In the 16th year of the Konoha calendar, the First Shinobi World War had just ended.
The entire ninja world was in a state of devastation.
The arrival of a new wave of refugees brought both joy and worry to Konoha's leadership.
The good news was that, after the war, Konoha Village's population had plummeted, leaving a significant labor shortage and a critical need for fresh blood.
The children, in particular, might offer some promising talents.
If they were nurtured from a young age, their loyalty to the village could be guaranteed.
The worry was that among these refugees there would inevitably be spies from other countries.
This was unavoidable.
However, Konoha Village had its own methods for identifying spies.
They would focus on training those with immature minds, assigning those adults to hard labor and keeping them under strict surveillance during the initial stages to prevent them from coming into contact with the village's core.
At the gates of Konoha Village, three or five ninja were questioning the refugees.
While they were questioning, they were actually just casual inquiries about their origins, names, and ages.
Among the refugees was a little boy who looked only five or six years old. His face was sallow and thin, and he looked malnourished.
But his dark eyes were exceptionally bright, unlike those of the other refugees.
There was no confusion, no pain, no numbness... Instead, it felt a bit like... like...excitement, anticipation, thrill, nervousness...
Mo Yu clenched his fists as he gazed at the majestic gates of Konoha.
"Konoha, we're finally here!"
The exhaustion and fatigue of two months of perilous travel vanished in that moment.
Mo Yu wasn't originally from this world, but had accidentally traveled here from Earth two months ago.
Upon learning that this was the world of "Naruto," Mo Yu was thrilled.
It was one of his favorite anime.
He had longed for the powerful bloodline limits and ninjutsu.
But his excitement soon gave way to fear and panic.
It was a mess.
Dead bodies, bandits, and robbers were everywhere.
Mo Yu, who had never even killed a chicken in his life, had his worldview completely overturned after arriving in this world.
He finally realized that this wasn't a peaceful and prosperous world, but a chaotic one where life was worthless!
A single careless move could cost him his life.
Fortunately, he encountered this group of refugees. Upon learning they were headed for Konoha Village, Mo Yu joined them without hesitation.
Mo Yu knew that if there was any safe place in the world, it must be within the five great nations and five great ninja villages.
Konoha Village was the best choice.
Every day, he ate wild fruits and vegetables when hungry, and drank mountain spring water when thirsty.
After two months of trekking, he finally arrived in Konoha.
"Xiao Yu," said a child standing next to Mo Yu, a head taller than him, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a simple-looking face.
He was both nervous and excited. "Do you think we can enter Konoha's ninja academy and become ninja masters?"
Mo Yu replied uncertainly, "I think so. By the way, Ichiraku, didn't you say you didn't want to be a ninja and fight and kill? Why did you change your mind?"
The child was called Ichiraku, a little over ten years old, four years older than Mo Yu.
And like Mo Yu, his family had perished in the war, leaving him orphaned.
Because of this commonality, the two quickly became close friends over the past two weeks, sharing everything.
When Mo Yu first heard the name, he wondered if it was the Ichiraku from Ichiraku Ramen. But as they got to know each other better, he was almost certain.
Of course, it wasn't just the name; there were countless people with the same name. He assumed the Ichiraku in front of him was the "famous" anime character because...
Ichiraku scratched his head, chuckling. "I don't want to be a ninja, but I think you, Xiaoyu, could be one. You're so smart, you'll definitely become one.
My biggest wish right now is to open a ramen shop and pass on my father's craft."Mo Yu joked, "Okay, you'll be the ramen shop owner, and I'll be the ninja. I'll protect you from now on."
Ichiraku patted his chest and said, "Well, it's a deal. I'll take care of your ramen for the rest of your life."
The rest of the story went much more smoothly than Mo Yu could have imagined.
After questioning and entering Konoha,
Mo Yu and Ichiraku were sent to an orphanage because of their orphan status.
There were a dozen other children in the orphanage, all orphans of the war.
For the next few days, Mo Yu and the other dozen orphans essentially ate and slept.
Their meals weren't particularly sumptuous, but they were enough to fill their stomachs, far better than eating wild fruits.
This went on for half a month, and just when Mo Yu was about to think Konoha was trying to raise them like pigs, a Konoha ninja arrived at the orphanage.
Konoha looked at the dozen or so children before him with a cold, unsmiling expression. "Those under ten, go to the left. Those over ten, stand to the right."
Suddenly, a dozen children started moving.
Mo Yu stood on the left, with five or six others like him.
The remaining ten or so, including Ichiraku, stood on the right.
Seeing their obedience, the Konoha ninja nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Mo Yu and said, "Starting tomorrow, you will attend the Ninja Academy."
Then, he turned to the right and said, "Each of you come over and tell me about your interests, hobbies, and specialties. Someone in the village will train you to master a craft."
The children on the right began to approach the Konoha ninja, sharing their specialties and interests.
Finally, it was Ichiraku's turn.
"I... I can make ramen. I learned it from my dad. It's really delicious."
The Konoha ninja looked up at Ichiraku, surprised to see someone offering a "skilled apprenticeship." He nodded, circled Ichiraku's name in his notebook, and paid special attention.
At that moment, a small hand rose from the children on the left.
A little boy, slightly younger than Mo Yu, timidly asked, "Sir, can I choose not to go to Ninja School? I also want to learn a craft."
The Konoha ninja remained expressionless and replied, "Sure, you can go to the right too. If anyone else doesn't want to go, you can join us."
Two more children stepped forward and went to the right.
Now, there were only three children left on the left, including Mo Yu.
Mo Yu was initially surprised, unable to understand why anyone wouldn't want to become a ninja, but he quickly understood.
Now that the war had just ended, being a ninja wasn't just about strength.
It also represented bloodshed, ruthlessness, and a disproportionately high mortality rate.
Not everyone wanted to fight and kill.
Mastering a craft and living a simple life was what most people wanted.
Mo Yu asked himself, if he weren't a time traveler with such a strong desire to become a ninja, he'd probably choose to be an ordinary person.
Thinking of this, Mo Yu couldn't help but admire the two children beside him who had also chosen to become ninjas, and he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye.
One was a cold, silver-haired boy who looked unapproachable.
The other was a cute, black-haired girl with a ponytail. Her expression was dazed, as if she hadn't woken up yet, as if she was daydreaming.
As if noticing Mo Yu's gaze, the girl glanced over, then, like a frightened deer, she shyly lowered her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Mo Yu's mouth twitched.
How could someone with that personality have the courage to choose to be a ninja? Wait, could she have been distracted and not heard anything?
(End Of This Chapter)