"Young clan leader, wake up!"
In a daze, Kazuki felt someone push him twice as he lay on the wooden bed.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing his head, he looked at the square-faced man standing before him with an unfamiliar gaze. "Uncle, who are you?"
The square-faced man looked haggard and worn. He stared at Kazuki with visible anxiety. "Young Clan Leader, it's me—Masamichi! Don't you recognize me?"
"Masamichi?" Kazuki asked in confusion. Then, suddenly, a flood of memories rushed into his mind like a tidal wave.
My name is Hagoromo Kazuki, and I'm the young clan leader of the Hagoromo clan during the Warring States period!
After receiving these memories, Kazuki was completely dumbfounded. His mind reeled from the revelation.
He'd actually transmigrated into the Naruto world! Not only that, but he'd arrived during the Warring States period—long before the story even began! How could this be so ridiculous?!
Also, the Hagoromo clan... which cannon fodder ninja clan was that supposed to be?!
"Young clan leader, you were knocked unconscious by a Senju shinobi's Earth Release jutsu during the battle. How are you feeling now?"
When Masamichi saw Kazuki's expression shift from surprise to horror, as if the young man had completely lost his mind, he couldn't help but reach out and touch his forehead to check for fever.
Kazuki snapped back to his senses. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
I don't have a fever, so why are you touching me?
After mentally complaining about the situation, he pushed away Masamichi's right hand. "I'm fine. You can leave now. Let me calm down for a bit."
As he spoke, Kazuki reached up and rubbed his temples, trying to process everything.
What on earth is going on? I just fell asleep while watching Naruto—how did I end up transmigrating into this world? This is way too outrageous!
Upon hearing this, Masamichi hesitated for a moment. "Young Clan Leader, if you need anything at all, just call out. Someone will be stationed right outside the tent."
After saying that, he turned and walked out, the fabric rustling as he left.
After all, the Hagoromo clan was currently in a tense standoff with the Senju clan. They'd just fought through a major battle where the clan had suffered considerable losses. As a jonin, Masamichi needed to hurry back and attend the strategy meeting with the other senior shinobi.
Once Masamichi left, the tent became quieter, though some noise from outside still filtered through. Despite the commotion beyond the tent walls, Kazuki didn't have time to investigate what was causing all that racket.
According to the memories now flooding his mind, he was currently the young clan leader of the Hagoromo clan. His father was Hagoromo Reiryū, the current clan leader and patriarch.
Due to conflicting mission territories and the discovery of high-quality iron ore deposits within Hagoromo lands, the Senju clan had launched a direct war against them. The conflict was fueled by both old grudges and the promise of material gain.
The war had been raging for a full week now. Just this morning, the Senju had launched yet another surprise attack on the Hagoromo stronghold.
During that fierce battle, the original owner of this body had been accidentally struck in the head by the shockwave from an Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet jutsu used by a Senju jonin. His eyes had rolled back, and he'd died instantly from the impact.
That was when Kazuki had transmigrated—right after the original body's owner had perished.
However, because his soul and this new body hadn't fully merged yet, he'd only just now regained consciousness. The integration process had taken time.
"This is unbelievable! When other people transmigrate, they usually get overpowered abilities or safe starting positions. But when I transmigrate, I'm immediately facing the threat of my entire clan being wiped out!"
Kazuki collapsed back onto the wooden bed, staring up at the tent ceiling with a look of complete despair.
At this point, he'd also absorbed enough information to understand the general situation of the Hagoromo clan and what they were facing.
The Hagoromo clan had been a major shinobi clan during the Warring States period. Although they couldn't compare to the absolute top-tier clans like the Senju and Uchiha, they were still considered a first-class ninja clan—roughly on par with the prestigious Hyuga in terms of power and influence.
However, after the village of Konohagakure was established in the future, this clan seemed to have completely disappeared from history. No one ever mentioned them again in any significant capacity.
The only place the Hagoromo clan ever appeared in his memories of the canon story was briefly in Hashirama Senju's flashbacks from his childhood.
The only member of this clan who was ever shown was a nameless corpse floating face-down in the river where young Madara and Hashirama used to skip stones together.
Now, Kazuki had transmigrated directly into this doomed clan that was clearly on the path to destruction. He felt completely numb. How was he supposed to survive in this situation?
