Year 61 of Hidden Leaf Village.
Above a forest of bones, a soul quietly arrived. After a brief sigh, it began examining the frozen figure standing atop the bone forest.
Kimimaro—Orochimaru's die-hard follower, someone who gave everything for him.
"System, let's begin."
[Understood, host. A suitable body has been detected. Begin possession?]
"Yes."
Upon confirming, the soul flew into Kimimaro's body.
[Possessing… 1%, 2%, 3%…]
The soul's original name was Rorin. He was a transmigrator, but unlike others before him, he hadn't been randomly reborn upon entering the Naruto world. Instead, he existed as a soul, free to choose his own vessel.
Although he had a system from the moment he arrived, as a mere soul, the only help it could provide was possession. Everything else had to wait until he gained a physical body.
After drifting through the shinobi world for two months, Rorin had been searching for the best possible body. When he first arrived, he regretted the timing—if only he had come when Senju Hashirama died, he could've possessed him directly and skyrocketed to the top.
But a soul had to face reality. The system didn't allow time travel.
Originally, Rorin's target had been Uchiha Itachi.
One glance could drop enemies in droves, and summoning Susanoo—wasn't that perfect? Not to mention Itachi's arsenal: Yata Mirror, Totsuka Blade, Yasaka Magatama—absolute top-tier gear.
Unfortunately, Itachi wouldn't die for another three years. Meanwhile, Rorin's soul had already begun to destabilize, showing signs of particle dissipation. By his estimate, he could last at most another month.
There was no time left. He didn't want to end before even starting. After finally reaching the Naruto world, how could he treat it like a one-day April trip? And if his soul disappeared, he had no idea whether he could return to his original world.
So he had no choice but to activate his backup plan—Kimimaro.
As for why Kimimaro?
Two reasons.
First, his potential. Even that obsessive scientist Orochimaru coveted his body.
Second… Rorin cared about appearances.
And Kimimaro? Yeah… definitely good-looking.
[98%, 99%, 100%! Ding! Possession successful.]
With a pleasant chime, Rorin finally took over the body. However, due to the bloodline disease, his condition was absolutely terrible.
After fully absorbing Kimimaro's memories, Rorin gained complete control over his chakra usage, ninjutsu, and taijutsu.
With a thought, he connected to the system.
"System, time to hand over the beginner gift pack."
[Ding! Distributing beginner gift pack…]
[Life-Extension Pill ×1]
[Life-Extension Pill: Extends lifespan by four months]
???
"That's it?" Rorin stared in disbelief. If his life weren't hanging by a thread, he'd already be cursing loudly. A beginner gift pack with just one life-extension pill? Sure, it was exactly what he needed right now—but wasn't this system way too stingy? He was starting to suspect he'd bound himself to some knockoff version.
[Answer: yes. This system distributes rewards based on the host's most urgent needs. Furthermore, providing excessive assistance would be an insult to the host. With your talent, surely you'd prefer to earn everything yourself and make your shinobi life meaningful, correct?]
Rorin's mouth twitched. In the end… he really had to carry everything himself.
He swallowed the Life-Extension Pill. A warm current flowed through his body, reviving it like rain after a long drought. After a while, he could finally move normally again. He immediately dispelled the Dance of the Seedling Fern, causing the vast bone forest to vanish, and deactivated Curse Mark Level Two, returning to the ground.
Looking down at his chest, the glaring Earth Curse Mark made him uneasy.
This was a hidden danger.
Left with no choice, he called out again,
"System, how do I deal with this curse mark? It's basically Orochimaru's spare key—he might come back to 'reclaim the property' someday. And if Kabuto uses Edo Tensei on Kimimaro later, will that affect me? Help me fix this."
[No problem, host. I will resolve it immediately. Additionally, to ensure your uniqueness, I will erase all memories of Kimimaro from others. From this moment on, the story of this body will be written by you alone.]
Rorin couldn't help but feel delighted. Didn't that mean Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan had never existed in this world?
[World revision in progress… complete.]
...
Inside Orochimaru's base.
Wrapped in bandages, Orochimaru suddenly felt as if he had lost something important—but the feeling passed quickly, and he didn't dwell on it. His thoughts soon returned to Sasuke, his exposed eye gleaming with greed.
...
Rorin looked at his body again. The Earth Curse Mark on his chest was gone. Although his combat strength had dropped, it was nothing compared to the drawbacks it had carried.
Just then, he sensed movement to his left. Turning his head, he saw two figures emerging.
One had a bowl cut, thick eyebrows, and bright eyes. The other had dark circles and the kanji for "love" etched on his forehead.
Rock Lee and Gaara.
The two stared at Rorin warily. Gaara spoke slowly,
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
In their memories, they were currently traveling together, hoping to help Naruto bring Sasuke back to Hidden Leaf Village. But the boy before them made both of them tense—they couldn't tell if he was friend or foe.
Seeing their guarded, questioning gazes, Rorin felt reassured. It seemed all memories of Kimimaro were truly gone.
He waved at them and smiled.
"Hello, I'm just passing through."
Rock Lee and Gaara didn't lower their guard.
Passing through? Could he be an enemy?
After all, Rorin's outfit looked far too similar to that of the Sound Four.
"Are you with the people who took Sasuke?" Rock Lee asked.
Hm?
Noticing their eyes on his clothing, Rorin inwardly cursed.
Damn. Forgot to change skins.
But he couldn't let them notice anything now. Putting on a puzzled expression, he said,
"Sasuke? Who's that?"
Seeing his reaction, Rock Lee and Gaara relaxed slightly. Gaara asked calmly,
"Can you tell us where you're headed?"
Rorin shrugged, still smiling. "Hidden Leaf Village."
Then he looked at Rock Lee and asked knowingly,
"You're a ninja from Hidden Leaf Village, right?"
Rock Lee nodded slightly, loosening his clenched fists a bit. It seemed this person wasn't their enemy. After all, they all knew Sasuke had already defected—someone heading to Hidden Leaf Village probably had nothing to do with him.
Suddenly, Rock Lee seemed to recall something and blurted out:
"Right! Did you see two boys here just now? One with blond hair, the other with black hair. Oh, and they were both wearing Hidden Leaf headbands—about this tall."
As he spoke, he used his hands to indicate Naruto and Sasuke's heights.
Rorin pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head.
"Sorry, I don't remember."
Rock Lee and Gaara exchanged a glance. They had followed the marks left by Shikamaru to reach this place, but now the trail had gone cold. Naruto hadn't left any markers.
An awkward silence fell over the three.
Finally, Rorin broke it.
"Could I trouble you to take me to Hidden Leaf Village? It's a bit embarrassing, but… I seem to have gotten lost."
"Ah… oh, sure."
Rock Lee agreed.
With the trail already gone, staying here would only waste time. It was better to return to the village and wait for news. Still, Rock Lee felt a bit frustrated.
Had they… arrived too late?