In the fifty-first year of Konoha's founding, the setting sun bathed the Hidden Leaf Village in a warm, orange glow. The sound of sandals tapping against the cobblestone streets grew more frequent as shinobi returned from missions. Groups of them wandered toward the izakaya, the rich scent of grilled meat wafting through the air. The calls of the shopkeepers, mixed with laughter and chatter, gave the entire village a bustling yet peaceful charm.
At the edge of the village, the great Hokage Rock stood tall against the twilight sky. The four faces carved into the mountain—each representing a different era—looked down upon the village below. The Fourth Hokage's gentle features were bathed in golden light, his smile forever frozen in time. Though his era had long passed and the Third Hokage had resumed leadership after the Nine-Tails incident, the legend of the "Yellow Flash" remained—immortalized in both stone and memory.
But the real story wasn't happening in the heart of that lively village.
It was unfolding deep in the forest, on the outskirts of Konoha.
Sweat dripped from the ends of golden hair. A boy no older than three was panting lightly as he flung a kunai forward.
Whoosh!
The sharp metal whistled through the air, cutting a clean path before striking dead center into the wooden target pinned to a tree. Not even a millimeter off.
At an age when most children could barely hold a kunai steady, this boy—Naruto Uzumaki—was already capable of throwing with perfect precision. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, a faint, satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"What a ridiculous amount of talent… Guess being the 'Child of Prophecy' really means something. The original me sure wasted a lot of time, dattebayo."
The voice was high-pitched and childish, but his tone carried a strange maturity—as if the soul inside didn't belong to a clueless toddler.
Because in truth, it didn't.
Buried deep within Naruto's memories was another life.
In a world called Blue Star, he had once been nothing more than an ordinary office worker—someone who lived and died by the rhythm of his 9-to-5 job. That monotonous routine only ended the day a runaway truck decided to end his story in the most cliché way possible.
A truck accident? Really? Couldn't the universe be a little more original?
His memories of infancy were a foggy blur—like trying to peer through thick mist. He couldn't even be sure whether he had transmigrated into Naruto's body… or if the original Naruto had simply awakened his past-life memories.
The only thing certain was that the moment he gained clear awareness, every single detail of Naruto—the story, the characters, the timeline—had already been etched into his mind.
And then there was that strange verbal tic.
"Dattebayo."
No one had taught him that phrase, yet it slipped out of his mouth naturally, as if the body itself remembered it.
It took him several days to finally accept the truth: he had somehow been reborn into the world of Naruto—and not as anyone else, but as the "Child of Prophecy" himself.
Right now, the ninja world was in a rare moment of peace.
Uchiha Madara's corpse was already rotting in the ground, and his pawn, Uchiha Obito, now hid behind a mask—secretly scheming in the shadows as he laid the foundations for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Black Zetsu, the most devoted "filial son" in history, remained lurking unseen, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to betray everyone and resurrect Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
In Amegakure, Yahiko was dead, and Nagato had already fallen into despair, embracing the twisted ideal of "making the world know pain."
Jiraiya was still wandering the ninja world, searching for the so-called "Child of Prophecy" while also gathering material for his Icha Icha novels—completely unaware that the boy he was looking for was currently in the woods of Konoha practicing shuriken throws.
Tsunade had long since left the village, roaming from one gambling den to another with Shizune at her side, drowning her grief in sake and dice as the so-called "Legendary Sucker."
The only recent event of note was Orochimaru's human experimentation being exposed—forcing the Third Hokage to personally order his capture. One of the Legendary Sannin had officially become an S-class missing-nin.
There were still years to go before the main story would begin. In fact, even Naruto's enrollment at the Academy was a long way off.
Well, I remember all the big events clearly enough… though most of the small details I probably forgot. Guess that's what happens when the only reason I revisited the series was because of that mobile game adaptation.
He already knew his parents—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki—were gone. But every time he passed Hokage Rock and saw Minato's face, he couldn't help but feel a dull ache in his chest.
Still, after growing up in an orphanage in his previous life, this kind of loneliness wasn't anything he couldn't handle. At least this time around, he had a small apartment and a monthly allowance from the Third Hokage to keep him going.
Though honestly, he'd really like to ask the old man one day what happened to his "cheap dad's" inheritance…
He'd long since noticed the way the adults looked at him with thinly veiled disgust, and how the other children avoided him. But it didn't bother him anymore.
Whatever. I'm not some helpless kid who needs everyone's approval.
Besides, the future members of the Konoha Twelve—the people who'd actually matter—were all from prominent clans. Shikamaru, Chōji, Hinata, Sasuke… their families all knew the truth about the Nine-Tails and wouldn't treat him the same way the villagers did.
Honestly, Naruto didn't even need to work that hard. If he just followed the original story's path, he'd eventually marry the Hyūga heiress and become Hokage—living the dream life.
…Well, at least until Boruto happened.
He'd never actually watched Boruto, but he'd seen spoilers online—alien Ōtsutsuki, depowered Naruto and Sasuke, scientific ninja tools… basically a pile of nonsense.
If I'd known I'd end up reincarnated here, I should've finished watching that sequel.
Not that it mattered now. The plot wouldn't start for years, and sitting around doing nothing was a waste.
Training's better than boredom. And hey—if I ever have to fight aliens, I can't rely on "Talk no Jutsu," right?
"Alright, let's up the difficulty this time!"
Naruto took a deep breath, gripping several kunai between his fingers. His blue eyes locked onto multiple targets nailed to the tree in front of him.
In the next instant, his wrist snapped.
Whoosh—clang! clang!
The kunai spun through the air, colliding mid-flight and ricocheting off one another. Each impact subtly changed their trajectory, and what looked like a chaotic throw suddenly shifted into a precise pattern.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every single kunai buried itself perfectly in its target. Not a single miss.
"…Okay, that's actually insane."
Even Naruto was a little shocked. He knew he had great bloodlines—the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki—but this level of control? The original Naruto never had this kind of throwing skill.
Maybe it's the power of being a transmigrator… some sort of 'Reincarnation Bonus'?
Scratching his head, he was about to collect his kunai when—
"Wow! That was amazing!"
A crisp, childish voice came from behind the trees, startling him. Naruto spun around, just in time to see the bushes rustle.
Out stepped a small figure, her movements a little flustered—as if she hadn't meant to speak up but couldn't help herself. Her cheeks were flushed red as she stood frozen in place, unsure what to do next.
Cute…
That was the first word that crossed Naruto's mind.
She was a little girl, about his age, with sleek black hair that fell neatly to her shoulders and skin as pale as snow. Her large, obsidian eyes shimmered with a mix of shyness and curiosity as she looked up at him. Her delicate features seemed almost sculpted, and her soft pink lips pressed together nervously.
There was something irresistibly adorable about her.
Who is she? Naruto wondered, tilting his head slightly. I don't remember any random background character being this cute in the original story…