In the 51st year of Konoha, the setting sun painted Konoha Village a warm orange-red, and the footsteps of ninjas on the flagstone roads grew denser.
Ninjas who had completed their missions walked in twos and threes towards the izakayas, the aroma of grilled meat wafted from the shops, mixing with shouts and laughter, making the entire village lively and peaceful.
The Hokage Rock stood out in the twilight, the faces of the four Hokages overlooking the village.
The Fourth Hokage's face was particularly soft under the setting sun; although his era had long ended, and after the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Incident, the Third Hokage once again took over as Hokage, the legend of the Yellow Flash was fixed in the past and on the rock face.
However, the protagonist of the story was not amidst this prosperity.
The camera turned to the forest on the outskirts of the village.
Sweat dripped down Uzumaki Naruto's golden hair; only three years old, he gasped as he threw a kunai—"Whoosh!"
The cold glint of metal cut through the air, accurately embedding itself in the bullseye on the tree trunk, not an inch off.
A three-year-old child, an age when he should barely be able to hold a kunai, was already capable of such precise throws.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile playing on his lips.
"What incredible talent, truly worthy of the Child of Destiny… It seems the original story wasted a lot of time, de bayo."
The voice was childish, with that distinctive strange verbal tic, yet the tone exuded an abnormal maturity, as if not a naive toddler was hidden within his body.
That's right, in Uzumaki Naruto's memory, there existed another life.
In a world called "Blue Star," he was just an ordinary office worker, living a repetitive life every day until one day after work, an out-of-control truck sent him away from that world in a very cliché manner.
…What an unoriginal way to transmigrate.
His memories from infancy were chaotic, like being shrouded in a thick fog.
He wasn't even sure if he had "transmigrated" to this world or if the original Uzumaki Naruto had merely "awakened" his past life's memories.
The only thing he could confirm was that when he began to have clear consciousness, all the plots and characters from "Naruto" were etched in his mind.
Even stranger was—"de bayo."
No one had taught him this verbal tic, yet it naturally slipped out, as if it were an instinct of this body.
Uzumaki Naruto spent several days just to reluctantly accept the reality that he had not only come to the Naruto world but had also become Uzumaki Naruto, the "Child of Prophecy" from the original story.
Konoha was currently in a brief period of peace.
Uchiha Madara's body had begun to rot, and his pawn, Uchiha Obito, had donned his mask and begun to conceal his tears with Kamui, plotting the Eye of the Moon Plan in the darkness.
Black Zetsu, the Ninja World's greatest filial son, still lurked in the shadows, patiently awaiting the optimal moment to backstab and revive Kaguya.
Yahiko of Amegakure was already dead, and Nagato had completely fallen into the extreme of "making the world feel pain."
Jiraiya was still traveling the Ninja World, searching for the so-called "Child of Prophecy" and material for his erotic novels, unaware that the person he sought was currently practicing shuriken in the Konoha forest.
Tsunade had long since left the village, wandering from one gambling den to another with Shizune, becoming the legendary "big sucker," numbing herself with alcohol and dice.
The only major event recently was Orochimaru's human experiments being exposed, with the Third Hokage personally ordering his pursuit, turning one of the former "Three Sannin" into Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja.
There were still several years until the official start of the plot, and even a long time until Uzumaki Naruto entered the Ninja Academy.
Hmm… he remembered the major events quite clearly, but the details… after finishing Naruto back then, what made him pay attention to Naruto again was the mobile game adaptation of the same name.
Although he already knew that his parents in this life, the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina, were no longer alive, every time he passed the Hokage Rock and saw Minato Namikaze's sculpture, Uzumaki Naruto still felt a bit heavy-hearted.
However, his experience of growing up in an orphanage in his previous life meant that this bit of loneliness was bearable for him.
After all, he was used to living alone in his previous life, and in this life, he at least had a free small apartment, plus living expenses regularly provided by the Third Hokage.
Although Uzumaki Naruto still wanted to ask that old man where his cheap dad's inheritance had gone…
Uzumaki Naruto wasn't unaware of the cold stares from the adults and the alienation from the children in the village, but he had long since come to terms with it—I'm not a soft currency, so how can everyone like me anyway?
Besides, the Konoha 12 Genin he would get to know later were mostly from prominent families, like Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, and Nizhu Zi; their elders all knew the truth about the jinchuriki and wouldn't point fingers at him like ordinary villagers.
Actually, Uzumaki Naruto didn't need to work so hard; if he followed the original plot, he could marry the Hyuga Clan's princess and become Hokage, reaching the pinnacle of his life… but unfortunately, there's also Boruto: Naruto Next Generations!
Uzumaki Naruto hadn't watched "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," but he occasionally saw spoilers when browsing forums—something about Otsutsuki aliens, Naruto and Sasuke being nerfed, scientific ninja tools… in short, a bunch of troublesome things.
…If only I had known I would transmigrate, I should have caught up on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations back then!
However, thinking about these things now was useless.
Anyway, there were still several years until the plot began, and being idle was just being idle; cultivating was better than spacing out… Besides, if he really encountered aliens later, he couldn't possibly win with talk no jutsu, right?
"Alright, now let's try this!"
Uzumaki Naruto took a deep breath, preparing to increase the difficulty, holding several kunai between his fingers, his eyes fixed on the bullseyes at different positions on the tree trunk ahead.
The next second, he flicked his wrist sharply, and the kunai shot through the air, tracing several arcs.
"Clang! Clang!"
The crisp sound of metal clashing rang out, as several kunai accurately collided in mid-air, their trajectories changing at tricky angles.
What initially seemed like chaotic throws, after the collision, mysteriously adjusted their directions, and finally.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
All the kunai firmly embedded themselves in the bullseyes at different positions, without a single miss.
"…Tsk, isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"
Uzumaki Naruto himself was a little surprised.
He knew his body had good talent, with the bloodline of the Fourth Hokage and the Uzumaki Clan, but he hadn't expected to be able to pull off such tricks even with throwing techniques.
The Uzumaki Naruto in the original story didn't have such precise skills; could it be that the transmigrator's influence affected the body's potential?
Could this be the legendary "transmigrator's perk"?
He scratched his head, about to walk over and retrieve the kunai, when suddenly.
"Amazing!"
A childish, clear voice came from the woods, startling Uzumaki Naruto.
He turned his head to see the bushes gently rustle, and then a small figure walked out somewhat flustered, seemingly because she couldn't help but exclaim earlier, and was now blushing, standing there awkwardly.
So cute…
This was Uzumaki Naruto's first thought.
It was a small loli; the girl looked about his age, with long black hair softly draped over her shoulders, making her skin appear as white as snow.
Her eyes were large, dark, and bright, currently gazing at him with a mix of shyness and curiosity.
Her delicate features seemed meticulously sculpted, her pink lips gently pressed together, and her whole demeanor exuded an endearing quality.
Who is this? Was there such a cute background character in the original story?