Year 48 of Konoha.
Dusk faded. Night fell.
This was a night destined for turmoil.
On this day, Kushina Uzumaki—the wife of the Fourth Hokage and the second jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails—was giving birth. Despite the tightest security measures in place, disaster still struck.
Moments after Kushina Uzumaki completed her delivery, an enemy launched a sudden assault. She was abducted, and through brutal means, the Nine-Tails was forcibly extracted from her body. The beast was then summoned within Konoha itself, where it rampaged wildly, tearing through buildings and reducing entire streets to rubble.
The Hidden Leaf Village shook violently.
Under the command of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, the shinobi forces quickly split into two groups. One escorted civilians to safety. The other followed Hiruzen Sarutobi into battle, unleashing wave after wave of ninjutsu in a desperate attempt to restrain the Nine-Tails.
Within a short span of time, countless shinobi—and civilians who had failed to escape in time—fell beneath the claws and chakra of the raging beast. Only when Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, arrived did hope reappear.
In the end, Minato Namikaze sacrificed his own life to seal the strongest of the tailed beasts—the Nine-Tails—into his newborn child.
Only then did the catastrophe finally come to an end.
The Nine-Tails' attack left Konoha gravely wounded. Beyond the destruction of infrastructure and resources, the sheer number of casualties cast a long shadow of grief over the entire village.
Collapsed houses smoldered. Smoke drifted through the air. Beneath a massive wooden pillar still engulfed in flames, a woman lay crushed, having failed to escape in time. During patrol and rescue operations, shinobi discovered that within the woman's arms was an infant, tightly wrapped in a blanket—still breathing.
This disaster that struck Konoha had turned many children, who should have grown up in warm families, into orphans.
This infant was one of them.
No one noticed that at the exact moment the baby was lifted from the woman's arms, a meteor streaked silently across the dark, clouded sky.
At the same time, a mechanical voice echoed within the infant's mind.
"Game loading… 1%…"
Time flowed like water, fleeting as a white steed passing through a narrow gap.
In the blink of an eye, six years passed.
Year 54 of Konoha.
Dusk. A small forest within Konoha.
"You knocked my ice cream out of my hand and think you can just run away? Get on your knees and apologize!"
Three children, around six or seven years old, formed a triangle around a little girl. One boy dressed in green was scolding her, a smug grin plastered across his face—a grin that carried the unmistakable promise of a future troublemaker.
The little girl lowered her head. Tears welled in her eyes, yet she said nothing.
Her fragile appearance only emboldened the boy. He reached out, pressing his hand against her head, preparing to force her to her knees.
Whoosh!
A small stone flew through the air and struck the boy squarely on the forehead.
"Ow! That hurts! Who threw that?!" the boy shouted angrily, clutching the swelling lump forming on his brow.
"I did."
A childish voice answered.
The three children turned toward the source of the voice—and nearly wet themselves in fear.
"I-It's the Little Madman!!"
The color drained from their faces. One of the boys didn't hesitate for even a second; he shoved his companions aside and bolted. "Run! Don't let the Little Madman catch you!"
The other two, stunned only briefly, immediately fled in different directions.
Why split up?
Simple. It increased their chances of not being chased.
The so-called Little Madman was merely a boy younger than they were. Yet this single child had become the terror of Konoha's civilian children.
True to his nickname, he was mad—and when he fought, he fought like someone who did not care about consequences, inventing endless cruel methods.
Once, a child who had snatched his ice cream was beaten senseless, dragged into the street, and humiliated in a way no one dared speak of again.
Another time, a ten-year-old who had accidentally knocked over the ramen he was carrying ended up with filth forcibly stuffed into his mouth. Even when parents came to intervene, it was useless. The Little Madman was an orphan. You could not catch him if he chose to disappear. On one occasion, a furious parent slapped him—only to wake up the next morning naked in the middle of the street, his bed gone, his dignity shattered under the stares of the entire village.
The Little Madman's actions were always tinged with insanity, instilling fear in children—and even in some adults.
At this moment, the Little Madman leapt down from a tree. His hands rested casually in his pockets as he walked toward the little girl.
Black, slightly messy hair partially covered his right eye. His youthful face carried a faint trace of handsomeness, yet his eyes held a maturity that did not belong to his age. A slight curve lifted the corner of his lips, revealing disdain—and something cold.
Though still a child, a subtle aura of wickedness already clung to him.
Watching the three boys flee, he made no move to pursue them. If that green-clad brat hadn't been shouting so loudly and disturbed his nap in the tree, he wouldn't have bothered playing the hero.
"Th-Thank you…"
The little girl had already stood up when the others ran. Now she stepped forward and bowed deeply at a perfect ninety degrees, her voice trembling.
"It's nothing. Those idiots interrupted my sleep. Helping you was just incidental."
The Little Madman gave her a brief once-over, clicked his tongue, and spoke in a lazy tone before turning away.
The girl froze for a moment, staring blankly at his departing figure.
Since his nap had been ruined, he could only head home. But the instant he stepped through his doorway, a long-forgotten voice resounded within his mind.
"Loading… 100%."
A crisp mechanical chime followed.
"Ding. Loading complete. System awakening."