Chapter 1 — The Newcomer
"Heh… Seventy-Two Demon Gods, huh? Let's see how many hits you can take from my Jalter!"
Aki lay sprawled on his bed, grinning as he stared at the bold "Victory" displayed on his phone screen.
Aki was a seasoned anime and gaming enthusiast. Not only did he love anime, but he was also deeply into games adapted from them. Among all of them, his absolute favorite was FGO. Ever since watching the original Fate anime, he had fallen in love with the world of the Holy Grail War—where Masters and Servants fought side by side, weaving countless tales of love and conflict.
Fate/Grand Order was a mobile game adaptation of that universe, so whenever a new event or update was released, Aki would prepare in advance—whether it was saving Saint Quartz for summoning or carefully optimizing his Servant lineup. He made sure everything was perfect before tackling new content.
Today was the fourth day since the release of the new FGO update—and also the day the final boss became available.
To be the first to clear it, Aki had spent several days preparing, discussing Servant skill combinations with his friends.
The moment the event began, he jumped straight into the challenge without hesitation. After several mistakes and crushing defeats, he finally managed to defeat the final boss.
Looking at the screen showing that the entire singularity had been cleared, Aki could no longer hold back his excitement and burst into laughter.
Even if it was just a game, those who hadn't experienced it wouldn't understand. Whether it was grinding in World of Warcraft during school days or teaming up in internet cafés, these were memories and emotions that stayed with people for life.
Aki picked up his phone and opened his contacts list. He was ready to share the good news with his friends, already imagining their disbelief and admiration. A sly grin crept across his face.
The call connected quickly.
Just as he was about to speak, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness struck him.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His body felt completely powerless, and his mind seemed to turn into thick sludge.
"W-what's… happening to me… why…"
By the time Aki realized something was wrong, it was already too late. With lingering regret, he sank into endless darkness.
In the darkness, Aki groped around aimlessly.
Suddenly, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead—like a drowning man spotting a life buoy. Slowly, he moved toward it.
In an instant, the world of darkness was swallowed by light.
Like watching a film, countless images and fragments of memory flooded into his mind, accompanied by a splitting headache.
Aki struggled to open his eyes.
"…Ugh, cough… Where… am I?"
He slowly sat up, clearing his dry throat as he looked around.
Towering trees surrounded him on all sides. The trunks were scarred with visible signs of human damage. The air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.
Aki carefully sifted through his memories.
"I'm Aki… a night-shift internet café attendant… an otaku… an anime and gaming enthusiast…"
He tapped his head.
"No… that's not right. I'm Mitarashi Chizuki, a Konoha Genin, currently fighting alongside my squad against the Mist ninja."
As the two sets of memories intertwined and collided, fragmented details began to connect. Gradually, Aki sorted out his identity.
"I… transmigrated?"
He looked down at his frail body and his messy black hair in disbelief.
"I ended up in Naruto? And I'm from the Mitarashi clan?"
As more memories surfaced, Chizuki began to understand his current situation.
According to his memories, it was now Year 37 of Konoha—also the year the Third Shinobi World War came to an end.
The Third Shinobi World War could be considered an extension of the Second. After the First War, the ninja world entered a twenty-year period of chaos. During that time, numerous small-scale conflicts broke out, leaving the entire world in turmoil. In that era, no one could guarantee their own survival.
The Five Great Nations were building and strengthening their hidden villages, developing various ninjutsu, and cultivating powerful shinobi. However, due to unequal resource distribution, disparities between nations grew larger.
As a result, militaristic factions within each country gained influence, advocating for war to seize resources and expand territory.
The resource-poor Land of Wind and Land of Earth were the first to mobilize their forces, igniting the Second Shinobi World War.
At the beginning of the war, the three great villages of Wind, Earth, and Fire fought fiercely within the Land of Rain. In the end, Konoha emerged victorious. The following year, the war transitioned into smaller-scale battles. The Land of Fire pushed into the Land of Wind, while the Land of Lightning clashed with the Land of Earth.
That same year, the Second Shinobi World War came to an end.
During this period, many major events occurred: the rise of Konoha's "Three Legendary Sannin"—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—after battling Hanzo of the Salamander; Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko becoming Jiraiya's students; Sakumo Hatake killing Sasori's parents; and the deaths of Nawaki Senju and Dan Kato.
Ten years later, after a decade of peace, the Five Great Nations had recovered their strength. For their own interests, they began suppressing and manipulating neighboring smaller nations, consolidating resources.
In Year 32 of Konoha, the Third Kazekage disappeared. Sunagakure launched a large-scale search, and once other nations confirmed his disappearance, the Third Shinobi World War broke out.
At that time, Chizuki was only five years old.
What should have been a carefree childhood spent with his parents was shattered by war. His parents died during a mission in the Land of Rain.
Despite this, Chizuki had performed exceptionally well at the Ninja Academy—he was, in fact, the top student. Driven by youthful arrogance and a desire for revenge, he chose to graduate early and become a Genin.
At the time, battles between nations were extremely intense. Many squads were reorganized due to casualties. Chizuki was eventually assigned to a team and deployed to the front lines against the Mist ninja.
However, the situation there was a stalemate. Every day, injured or dead comrades were brought back to camp.
After experiencing several battles, fear began to take root in Chizuki's heart. He didn't want to live in constant terror like this.
Finally, one day, he made a decision—
He would become a deserter.
Sneaking away, Chizuki was quickly pursued by his team leader and teammates. But during the chase, they accidentally stumbled into a Mist ninja supply camp.
Discovered, they were forced into a desperate battle.
To ensure that this Konoha prodigy could escape—and to send back crucial intelligence—his team leader and two teammates all died in combat.
Chizuki himself managed to flee for two kilometers before being killed by Mist ninja… at which point Aki's soul took over his body.
"Wow… brother, you were actually a deserter?"
Chizuki rubbed his shoulder and muttered to himself.
"But I guess I can't blame you. This body is only five years old. No matter how talented, you're still just a child inside. But since I've taken over your body…"
"I'll avenge your parents for you."
"Ding—"
The sudden sound instantly put Chizuki on guard.
Still not fully recovered, he immediately assumed a combat stance—the instinctive posture stored in his memories. He minimized openings and prepared to counterattack.
After all, he wasn't far from the Mist ninja supply camp. There could be patrols nearby at any moment.
But the voice that followed—
filled him with overwhelming joy.