"Hiruzen, hand Hanekawa over to me!"
Shimura Danzo's face was stern, cutting straight to the point. "He's too dangerous! He might be a spy from Kumogakure!"
"He's not."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe lightly, his tone indifferent.
"Have you forgotten the incident with Kushina's kidnapping by Kumo?"
Danzo snorted coldly, pressing further. "Hanekawa was an orphan taken in by Yakushi Nono. He should have joined Root from the start."
"Are you telling me how to do my job?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let me remind you—the orphanage belongs to Konoha, not to Root."
Danzo's face darkened with frustration. "Hiruzen, you—"
"Are you going to say I'll regret this?"
Hiruzen cut him off. "I won't."
Danzo's words caught in his throat, his entire speech system thrown into chaos.
Damn you, Hiruzen! Was this part of your plan all along?Should I congratulate you for stealing my lines? Those were supposed to be mine!
He wanted to shout, "I am the Hokage!"—but he couldn't.
BANG!
Danzo stormed out in a rage, slamming the door behind him.
After a few steps, he suddenly turned back and hissed, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Finally getting the last word in, his mood improved slightly.
"..."
Hiruzen stared at the empty doorway, shaking his head with a sigh.
This is how it is with the Hokage's advisor—all they do is talk back. But as Hokage, I have to consider so much more.
"Ame, call someone to replace the door. Bill it to Danzo's account."
Hiruzen lowered his gaze to the file on his desk.
[ Hanekawa Satoru.
Male, six years old. War orphan. Taken in by Yakushi Nono.
During a routine mental inspection by the Yamanaka clan, he had exhibited terrifyingly strong spiritual energy.
Further investigation revealed it wasn't due to any pre-planted spy jutsu—just an anomaly in his mental power.
Without any training, his spiritual energy was several times stronger than his peers.]
"He can't stay at the orphanage."
Hiruzen pondered for a moment.
Yin Release represented spiritual energy—like the secret techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans, or the Sharingan.
But clan secrets were never shared with outsiders.
Unless the shinobi in question was a civilian.
"Yuuhi Shinku..."
The name crossed Hiruzen's mind.
Yuuhi Shinku, a jonin specializing in genjutsu, was also an instructor for chunin and genin. A perfect fit.
---
Hanekawa Satoru's eyes snapped open.
His entire body ached—as if he'd hit the jackpot or been roughed up by a dozen cougars.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, he glanced around in confusion.
Where the hell am I? This isn't my room.
Where are my Tohsaka Rin, Serestia, Tsunade, and Tifa figures?!
As his mind swam in disorientation, something forcefully intruded—flashes of memories surged through him.
He had transmigrated. Or rather, awakened memories of his past life.
Good news: He was in Konoha.
Having watched Naruto, Satoru knew that in the chaotic shinobi world, Konoha was relatively safe.
If he kept his head down and waited for the plot-armored duo Naruto and Sasuke to save the world, he might just survive till the end.
Bad news: He was a spy from Kumogakure.
Born in Kumo, he had been selected for his sharp mind and sent to Konoha to gather intelligence.
But his first hurdle had come quickly—the Yamanaka clan's interrogation.
In Konoha, the Yamanaka could make corpses talk, let alone a living person.
Yet during the inspection, he had blacked out.
The thought made Satoru break out in a cold sweat.
Was I exposed?
The fate of a double agent... well, Infernal Affairs already covered that.
Just then, lines of text appeared in his vision.
[System loading...]
[You have activated the Ninja Trait System.]
[Fulfill specific conditions to unlock corresponding traits. Certain special traits can be synthesized into higher-tier ones.]
[Traits are ranked E, D, C, B, A, and S. There are three categories: Ninjutsu, Tools, and Innate Abilities.]
"Huh?"
Satoru's eyes widened.
My cheat is here?!
As a shinobi with no bloodline, no secret techniques, and no clan backing, survival in this world was nearly impossible.
But now, there was hope. The thought made him hum softly in relief.
Inspecting the system, he found it simple—just a trait panel displaying his current abilities.
[A-Rank Innate Trait: Sleeper Agent]
[Activation Condition: Newcomer Gift]
[Effect: When probed, your memories will be falsified.]
[Note: Cannot be synthesized.]
Nice.
A classic starter pack.
Satoru exhaled in relief. At least he didn't have to worry about the Yamanaka anymore.
[C-Rank Innate Trait: Full Soul]
[Activation Condition: Fusion of Two Lifetimes' Souls]
[Effect: Yin Release aptitude increased by 100%.]
[Note: Cannot be synthesized.]
Why Full Soul and not Blue Silver... wait, no—Wood Release?
Satoru fell silent.
Yin Release is tricky.
No Sharingan, no Yamanaka or Nara bloodline—was he supposed to learn genjutsu?
But genjutsu specialists... well, let's just say their track record wasn't great.
Yuuhi Kurenai trained in genjutsu her whole life, and what did it get her? An Uchiha could outperform her just by opening their eyes.
At this point, he might as well eat first.
A sharp pang of hunger hit him.
Then, his face twisted with regret.
"Damn it! My holy sword!"
He remembered the night before transmigrating—staying up late, grinding the duel arena, spamming emotes. Then, in the blink of an eye, a whole lifetime had passed.
He had no idea what happened to his past self. If he'd been reported missing, his phone would've been hacked open by now.
Just the thought made his face burn with embarrassment.
The sound of a door opening snapped him back to reality.
Instinctively, he looked up and saw a girl stepping inside.
"Girl" wasn't quite accurate—she was more like a delicate, doll-like little loli.
What stood out most were her eyes, gleaming like rubies.
Satoru couldn't help but frown in confusion.
Who is this?
Where the hell am I?
Definitely not an orphanage. He knew all the kids there.
But that was a good thing.
The orphanage's caretaker, Yakushi Nono, was one of Shimura Danzo's subordinates.
If the Shadow Hokage set his sights on you, you'd be force-fed the Will of Root, doomed to be broken beyond repair.
"You're awake?"
The girl smiled warmly. "I'm Yuuhi Kurenai."
"Hanekawa Satoru."
Seeing the adorable loli's cheerful expression, Satoru relaxed slightly.
Wait... Yuuhi Kurenai?
In the original story, she married Sarutobi Asuma and eventually became a widow.
"Can you walk?"
Kurenai paused, then added, "I'll take you to see my father. He'll explain everything."
"Yeah, I can walk."
Satoru got out of bed, silently analyzing the situation.
Yuuhi Kurenai's father is Yuuhi Shinku.
So, does that mean his name is Yuuhi Super Red?
The name sounded a bit slapdash, but at least he wasn't under Danzo's command.
As a genjutsu-specialized jonin, the only one who could give him orders was likely the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The reason it wasn't Namikaze Minato? Kurenai was too young—the Fourth Hokage probably hadn't even taken office yet.
Hiruzen had his controversies, but he had dedicated his life to Konoha.
Compared to Danzo, he was practically a saint—at least he wouldn't slap a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on your most private body parts.
---
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