceiving.
His name was Shinji Hayashi. And unlike the other children in this room, he carried a secret.
No one knew that Shinji was a reincarnated person. To everyone else, he was just another civilian-born academy student. But in truth, he had lived another life, in another world—a world where this very place existed only in the pages of a manga and the frames of an anime. That world called this story Naruto.
Shinji had regained his previous life's memories only a month ago.
His amber eyes flickered briefly toward the instructor, who continued to speak about yin and yang, the balance of spiritual and physical energy. Shinji's face remained blank, but his thoughts told a different story.
'Yin and yang, physical and spiritual... I already know all of this. I learned everything this academy could ever teach in just a month since regaining my memories,' Shinji thought.
While the others struggled with the basics, Shinji had devoured every book he could find in the Academy Library. Knowledge was power, and he wasn't going to underestimate its importance.
'Information is everything. Even someone with broken-level abilities can be killed if they're ignorant. I won't be one of those fools,' he thought, watching his classmates scribble notes they barely understood.
As the chunin droned on, Shinji leaned back slightly in his chair, his mind drifting to matters far more important than today's lecture.
He was already planning his future.
'I need to manipulate everything carefully. Power means nothing if Danzo Shimura or Sarutobi Hiruzen notices me too soon. I have to grow strong in the shadows, hidden from their eyes.'
His gaze shifted sideways, landing briefly on a certain boy sitting a few rows ahead—black bowl-cut hair, thick eyebrows, and a loud snore that echoed even in his sleep.
'The first step will be taijutsu. And luckily, there's an easy fool, and his equally foolish father, that I can manipulate into training me,' Shinji thought, eyes narrowing as he studied Might Guy, completely oblivious as he drooled on his desk.
Shinji looked at his open textbook, pretending to follow along like everyone else.
'The second step will be bukijutsu. It's fortunate I was reborn into a civilian family that owns a weapon shop. My father… a retired jōnin who lost his leg on a mission, now runs the business that my deceased grandparents once managed. My mother is a medical ninja of chūnin rank and works at Konoha Hospital. Through my father, I've already discovered I'm good with swords. Kenjutsu will be my focus.'
He flipped a page in his book just as the rest of the class did, maintaining the illusion that he was following the lesson.
'The third step will be medical ninjutsu and genjutsu. With my mother as a medic-nin, I can learn directly from her. As for genjutsu, my father's connections with various jōnin will help me find someone to train me. Someone specialized.'
His eyes drifted briefly toward the front row. A girl with long dark hair and striking red eyes was watching him. The moment their gazes met, she stiffened, her face turning bright red. She quickly ducked behind her book, pretending to study as her hands trembled slightly.
Shinji's expression didn't change. He simply turned his attention back to the teacher.
'So far, everything is proceeding as planned. I've laid the foundations. Now it's time to build on them,' he thought calmly, his face betraying nothing.
As the chunin's voice filled the room, Shinji's mind remained elsewhere, turning over the countless things he had done in his previous life—and the countless things he still had to do in this new life—since regaining his memories.