**Preface / Anti-Pole Rant**
Before diving into the main story, a few things need to be said upfront.
1. The original Naruto manga has plenty of inconsistencies and irreconcilable plot holes. When writing fanfiction, authors can only pick the interpretation that best serves the plot.
2. These very plot holes are what make Naruto fanfiction so addictive—there's endless room for creativity and improvisation. That said, many "canon" details fans swear by are actually popular fan interpretations that have been repeated so often they feel official. I've fallen into that trap myself; after double-checking sources, I realized some of my long-held "facts" about Naruto weren't in the original manga or anime at all.
3. I did thorough research on the Naruto series before starting this story. It builds directly on the canon while incorporating fan interpretations and worldbuilding elements from other fics that enhance the plot. So if something here clashes with your memory of the series, feel free to drop a polite comment with screenshots or references from the manga/anime. Just skip the subjective attacks like "Did the author even watch Naruto?" followed by a drive-by low rating.
4. As a newbie author, this book has its flaws. I read a lot of power-leveling and progression-focused Naruto fanfics, so the starting point here is deliberately low. The Quincy powers the protagonist gains are scaled to the grunt-level Quincy from the Thousand-Year Blood War arc at first, which means a slower early pace focused on survival. But progression ramps up quickly—expect Kage-level combat power by the time of the Third Shinobi World War.
5. Regarding the Caged Bird Seal: The protagonist isn't strong enough to remove it early on, and survival takes priority over freedom. There won't be any major conflict with the main family until the seal is dealt with. Rest assured—by the time I wrote this preface, the plot had already progressed to the point where he's helping others remove theirs.
6. The first half emphasizes long-range combat, but it will gradually evolve into the high-class, coordinated Quincy style seen in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
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**So, Tomato Fan Art Poll**
Type 1 to get Hinata
Type 2 for Tsunade
Type 3 to pick your own partner
(And if you think the plot's too far-fetched, just check the comment image—doge.jpg.)
Now, the main story begins.
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"Uh... no, let me go..."
"..."
The stifled sobs mixed with the rhythmic creaking of furniture made Hyūga Aokawa's head throb.
"Who the hell is this? What kind of nonsense are they pulling so early in the morning?"
He frowned and instinctively rolled over, only to feel like his entire body had been shattered—every inch ached.
Then, a torrent of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
Hyūga Aokawa, branch family.
Both parents dead; his mother had sacrificed herself on a mission.
His father was still alive, along with a grandmother.
What the actual hell?
My stocks were finally taking off, and now you've dumped me into the Naruto world?
"Let me go..."
The hoarse, suppressed female voice came again.
This time, Hyūga Aokawa registered the creaking more clearly...
It sounded like...
The bed frame rocking violently below him!
"?"
"Holy crap!"
He jolted awake, suddenly understanding the situation.
Struggling against what felt like sleep paralysis, he forced his eyelids open a crack.
In his blurry vision, a graceful figure leaned against him.
A faint mix of body scent and sweat filled his nose.
In his daze, he felt the woman clutch his clothes tighter, her grip syncing with the rhythm.
The old bed groaned under the strain, barely holding together.
Hyūga Aokawa's thoughts spiraled into absurdity.
"Did I seriously transmigrate into a proper Naruto world... like this?"
He strained to focus, trying to clear the pixelated haze.
As his eyes opened wider, his vision sharpened.
His gaze first locked onto the swaying white figure beneath tattered clothes.
Behind her was a beautiful face, streaked with tears.
She breathed heavily, biting her lower lip as if enduring unbearable pain.
The moment she saw Hyūga Aokawa's eyes open, a flicker of excitement and desperate hope crossed her agonized expression.
Her eyes pleaded silently, lips mouthing two words over and over.
"Save... me?" Hyūga Aokawa read the shape of her lips.
Confused, he followed the curve of her body downward—until he saw what was behind her.
A massive, bald man with a thick beard loomed over them.
Built like a bull, muscles rippling, his huge fan-like hand occasionally slapped against the woman.
In that instant!
Hyūga Aokawa's mind exploded.
His heart nearly stopped.
Pupils shrinking, cold sweat breaking out.
Terror surged, dredging up the predecessor's memories.
The original Hyūga Aokawa had gone on a border mission with three seniors. Mission successful.
