It was already late into the night, and a slight breeze blew alongside the light rain. The wind from the spring shower drifted through the window, where a twelve-year-old boy looked out with a cold expression.
The boy was dressed in worn-out clothes. He had short, jet-black hair and a pair of sinister, pitch-black pupils. His pale skin clung tightly to his frame, revealing a lack of sufficient flesh.
"Well, shit."
Jiang Hai gave a bitter laugh. Everything had happened so quickly. An hour ago, back on Earth, he had been preparing a meal for himself. Then, he was unexpectedly transferred to an unfamiliar land and forced to massacre thousands to survive. Now, his soul had transmigrated into the Naruto universe without a say in the matter.
"Everything feels like a dream." Jiang Hai slowly closed his eyes, opening them after a long moment. However, he knew clearly that this was no dream, but a harsh reality.
"This situation, I must think through..." Jiang Hai calmed his emotions and began pondering the future, but his gaze unavoidably fell on his skeletal limbs, making him frown deeply.
'I am starving, but it can wait. There are more important things to take care of first.' Jiang Hai mentally summoned the light screen.
***
Inheritor: Jiang Hai (Alive)
Inheritor Status: #10 (Alive)
Fortune Points: 2372
Chakra Control: High Tier
Mysterious Skills: Chakra Refining
Receive Basic Guide and fuse soul memories? [Yes] / [No]
***
'Receive.'
The instant Jiang Hai confirmed, a dazzling ray of silver light manifested and infiltrated his skull. His mind went completely blank as a flood of information rushed into his consciousness and a foreign soul merged with his own. After two full hours, the silver light had completely fused with him.
Jiang Hai snapped out of his trance, a light of awareness glimmering in his abyssal eyes.
'The owner of this body was named Gin Yagami. Both of his parents were killed just a month ago by local thugs who were in a bad mood. His mother was raped and his father was chopped up and thrown into the gutter right before the boy's eyes. This child was fortunately spared. The cruelty of human nature is surely more evident in places like this, but as long as it doesn't cause me problems, I couldn't care less.'
Jiang Hai felt a pang of pity for the boy, but that was it. He had no intention of seeking revenge. Was there any benefit in it? Absolutely none.
'From the boy's memories, I am currently in the Hidden Rain Village, and the Third Great Ninja War is ongoing. Just my luck to be born in this shithole. The living conditions here are horrible.' He sighed bitterly.
'If it were just that, it wouldn't be much of an issue. But I have something bigger to worry about: the remaining nine inheritors.' Thinking of this, Jiang Hai's gaze turned colder as a dense killing intent emerged. He wanted nothing more than to eliminate them this very instant.
'I watched the Naruto series nearly four years ago. I've forgotten a lot, and I wasn't a die-hard follower to begin with, but I'm familiar with the major events. Now, because of these nine variables, everything has changed. Who knows if they've watched the series? And even if they have, what are the chances they won't interfere? Ten foreign souls in this world is a massive deviation. Even if it were just me, my actions would cause a butterfly effect. Without absolute knowledge, problems are bound to arise. The stronger I grow, the greater the impact on the timeline. How troublesome!'
The other inheritors were both a curse and a blessing. They were a curse because they would derail the story and try to kill him, but they were a blessing because of the information on the light screen: killing another inheritor granted a massive amount of Fortune Points and the victim's mysterious skills.
"They are a double-edged sword," Jiang Hai muttered. "If I am not careful, I'll fail. And failure in the ninja world means death."
*'Enough. I have wasted too much time already. It's time to birth chakra!' Jiang Hai focused on the task ahead, taking several calming breaths before beginning the process of refining his chakra as detailed in the Basic Guide. The first step of his plan was to gain access to chakra, the most basic form of protection he could rely on.
After all, in this world, strength was the only thing that mattered.