Konohagakure, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slightly parted his lips, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
Opposite him stood a ninja dressed in the typical attire of the Anbu, holding the hand of a small child.
It was precisely this child that made the well-experienced Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi reveal such a rare expression.
The child looked to be about three or four years old, short in stature, with skinny arms poking out from his sleeves. His black hair hung messily over his shoulders, and his dark eyes were mostly hidden beneath his bangs, making it difficult to read his expression.
Such a child, who seemed no different from any other in the shinobi world, logically shouldn't have warranted attention from someone of the Hokage's level.
And yet, not only had he drawn the attention of the Hokage, but also of another high-ranking figure whose status was second only to his.
"Bang."
With a muffled thud, the door to the Hokage's office was violently pushed open. A cold, harsh voice followed.
"Hiruzen, what's so urgent that you had to—"
The voice abruptly stopped as Shimura Danzo narrowed his lone eye to examine the Anbu-clad ninja.
"Dōtora? Weren't you on a mission in Kirigakure? Why are you back so soon?"
As the head of the Anbu Training Division, Danzo naturally recognized the ninja before him, even if he was under the Hokage's command.
"Danzo-sama." Dōtora nodded politely, then shifted his gaze toward Hiruzen.
"Hmm. Tell him, Dōtora."
The moment Danzo entered, Hiruzen had already resumed his usual calm, professional demeanor. As Dōtora looked over, Hiruzen even pulled out his tobacco pipe.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. The truth is, Danzo-sama..."
Only after receiving Hiruzen's approval did Dōtora begin to recount everything that had happened to him in Kirigakure.
But what he described was truly beyond belief.
"What did you just say?!"
When he finished, Danzo was utterly stunned.
"You're saying this little brat is my son?!"
The usual calm and reserved Danzo was nowhere to be seen. He thrust out his bandaged right arm, pointing in disbelief at the child holding Dōtora's hand.
"Y-Yes, that's right..." Dōtora braced himself and answered.
"That's bullshit! When did I ever—"
Danzo had completely thrown his image out the window, even cursing aloud to defend his innocence.
However, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Everyone watched as Danzo silently withdrew his hand, eyes locked on the small child cowering behind Dōtora's leg in fear.
His expression shifted constantly.
"...Hah."
Just as everyone stood frozen, unsure of what to do next, Danzo let out a long sigh. His gaze softened, and his tone lost its former harshness.
"That thing... where is it?"
His words came out of nowhere and were utterly baffling. But Dōtora seemed prepared. He immediately pulled a kunai from his inner coat and handed it to Danzo.
"This is something the child always carried on him, so..."
As he handed it over, Dōtora also explained its origin.
"Hmm..."
Danzo gave only a slight grunt, then silently stared at the kunai in his hand.
"Ahem. You two can go for now. Dōtora, take the child and stroll around the village for a bit. Oh, and lose the gear first."
Hiruzen gave a reminder—after all, an Anbu walking around the village with a child would attract too much attention.
"Yes."
Dōtora acknowledged and led the child out of the Hokage's office.
...
After weaving through several hallways, the two arrived at what looked like a changing room, where several Anbu were in the process of removing their gear.
"Ah, senpai, you're back! Long time no see."
A few Anbu greeted Dōtora warmly.
"Yeah, it's been a while."
Dōtora replied to each of them and led the child to a long corridor where a few benches were lined up.
"Takeshi, wait for me here. I'll be back after I change."
After settling the boy on a bench and getting a nod in return, Dōtora quickly entered the changing room.
"...Whew, damn, that scared the hell out of me."
Now that Dōtora was gone and the corridor was empty—at least visibly—Takeshi finally let out a long breath, his face filled with lingering fear.
Takeshi wasn't a person of the shinobi world in the traditional sense. His soul had come from Earth, and whether by fortune or fate, the moment he closed his eyes and reopened them, he found himself in a new world—as a newborn baby.
As time passed and he slowly learned about the world around him, he was shocked to discover that he had been reborn into the world of Naruto.
Wasn't that just peachy?
Taking stock of what he had: a leaky, tiny house; a sickly mother; and a missing father. Takeshi felt utterly screwed.
This was the world of Naruto—but to become a ninja was the bare minimum.
And the anime had ended years ago. Aside from remembering that Naruto eventually brought Sasuke back and sealed the Ōtsutsuki, most of the story was a vague blur in his mind.
System. System?! Come out and save me!
Unfortunately, no matter how hard Takeshi tried, no system ever appeared.
It seemed he had no choice but to accept reality—to live out his life as a civilian. At least, he thought, being born in the Land of Water meant he wouldn't be caught up in the chaos of the Bloody Mist as long as he stayed out of the ninja world.
That's what he believed.
Until, when he turned three, his mother—on her deathbed from years of illness—told him two things:
First, she came from the Ice Release clan and had hidden herself due to reasons everyone in the world knew.
Second, his father wasn't dead. He was a ninja from Konoha named Danzo—and she had kept his token all these years.
"Mom, you—"
Takeshi was utterly dumbfounded.
Good grief!
Just one of those identities was enough to get him killed in the Land of Water. But both?!
He was done for. There was no washing his hands of this.
Looking at the kunai and the training scroll his mother left him, Takeshi felt both grief and helplessness.
He wanted to honor her... and protect himself.
...
"Did I keep you waiting?"
A familiar voice broke Takeshi from his memories. He looked up to see a somewhat familiar face in front of him.
"Not too long."
Takeshi looked at the man's silver hair, a nagging feeling tugging at his mind—as if he was missing something important.
"Good. Let's go."
Smiling gently, Dōtora extended his hand and naturally took Takeshi's.
"By the way, don't use my code name while we're in the village. Just call me Sakumo-san. My son's about the same age as you."
As they walked, Sakumo explained to him.
"Alright, Sakumo-san."
Takeshi obediently nodded.