On the return trip, villagers begged them to hunt a wandering ninja raping and murdering women in the area—several families had already lost loved ones.
The chūnin captain underestimated the threat and accepted.
Result: three-on-one, all three seniors—including the captain—slaughtered.
The young predecessor hid in the rear but was quickly caught and gravely wounded.
This burly brute was that very wandering ninja.
Afterward, the woman had rescued him and brought him to this remote wooden shack.
But the man had tracked them here.
Hence, the nightmare unfolding now.
Under crushing fear of death, Hyūga Aokawa forced his heaving chest to still and calm his racing mind.
He scanned the room frantically, searching for any path to survival.
The door and wall gaps were all behind the big man.
Escape meant getting past him.
But the three seniors—one chūnin, two genin, all mission veterans—had been butchered three-on-one.
This guy was at least an elite chūnin.
Maybe even a special jōnin.
For someone who'd barely mastered basic Gentle Fist? Charging in was suicide.
Damn it!
A perfect dead end.
"You're awake?" The rough voice boomed from behind the woman.
Hyūga Aokawa's spine chilled; he rolled instinctively to dodge!
Swoosh!
A kunai sliced through the air, embedding deep where he'd just lain.
He scrambled up, desperate to slip past and flee.
A thick, hairy leg swung from behind the woman and slammed into him.
The brutal force launched him backward.
Bang!
His bandaged body crashed into the wooden wall, then crumpled to the floor.
"Stay put—I'll finish you after, hahaha!" The man grinned viciously.
The woman turned her head away, unable to watch the brutal disparity.
Hyūga Aokawa felt his bones grinding, organs shifted; he lay paralyzed for long moments.
The impact scrambled his thoughts—he even started hallucinating.
In the blur, faint lines of text flickered before his eyes.
But when he focused, they vanished.
"You bad guy... let go of Mommy!"
A child's cry pierced the air.
He looked toward the sound.
Beside the burly man, a toddler—maybe two or three—wailed loudly.
Her tiny hand clutched the man's leg hair, yanking desperately to pull him off her mother.
It clicked.
The girl had probably been pinned underfoot, forcing the woman's compliance.
"Hiss..." The man winced.
Even a battle-hardened killer yelped as a fistful of leg hair was ripped out.
"You little brat, you're dead!"
Furious, the man snatched the girl and hurled her toward the sharp table corner.
"No!" The woman's scream tore through the room.
Eyes wide with horror, she reached out—as if already seeing her daughter's skull shatter.
Before Hyūga Aokawa's mind could catch up, his body moved on instinct.
He lunged, barely catching the girl mid-air, then twisted so his back slammed into the table edge instead.
Agony exploded; vision blackened, cold sweat pouring.
He set the girl down gently, still reeling.
The burly man appeared before him in a flash: "I said stay there."
A surge of force lifted Hyūga Aokawa again.
He crashed back into the same wall.
"Ugh!" Blood surged up; he vomited a mouthful onto the floor.
Seizing the opening, the woman scooped up her daughter and bolted for the back door.
But after a few steps, the man grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back: "No rush—I'll make sure you both go quietly."
Hyūga Aokawa stared at the three walls. The only exit blocked. Desperation absolute.
Under that crushing pressure, a cold, feral resolve rose from deep within—like a cornered beast with nothing left to lose.
He gritted his teeth and spat blood.
He glared murderously at the man.
No more running. If he died here, fine—new game plus.
He'd already died once; this life was bonus time.
Even if he couldn't win...
His eyes flicked viciously to the man's groin.
"...at least make him wish he were dead."
In a flash, thousands of thoughts coalesced.
No hesitation.
He reached silently for the kunai in his pouch.
Just as strength returned—
Dizziness crashed over him; he collapsed.
At the same moment, the blurred text reappeared, crystal clear.
[All assets liquidated and converted to energy crystals. These will fuel this journey. Remaining crystals sufficient for 1 stone gate opening.]
[Consume 1 attempt to open the stone gate and accept ability projection?]
The cheat had arrived!
"Activate! Activate! Activate!" Hyūga Aokawa roared inwardly.
The vortex inside the gate surged violently.
A beam of white light erupted and struck him square between the eyes!
[Compatible racial template detected: Quincy]
[...]
(End of Chapter 1)