Chapter 1
Konoha Year 41, March 18
"Shit, shit, shit…!"
Wearing his signature goggles, Uchiha Obito sprinted toward the Ninja Academy. By the time he arrived, panting and sweating, the teachers had already taken down the entrance-ceremony banner, and the new students had scattered.
He was late!
Missing the entrance ceremony meant that even if he passed the exam later, he wouldn't be admitted this year—he'd have to wait another full twelve months.
Obito's shoulders slumped in defeat.
As he stood there dejected, a scarf-wrapped boy carrying enrollment papers walked past, stopped, and glanced back.
"Being late to something this important? Someone like that has no business being at the Academy. You're done for."
Kakashi shrugged dramatically.
Obito whipped around and glared at the silver-haired brat who was clearly enjoying this. That smug bastard really pisses me off.
Just then, an angelic voice rang out.
"It's okay! I picked up your paperwork for you!"
Obito turned and saw Nohara Rin smiling gently, holding out his enrollment documents with both hands.
In that instant, her smile etched itself deep into his heart. A blush exploded across his face as he clasped his hands together and grinned like an idiot.
"Thank you so much! I owe you big time!"
Rin giggled. "You don't have to be so formal."
Further ahead, Kakashi glanced back once, clicked his tongue in annoyance, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked off.
Not far away, under a roadside tree, Ki Shita Genichi (Tree-under Genichi) quietly watched this classic scene unfold. For some reason, it felt like he was witnessing history.
Family name: Ki Shita (Tree-under) Given name: Genichi
Actually, the last three generations on his father's side didn't even have surnames—just single names.
The surname "Ki Shita" wasn't something Genichi came up with himself. His old man had chosen it—partly because he had high hopes for his son, and partly to commemorate proposing to his wife under a tree.
Very "everyday life" kind of reasoning.
Though his dad claimed he'd thought about it for a long time, Genichi was 100% sure the name was decided the very day Genichi passed the Academy entrance exam.
Genichi turned and strolled home, shifting his full attention to the gorgeous purple orb floating in his mind.
He had awakened memories of his previous life this morning and discovered this thing right after.
Standard transmigrator golden finger. Totally normal.
He'd been too busy with the entrance ceremony earlier, so this was his first chance to study it properly.
"Cash in the future early?"
Genichi caught the information emanating from the purple orb.
"Advance-withdraw future achievements? Like getting your paycheck early?"
"No… that sounds more like overdrafting."
"Wait, no—it doesn't seem like I have to pay it back."
Genichi pondered silently. "Still, this golden finger is a bit too abstract. It'd be nicer if it were more intuitive."
The moment the thought appeared, the purple orb suddenly changed. It unfolded into a sleek panel.
The panel was extremely minimalistic—only two options:
[Overdraw the next 10 years]
[Overdraw the next 100 years]
Only the first option glowed purple. The second was grayed out.
"Yes! This is what I'm talking about—this has style!"
Genichi grinned inwardly, then thought, Some explanations would be nice.
Immediately, a new line of text appeared on the panel:
[You may overdraw future achievements and experience in ninjutsu, physical training, combat, etc. (Memory of future events is NOT included)]
"No future memories, huh… That's fine. I don't remember every plot detail anyway, and now that a transmigrator like me is here, the so-called 'canon' is going to change no matter what."
"Besides, people's personalities and background info won't change much. Even without future memories, I'll manage."
"The important part is ninjutsu… and experience!"
Genichi's heart raced with excitement.
To be honest, when he first awakened his past-life memories and realized he'd been reborn in the Naruto world, he had been terrified.
The Naruto world wasn't a place normal people could survive easily—especially not in Konoha, of all places.
It was blessed with plot armor for protagonists, but overflowing with danger for everyone else.
Becoming a shinobi was inherently deadly. Regular missions were bad enough, but the Shinobi World Wars were straight-up apocalyptic events.
Of course, he could choose not to become a ninja.
But compared to living as a powerless civilian who could do nothing when disaster struck, Genichi would rather roll the dice as a shinobi.
"With a golden finger, I'm a cheater now!"
Filled with anticipation, he quickened his pace home.
His parents were busy downstairs in the family dango shop; the second floor was their living space.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back! Ceremony went great!"
Genichi waved his paperwork and bolted upstairs.
His father watched him disappear with a proud smile, finally relaxing. "Our family finally has another shinobi!"
His mother looked worried. "Being a ninja is dangerous…"
Dad laughed. "Don't worry. The last war is over. Once Genichi graduates, he'll just take easy missions. He'll be fine."
His expectations for his son weren't sky-high—he just wanted Genichi to become a ninja. Chunin would already be a huge bonus. Jonin? He didn't even dare dream of it.
Not a single jonin had appeared in the last three generations.
…
Back in his room, Genichi flopped onto his bed, closed his eyes, and focused on the panel again.
"Ten years of future training results, experience, combat memory, mission know-how, knowledge…"
"In ten years I'll be 15. As a transmigrator, even if I don't reach Kage or Super-Kage or Six Paths level, jonin should be the bare minimum, right?"
"Come on, future me—show me what you've got!"
He selected [Overdraw the next 10 years].
In an instant, the panel dissolved back into the purple orb. Blinding light exploded outward, flooding every cell in his body.
His mind went blank. Electricity surged through his muscles; every fiber trembled uncontrollably.
Time lost meaning.
When awareness returned, Genichi felt like he had just lived through six entire years in a dream.
…Wait. Six years?
He shot upright, face pale.
"Did I… die six years from now?"
"And why do I only have the Academy's three basic jutsu, plus the Body Flicker… and a single Water Release: Water Colliding Wave?"
"This is jonin-level stuff?"
He stared at his hands in horror.
So in ten years he was still just a chunin—or maybe even a genin who died at age 11 or 12?
No way.
Absolutely impossible!
Even with average talent, a transmigrator who knows the plot shouldn't be this pathetic!
Forget everything else—he should at least have Sexy Jutsu, Harem Jutsu, or Rasengan, right?!
Genichi couldn't accept it.
At that moment, new text appeared on the restored panel:
[The future is not set in stone]
[The present determines the future]