"I'm about to face the crisis of my entire clan being wiped out, and this isn't even the Uchiha with their Sharingan! This transmigration is absolutely insane!" He stared at the top of the tent and couldn't help but mutter in despair.
As he continued to sort through his inherited memories, Kazuki gradually remembered more details. In Hashirama's childhood flashbacks, his father Butsuma Senju had mentioned that the Hagoromo and Uchiha clans had once fought together against the Senju in battle.
This meant that the Hagoromo and Senju clans were definite enemies. Meanwhile, their relationship with the Uchiha, while not necessarily friendly or allied, at least wasn't openly hostile either.
Therefore, the reason why the Hagoromo clan didn't survive into the next generation was most likely because they'd been completely wiped out by the Senju. Even if they hadn't been entirely annihilated, only a few scattered remnants would remain—probably even smaller than minor clans like the Hatake or Gekko.
Currently, the Hagoromo clan was locked in a dangerous standoff with the Senju. They were led by none other than their fearsome patriarch, Senju Butsuma.
Based on what Kazuki knew about Hashirama's personality from the original story, it seemed highly unlikely that the gentle-hearted future First Hokage would ever do something as brutal as completely wiping out an entire clan. Therefore, it was highly probable that the Hagoromo clan would be destroyed by Butsuma instead.
Moreover, this event would definitely happen within the next few years. It was even possible that the clan's destruction could occur this very year!
Thinking about this grim possibility, Kazuki sat up abruptly on the wooden bed, his heart pounding. "Damn it! I've transmigrated into a world where my entire clan could be completely wiped out at any moment. How am I supposed to survive without some kind of cheat ability or system?!"
He felt panic rising in his chest like a flood.
"The Three Pure Ones! The Jade Emperor! The Queen Mother! The God of Wealth! The Thunder God! The Lightning Goddess! The Buddha! Jesus! Zeus! Mary!" Kazuki clasped his hands together desperately. "I don't care which deity you are—please, please give me some kind of cheat system! I'm begging you here!"
He sat cross-legged on the wooden bed like some kind of mental patient, his hands clasped together in fervent prayer, calling out to every deity he could remember from both his past life and various mythologies.
[A strong will to survive has been detected in the host. The Survival Talent System has been activated!]
Kazuki froze. His eyes went wide.
The prayers actually worked!
Realizing what had just happened, his face lit up with delight. He quickly lowered his hands, which had been clasped together in desperate prayer. "System! Please introduce yourself and explain your functions! Also, which deity bestowed you upon me? I absolutely must thank them properly!"
His heart was racing with excitement now.
[The purpose of this system is to help the host survive. As long as the host completes the system's assigned tasks, the system will grant the host talent points. These talent points will stimulate and enhance the host's natural talents, thereby making the host stronger over time.]
[Furthermore, this system was created alongside the host's will to survive. It was not bestowed upon the host by any external deity or entity.]
"Make me stronger so I can survive? That's perfect!" After hearing the system's explanation, Kazuki's overwhelming fear was instantly swept away by more than half.
After all, having a "golden finger" system was, in another sense, the same as having a protagonist's halo. With the protagonist's halo protecting him, how could he possibly die so easily? His chances of survival had just skyrocketed!
However, when he heard that the system wasn't actually given to him by any deity, he couldn't help but complain out loud. "To hell with those gods and deities! They're completely useless when it actually matters. They're nothing but feudal superstition—complete garbage that should be thrown away! They made me waste my breath praying for nothing!"
After grumbling and complaining for a while longer, his expression turned more serious. He asked carefully, "System, you just said that if I complete missions, I'll receive talent points as rewards. But what happens if I fail to complete a mission? Will I be... eliminated?"
As he spoke those words, Kazuki couldn't help but shudder involuntarily. He'd read countless web novels in his previous life, and many of those system stories featured systems that would threaten to eliminate or kill their hosts at the slightest failure.
If he'd ended up with that kind of merciless system, wouldn't he be completely doomed from the start?
[The purpose of this system is to ensure the host's survival. How could this system possibly eliminate the host? That would contradict the system's core function.]
Kazuki let out a huge sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. That's really good."
[However...]