Konoha Year 8.
The Second Shinobi World War had just ended. The shinobi world entered a brief peace, and the Five Great Hidden Villages quietly tended their wounds.
In Konohagakure of the Land of Fire, set in the center of the continent, the streets were as bustling as ever. Villagers lived their lives in calm routines, yet the tense faces of passing shinobi made it clear that the overall situation remained strained.
A faint chill rode the morning breeze. Zhao Yi Qianming walked silently in the shadow of the wall, watching groups of children chattering as they headed for the Ninja Academy, while he sank into his own thoughts.
It had been nearly five years since Zhao Yi Qianming crossed into the world of Naruto. Unfortunately, he had never trained in any sort of qigong, carried no cheat-like "system," and, as a war orphan, possessed no Kekkei Genkai.
So Zhao Yi Qianming was ordinary. Plain.
He was still grateful to have been born in relatively peaceful Konoha. As a war orphan here, survival did not require becoming a shinobi. One could work at any shop and earn enough commission to live.
After staring at the 'Ninja Academy Enrollment Notice' in his hand for a long time, Zhao Yi Qianming finally headed toward the Academy.
As a civilian, he could live well in Konoha. The future would have Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha to save the world. So long as he survived the two disasters of the Chūnin Exams and Pain's Assault, he could live out his days in this village.
But having come to the Naruto world at all, not becoming a shinobi would leave a lingering regret.
Shinobi had a high mortality rate, yet the mere thought of powerful Ninjutsu still set Zhao Yi Qianming's blood thrumming.
In his previous life he had lived over twenty years in peacetime, but his blood had never gone cold, and from time to time he indulged in certain fantasies.
The Ninja Academy felt as lively as the village itself. A long banner over the main gate read 'Ninja Academy Opening Ceremony.' A crowd of four- and five-year-olds chirped noisily at the entrance.
For these children, becoming a shinobi meant making a name for themselves and earning the villagers' admiration. The dangers of the shinobi world were far away to them, and most adults likely never spoke of such things. After all, most of the children here were war orphans.
Zhao Yi Qianming stood among the crowd and waited in silence.
He had little to say to these four- and five-year-olds. The pent-up strain of the past few years since crossing over had only made the already taciturn Zhao Yi Qianming even more silent.
Before long, a chunin in a flak vest arrived and led the group away.
The Ninja Academy recruited all village children of age. Clan heirs and civilians alike could enter to study. But the Academy did not accept just anyone. To enroll, one had to pass the Academy's assessment.
The assessment was simple: run two hundred laps around the training field.
Chakra was the union of spiritual energy and physical energy, and combat between shinobi demanded strong bodies.
Two hundred laps was not a small number, but this world was saturated with the energy called Chakra, so children had excellent constitutions. After only a few years of early childhood, they could begin basic training.
Zhao Yi Qianming had done some basic training himself. Two hundred laps were not difficult for him. For clan children, two hundred laps were barely a warm-up.
Gentle sunlight filtered through sparse leaves onto the children's faces as they ran hard toward their dreams.
In the lead pack, Zhao Yi Qianming kept his eyes on the boy running first.
White hair. A black mask covering half his face. Drowsy eyes. A green scarf wrapped around his neck.
'I didn't expect to be in the same class as Kakashi!' Zhao Yi Qianming thought.
He did not mind standing out at the Academy. To be assigned a good jōnin instructor upon graduation, he had to show talent. Without talent, no one noticed you.
Every hidden village controlled Ninjutsu strictly. Beyond father-to-son transmission, most techniques were taught through master–disciple lines. If he could be assigned an excellent jōnin as team leader after graduation, Zhao Yi Qianming's future development would benefit greatly.
As for showing off and drawing the eyes of Orochimaru or Danzo Shimura, Zhao Yi Qianming did not care. In fact, he rather hoped to be noticed by those two.
Joining either faction meant access to more advanced techniques, even Forbidden Jutsu.
He gathered himself and sped up to chase Kakashi.
If he wanted to stand out, taking first place in the entrance test was best. Defeating Kakashi, the son of Konoha's White Fang, would make that first place shine even brighter.
Sensing someone closing in, Kakashi glanced back, then accelerated again to open the gap.
Some of the clan heirs in the lead pack were unwilling to be overtaken by a civilian, and they too sped up to catch Zhao Yi Qianming. For them, losing to Kakashi was understandable, but being caught by a civilian would be a heavy blow.
At the very least, their clans would value them much less.
In the years since crossing over, Zhao Yi Qianming had followed some training experience from his previous life and kept up with basics. It might not match a shinobi's standardized regimen, but he had the advantage of an adult's mind. Unlike these playful five-year-olds, Zhao Yi Qianming did not slack off.
Though those clan children had already begun cultivating Chakra, that tiny reserve did not amount to much and would soon be spent. Once their Chakra ran dry, that would be Zhao Yi Qianming's chance to pass them.
Soon the lead pack stretched apart. Kakashi continued to set the pace. Zhao Yi Qianming gritted his teeth, five meters behind in second place.
Zhao Yi Qianming realized that no matter how he pushed, Kakashi always kept the lead. Each time Zhao Yi Qianming surged to close the gap, Kakashi would surge to widen it.
The two pushed each other to the end of the two hundred laps, yet Zhao Yi Qianming never closed the distance.
After an all-out two hundred laps, Zhao Yi Qianming was spent. Hands braced on his knees to keep from collapsing, he looked at Kakashi, who was only slightly winded, and panted, "Looks like you still weren't going all out."
It was his first time speaking to a 'peer.' Even with an adult's mind, Zhao Yi Qianming had to admit Kakashi's talent. Without the many twists of fate to come, Kakashi's achievements might have far surpassed the original story.