"The winner—Hatake Kakashi."
At the Ninja Academy, the homeroom teacher's clear and resonant voice echoed through the training grounds, officially bringing the sparring match to an end.
"Form the Seal of Reconciliation."
Without protest or resentment, the dark-haired boy—his bangs nearly covering his face—silently pushed himself up from the ground. He brushed the dust off his uniform, extended two fingers, and briefly touched them to Kakashi's hand before the two separated.
"Wow, Hatake-kun is amazing!"
"As expected of the White Fang's son."
"Yeah, yeah! And he beat an Uchiha so easily too."
"Honestly, that guy doesn't even seem like an Uchiha—so gloomy all the time."
The whispers rose and fell around the training field—mostly praise for Kakashi, though a few out-of-place remarks slipped in among them.
"If it were me, I'd totally win! Hey, Kakashi, fight me next!"
Another Uchiha—Obito—adjusted his goggles and puffed out his chest, determined to restore his clan's honor.
Kakashi paid him no mind. He simply glanced at his previous opponent, found the same indifferent expression as always, and turned back to rejoin the class lineup—completely ignoring Obito's blustering challenge.
"Hey! You bastard, Kakashi! Don't ignore me again!"
"Keep it down," Kakashi said flatly, visibly annoyed. "Sparring with you is pointless."
"What?! How dare you say that! Fine, I'll show you how great the mighty Obito really is!"
"Enough, Obito," said a girl with two stripes of camouflage paint on her cheeks, tugging at his sleeve. "The teacher's about to call the next group. Don't interrupt class."
"Alright, Rin…"
At her soft rebuke, Obito instantly deflated, his outrage disappearing like a switch had been flipped.
The other students rolled their eyes. Everyone was used to this routine by now—Obito challenging Kakashi every practice session, only to get ignored or defeated within a few moves. And yet he never stopped boasting about "showing Kakashi what he's made of."
None of that seemed to affect the black-haired boy who had just lost the match. He lowered his head and quietly walked to the edge of the group. The children nearby fell silent and subtly edged away, as if afraid of catching some misfortune by standing too close.
No one knew that, before the sparring session had even started, the soul inside that boy's body had already been replaced.
Naraku stood in line, staring blankly at a pebble at his feet.
——
Naraku, age twenty.
Killed in a massive car pileup, chosen by a "system," and transmigrated into this world—replacing a boy named Uchiha Naraku.
As a long-time anime fan and all-around internet clown, Naraku realized within minutes of waking up exactly which world he'd landed in.
At first, he'd actually been kind of thrilled—after all, this was the childhood era of the ageless heartthrob himself! Unfortunately, the timing was terrible. Barely a day after arriving, he'd already taken a beating from that very same heartthrob.
"System?"
Naraku called out in his mind again, hoping for the appearance of his golden cheat.
> [Greetings, Transmigrator. The Popularity Achievement System is now online.]
The cold mechanical voice finally rang in his head. Naraku exhaled in relief—at least something worked.
He'd been worried he'd crossed over without a cheat at all. Late was fine; missing entirely would've been fatal. In this brutal ninja world where human life was worth less than a kunai, surviving without power was next to impossible. And worse—he was an Uchiha. Even if he somehow dodged the carnage of the Third Ninja War, he'd probably still end up as collateral damage in that massacre later, courtesy of the clan's number one filial son, Itachi.
But… "Popularity Achievement System?"
Did that mean he had to become popular to grow stronger?
In this world where power was everything, how the hell was he supposed to gain popularity? Was he supposed to become a celebrity or something?
> [Transmigrator, you seem to misunderstand. The popularity this system gathers is not from the natives of this world—but from viewers of the "Naruto" anime in another modern world.]
…What? He understood every word individually, but together, they made absolutely no sense.
> [To explain further: this is indeed the ninja world you know, but it has been linked to another system user—codename "Animator." That person has no authority to interfere here, but can observe everything that happens. They use this world as raw material—recording, editing, and producing an anime broadcast in their own world for profit.]
So this world was real, yet simultaneously being used as an animation source by someone else?
> [Correct. Your goal is to gain popularity among the anime's viewers. Popularity points can be exchanged for system credits, which can then be spent in the System Shop.]
So basically… I'm hitching a ride?
> [You could put it that way.]
And popularity points are actually useful?
> [Of course. Some systems collect "pretension points" or "face-slapping energy." This is no different. Broaden your perspective, Transmigrator.]
…Naraku was speechless.
> [In essence, both "pretension points" and "popularity points" originate from human desire and emotion, containing a special form of energy. Think of it like the wish power used by gods and spirits in certain worlds.]
Got it, got it. Whatever. If it keeps him alive, that's enough.
Naraku quickly accepted his situation and started plotting how to become a fan-favorite character.
Couldn't he just… ask the Animator to make him the protagonist?
> [Denied. This system has no communication privileges with the other party.]
Right. He really was just hitching a ride—no, worse. He was clinging to the side of the train. If he got noticed, he'd probably be thrown off.
> […]
Fine, no shortcuts then. But he still remembered the general plot of this world. That alone gave him an advantage.
Naraku pressed his lips together, thinking hard about his next move.
He didn't know exactly which events the Animator would adapt, but it was safe to assume the main plotline wouldn't change much. No sane producer would skip all the exciting stuff and only show filler, right?
So if he could just get involved with the main characters and participate in major events, there'd be no shortage of screen time—or popularity.
He probably couldn't catch up with Minato's generation, but lucky for him, he was in Kakashi's class. His peers included plenty of familiar names—the future mentors of the "Konoha Twelve." Even Obito and Rin were here, alive and well.
Analyzing based on the original timeline, the two students with the highest potential—and the greatest narrative value—were Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito.
But since Obito eventually murdered his own teacher and went full "destroy the world" mode, Naraku politely opted out of that partnership.
That left only one option.
Kakashi it is, then.
Nice! Rebirth arc: "My BL Ship with the Heartthrob!"
Naraku had to pinch his thigh to keep from laughing out loud and breaking character.
The original Uchiha Naraku had been gloomy, quiet, and withdrawn—hardly social at all. Even among his clanmates, he had no close friends, preferring solitude and silence.
He couldn't break that persona just yet. Any change would have to be gradual and justified by future events.
By now, the class sparring session had ended. The teacher called everyone back to the classroom. Naraku followed at the tail end of the group, ambling along before taking a seat in the last row's corner.
As he frowned and pondered how to naturally approach Kakashi, another thought struck him.
"Right—System, do you have any other functions?"
> [This system can connect to the network of the Animator's world, allowing you to monitor the anime's progress and viewer feedback in real time.]
Perfect. That way, he could see which storylines and characters were being highlighted—and what kind of personalities the audience loved most.
Then he'd know exactly what to become.