Year 16 of the Konoha Calendar.
At this time, the First Shinobi World War had just ended not long ago.
The entire Shinobi world was in a state of disrepair, waiting for reconstruction.
The arrival of a new batch of refugees brought mixed feelings to Konoha's high-ranking officials.
The good news was that, with the war having just ended, Konoha's population had drastically decreased, leaving a significant labor shortage. They needed fresh blood.
Especially the children, there may be some talented individuals among them.
As long as they could be nurtured from a young age, their loyalty to the village could also be ensured.
The downside was that among these refugees, there were bound to be spies from other countries.
This was unavoidable.
However, Konoha had its methods for identifying spies.
They would focus on training the children whose minds were still immature, while the adults were sent to do hard labor. They would also be strictly monitored during the early stages, ensuring they had no access to the core of the village.
At the gate of Konoha, three to five ninjas were interrogating the refugees.
It was called an interrogation, but in reality, it was just a casual inquiry about their origins, names, ages, and so on.
Among the group of refugees, there was a young boy who looked only five or six years old. He was pale and thin, with the appearance of malnutrition.
However, his pitch-black eyes were unusually bright, standing out from the other refugees.
There was no confusion, no pain, no numbness… Instead, it seemed like… like…
Excitement, anticipation, eagerness, nervousness…
Looking at the magnificent gates of Konoha, Mo Yu clenched his fists.
"Konoha, we've finally arrived!"
The exhaustion and hardships of traveling for two months, risking danger, all vanished in an instant.
Mo Yu wasn't originally from this world. Two months ago, he accidentally traveled here from Earth.
When he realized this was the world of Naruto, Mo Yu was thrilled for a long time.
This was one of his favorite anime.
The powerful Kekkei Genkai and ninjutsu were things Mo Yu had longed for.
But soon, his excitement was replaced with fear and anxiety.
It was too chaotic.
Everywhere he looked, there were corpses, robbers, and bandits.
Mo Yu, who had never even killed a chicken in his life, found his world turned upside down after coming to this one.
He finally realized that this wasn't a time of peace, but rather a chaotic world where human life was worthless!
One wrong move, and you could lose your life.
Fortunately, he had encountered this group of refugees. After learning that they were heading to Konoha Village, Mo Yu immediately decided to join them.
Mo Yu knew that if there was any safe place in this world, it would be within the Five Great Shinobi Countries and their Five Great Villages.
Konoha Village was the best choice.
Eating wild fruits and vegetables when hungry, drinking from mountain springs when thirsty.
After two months of hard travel, they finally reached Konoha.
"Mo Yu ."
Next to Mo Yu was a child about a head taller than him, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a simple and honest face.
At this moment, he was both nervous and excited, saying, "Do you think we can enter Konoha's Ninja Academy and become ninjas?"
Mo Yu replied uncertainly, "I think so. By the way, Ichiraku, didn't you say you didn't want to become a ninja and kill people? Why did you change your mind?"
The boy's name was Ichiraku. He was around 10 years old, four years older than Mo Yu.
Like Mo Yu, Ichiraku had lost his family during the war and became an orphan.
Because of this shared experience, the two quickly became good friends over the past half-month.
When Mo Yu first heard the name "Ichiraku," he suspected that he was the same Ichiraku from the ramen shop, and after getting to know him, he almost confirmed it.
Of course, it wasn't just because of the name—there were many people with the same name in the world—but Mo Yu felt sure this Ichiraku was the one from the anime because…
Ichiraku scratched his head and chuckled, "I didn't want to become a ninja, but I think you can make it, Mo Yu . You're so smart, you'll become a ninja. My biggest wish now is to open a ramen shop and pass on my dad's cooking skills."
Mo Yu joked, "Alright, you'll be the ramen shop owner, and I'll be the ninja. In the future, I'll look out for you."
Ichiraku slapped his chest and said, "Deal. I'll cover all your ramen for the rest of your life."
The following events went smoothly beyond Mo Yu's expectations.
After being interrogated, they entered Konoha.
Because they were orphans, Mo Yu and Ichiraku were sent to an orphanage.
There were about a dozen other children in the orphanage, all of them war orphans like them.
In the days that followed, the children mostly ate and slept, ate and slept.
The three meals weren't luxurious, but they were enough to fill their stomachs, much better than eating wild fruits.
This continued for half a month. Just as Mo Yu was starting to think that Konoha intended to treat them like pigs, a Konoha ninja arrived at the orphanage.
Looking at the dozen or so children in front of him, the Konoha ninja said with a stern face, "Those under 10, go to the left. Those above 10 stand on the right."
With a rustle, the children immediately moved.
Mo Yu stood on the left, with about five or six other kids.
The remaining ten, including Ichiraku, stood on the right.
The Konoha ninja nodded in satisfaction, seeing how obedient they were. He looked at the left side and said, "Starting tomorrow, you will attend the Ninja Academy."
Then he turned to the right side, "You all come forward and tell me your interests, hobbies, and skills. Someone from the village will train you in a trade."
The children on the right began to step forward one by one, stating their skills and interests.
Finally, it was Ichiraku's turn.
"I… I can make ramen. I learned it from my dad, and it's delicious."
The Konoha ninja looked up atIchiraku, surprised to find a "talented" applicant. He nodded and circled Ichiraku's name in his notebook, making a note to pay attention to him.
At that moment, a small hand from the left side was raised.
A boy who seemed even younger than Mo Yu timidly spoke, "Sir, can I choose not to go to the Ninja Academy? I want to learn a trade too."
The Konoha ninja replied expressionlessly, "Sure. Go to the right side. Anyone else who doesn't want to become a ninja can join him."
Two other children stood up and walked to the right side.
Now, only three children were left on the left side, including Mo Yu.
At first, Mo Yu was surprised and confused, not understanding why anyone would not want to become a ninja. But soon, he realized.
The war had just ended, and being a ninja wasn't just a symbol of strength.
It also represented killing, cruelty, and a high death rate.
Not everyone wanted to kill.
Mastering a skill and living a peaceful life was the dream of most people.
Mo Yu thought to himself that if he weren't a transmigrator with a strong obsession to become a ninja, he probably would have chosen to live a normal life as well.
With this thought, Mo Yu couldn't help but admire the two other kids who had also insisted on becoming ninjas. He glanced at them out of the corner of his eye.
One was a silver-haired boy with a cold and aloof demeanor, looking hard to approach.
The other was a cute black-haired girl with a ponytail, whose expression was dazed as if she hadn't woken up, lost in thought.
Perhaps noticing Mo Yu's gaze, the girl looked over, then shyly lowered her head, blushing deeply.
Mo Yu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
How could someone with such a personality have the courage to choose to become a ninja? Wait a minute, did she not even hear what was being said…?