There was no light, no sound, no warmth.
Just a single thought echoing through the void.
"Is this death?"
That question lingered until a second one followed.
"Then why am I thinking?"
A faint sensation began to return—dull pressure against the skin, the slow rhythm of breathing, the pounding of a heart that wasn't supposed to beat anymore.
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling was wooden. The walls were cracked. The air smelled faintly of dust and dampness.
And his body—too light.
He sat up slowly, arms trembling under the weight of confusion.
There was a mirror across the room—scratched, cloudy, but still usable.
He stood and walked toward it, legs shaking. Each step confirmed what he already suspected.
The face that looked back at him wasn't his.
Blonde hair. Green eyes. A child, maybe six years old. Pale skin, thin arms, eyes too calm for someone that age.
He raised a hand. The reflection did the same.
"This is real."
The door creaked open behind him. A woman stepped in—old, tired, wearing a simple robe. She said something in Japanese that he somehow understood perfectly.
"Breakfast is ready, Shinra."
"…" Shinra stared blankly at her for more than a minute.
"Shinra, are you alright?" the old woman asked.
Shinra's mind was working hard, trying to process the sudden information dump that had just hit him.
"Yeah, I just woke up. I'll be there in a minute."
With that, Shinra walked off to the bathroom to wash his face.
Staring at the modern toilet that didn't match the aged feel of the house, Shinra thought, 'I really did get transmigrated into the Naruto world. My parents seem to have died in Kurama's rampage, and that woman must be my grandma who adopted me.'
'All things considered, it could be worse. Tomorrow's the academy entrance exam… I really need to feel my chakra if I want to pass.'
He splashed his face with cold water, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged on the toilet seat.
As his eyes shut, his senses sharpened. The noise faded into silence.
Little by little, he began to hear a rhythmic beat.
Lub… Dub…
Lub… Dub…
Amidst the steady thrum, he noticed another sound—faint, flowing, like a stream. Focusing on it, he felt it.
A blue current, flowing within him.
'Success! That was really easier than I thought.'
A smile crept onto his face.
He stood and made his way to the living room, where his grandma sat peeling an apple.
"You sure took your time. Are you sure you're alright, Shinra?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.
Shinra smiled awkwardly.
"I really am fine. Probably that milk I drank yesterday."
His grandma sighed and gestured for him to sit across from her. He did.
"How do you feel about your upcoming exam?" she asked, placing the peeled apple beside his bread.
"It's going to be a piece of cake! After all, I'm Kamikaze Shinra!"
He pointed to himself with a smug grin as he stuffed his face with food.
'This boy really was an annoying little shit. He didn't train, didn't work, yet believed everything would go his way.'
Shinra sighed inwardly, keeping up the act.
"I really hope so," she said, smiling with a tone that didn't quite match it.
After finishing breakfast, he threw on his shoes and headed out.
"Grandma! I'm heading out to play!" he shouted as he stepped outside.
'It's time to train.'
His face shifted from playful to focused in an instant.
'I could live as a civilian and let the plot play out. But if there's even a slim chance I can reach the peak… I have to try.'
He walked to a familiar spot from his memories—an empty forest clearing.
He stretched, loosening his muscles. Then, he began running—evading trees, pushing himself to his limit.
Nearly five kilometers.
Something no child could have done back in his old world.
'Sure enough, chakra greatly enhances physical capabilities.'
He followed up with push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.
Four sets, twelve reps each.
Enough to stimulate growth—
but not enough to leave his body sore before tomorrow's exam.
After finishing, Shinra took a boxer's stance and closed his eyes.
Darkness.
From within that darkness, a shadowy figure emerged—shaped like him, moving like him.
They both took identical southpaw poses.
Then, the figure attacked.
Quick jabs, as the shadow closed the distance swiftly.
Shinra kept dodged and countering with his own jabs, and finally landed an uppercut that sent the shadow scattering.
'As expected. I can't shadow fight myself. I know the flaws in every move. If I want to improve, I need someone who excels in taijutsu.'
A green tracksuit and bowl haircut appeared in his mind—but he shook it off.
"We need similar physical stats. If I spar with him, I might not even see him move."
The Kurama attack was a year ago.
He was six now.
That made him five years older than Naruto.
Guy would be around fifteen or sixteen.
Realizing the sun was setting, Shinra made his way home, greeted his grandma, and sat cross-legged on his bed. He pulled out a few leaves he'd picked in the forest.
'If I remember right, there are three chakra control exercises: leaf concentration, tree climbing, and water walking.'
'I sensed chakra today. Now I need to control it to hit the lowest level of a ninja. Genin are taught tree climbing and water walking… so this leaf thing should be safe to start early.'
He focused again.
This time, the connection was easier.
He guided the chakra into his hand to start—better a mistake there than somewhere more vital.
At first, it resisted—thick and sluggish.
But the more he focused, the more it gave way.
When he opened his eyes, he was pale and drenched in sweat.
"I guess the more I train it, the easier it gets. But I shouldn't push myself today—I need to be in top form for tomorrow."
He collapsed onto the bed, not noticing the old woman at the doorway.
She stood there quietly, a soft smile on her face.