Hokage World
The Land of Fire — Konohagakure
The sky was white, and snowflakes fell one after another, covering the earth with a layer of silver.
Evening had come.
A small figure walked quietly down Konoha's street.
A boy, about three or four years old.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, delicate as a porcelain doll.
His name was Chiba.
Born in the 48th year of Konoha, he was the same age as nine of the future Twelve Konoha Genin.
This year, he was 3 years old.
At the same time, he carried another identity—
A Traveler.
Three years ago, in Chiba's memory, there was a massive beast.
A single roar could shake the earth.
Nine long, vast tails whipped through the air like waves, summoning storms, thunder, and lightning that tore the sky apart…
The Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Chiba's parents died in that disaster, both as shinobi. He had been left alone and received a small pension from the village.
As the sky darkened, the streets grew empty and silent.
Watching the snow fall, Chiba's heart felt heavy.
He was worried about the future.
It had been three years since he came to this world.
No cheat awakening.
No special bloodline.
No secret heritage from the Ōtsutsuki clan.
He was just—ordinary.
In the world of Hokage, strength determined survival.
And danger was everywhere.
Soon, it would be Konoha Year 60—the start of the original story.
The Konoha Crush Plan, Pain's Invasion, the Fourth Ninja War…
So many godlike beings would rise, and ordinary shinobi would be swept away like dust.
Even the Konoha Twelve, the strongest of their generation, would still only be cannon fodder compared to those monsters.
Chiba sighed.
He wasn't reconciled to this fate.
"Ah…"
Chiba suddenly felt something bump into him. A soft thud, followed by a small gasp.
He looked down—
A little girl had fallen into the snow.
White eyes.
Tears on her cheeks.
Hyūga Hinata.
Chiba froze.
Wasn't this the scene… of Hinata's first meeting with Naruto?
"Heroes save the beauty," huh?
Well, not yet.
He quickly helped Hinata to her feet, brushed the snow from her clothes, and comforted her gently.
Hinata's face turned red. She only whispered a soft, shy "thank you" as he escorted her home.
When they reached the Hyūga compound, Chiba nodded and turned back toward his apartment.
An ordinary apartment door.
Chiba pushed it open, his fair cheeks flushed red from the cold. Against his silver hair and red eyes, he looked almost too cute.
"I'm back," he called softly.
He turned on the light and shut the door, heart still beating fast.
That voice he had heard earlier—it couldn't be an illusion, right?
After sending Hinata home, he had faintly heard a strange sound echo in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Opening condition met.]
[World reset in progress… 1%, 2%, 3%…]
At that moment, Chiba almost thought he was dreaming.
But a spark of hope lit up in his chest.
A cheat—
the thing every transmigrator dreamed of!
He forced himself to calm down and waited until he got home.
"System?" he called out cautiously.
There was a pause—then the voice continued:
[World reset: 98%, 99%, 100%…]
[Congratulations! World reset successful.]
[Your life has become a game.]
Chiba blinked.
"Huh?"
Life becomes a game?
What was that supposed to mean?
He looked around—nothing had changed.
"Great. No manual, no tutorial," he muttered.
Still, he took a deep breath and said, "Open the properties panel."
An illusory blue panel appeared before his eyes—visible only to him.
[Character Status]
Name: Chiba
Age: 3 years old
Free Attribute Points: 0
Physical Strength: 10
Mental Strength: 10
Chakra Amount: 10
Skills (Proficiency):
Three Body Technique 0 (1/100)
Throwing 0 (1/100)
Chakra Refinement 0 (1/100)
Taijutsu 0 (1/100)
Chakra Attributes:
Fire (Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth, Yin, Yang — not learned)
Chiba stared at the screen.
A simple, third-rate online game template.
He almost wanted to cry.
"Really? This is so scuffed…"
At that moment, another mechanical voice echoed beside his ear.
[Dear Player, novice gift pack detected. Would you like to activate it?]