In the Nine-Tails incident, countless ninjas lost their lives, and the surviving shinobi were left with severe injuries of varying degrees. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tails, plunging countless villagers into unbearable grief.
The Leaf Village, already devastated by the Nine-Tails' rampage, suffered immeasurable losses after losing so many ninjas. The number of shinobi the village could mobilize was now pitifully small. Because of this, forces outside the village eyed the Leaf with predatory intent.
In a hospital room, a pale-faced boy lay quietly on a bed, his body pierced with a dozen needles, creating a terrifying sight. The steady beep-beep of the bedside monitor echoed in the room, and the boy appeared to be on the brink of death.
This was the Leaf Village Hospital, overwhelmed with patients after the Nine-Tails' attack. Many injured ninjas and innocent villagers filled the wards, stretching the limited number of medical ninjas to their breaking point.
"Mother, Brother just moved!" Suddenly, a loud voice broke the silence in an unremarkable hospital room, brimming with excitement. The speaker hurriedly turned to a middle-aged woman nearby, not daring to waste a moment.
"Otowa, is it true?" The woman, overjoyed, rushed to the bedside, her voice trembling. The boy called Otowa nodded vigorously, his tone resolute. "Brother's fingers moved just now—I'm absolutely certain!"
Hearing this, the woman urgently shouted, "Quick, go get the doctor!" Despite her raven-black hair, her face was strikingly beautiful, though her skin lacked color, appearing unnaturally pale.
Without a word, Otowa dashed out to find a doctor. The woman gently stroked the purple hair of the boy on the bed, tears streaming down her beautiful face, revealing how deeply she cared for him.
"Sho-taka, you have to wake up. Mother won't force you to become a ninja anymore, nor will I be strict with you. As long as you wake up and live happily, I'll do anything," the woman sobbed, covering her mouth as she spoke haltingly.
Just as she wiped her tears, footsteps approached from outside. She stood quickly, looking at the lead doctor with urgency. "Doctor, my son moved just now, but why hasn't he woken up?"
The doctor approached the bed, signaling for silence, and carefully examined the boy. His furrowed brow relaxed slightly as he stood and said to the woman, "Don't worry. He's past the critical stage. Now, we just wait for him to wake."
With that, the doctor and his team left the room, leaving the overjoyed mother and son behind.
"Ugh." Shortly after the doctor left, the boy on the bed slowly opened his eyes. His emerald-green pupils caught sight of a worried face, slightly blurry but carrying a strange sense of familiarity.
Seeing him awake, the woman tightly gripped his hand, anxiously asking, "Sho-taka, you're finally awake! How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Hungry? Thirsty? Do you want something to eat?"
The barrage of questions left the boy dazed. Sho-taka? The name felt unfamiliar, yet the woman's worried tone clearly conveyed her deep care for him.
Suddenly, the boy clutched his head, screaming in agony. His pale face grew even more terrifying as unfamiliar memories flooded his mind, causing excruciating pain as if his head were being torn apart.
"What's wrong? Sho-taka, what's happening?" Seeing his pain, the woman pulled him into her arms. A soothing fragrance calmed him slightly, and the intense pain gradually subsided.
The pain came quickly and left just as fast. Now, in the woman's embrace, the boy's expression grew uneasy. He realized this body didn't belong to him—none of it did, except for the memories.
From the memories he'd just acquired, the boy learned that the body's original owner was named Chiba Sho-taka. He had a family: an older brother, Chiba Otowa; a mother, Mayumi; and a father, Chiba Kaede. But to him, they were all strangers.
"Are you feeling better?" Seeing Sho-taka lying quietly in her arms, the woman asked worriedly. Noticing his complexion gradually improve, she gently laid him back on the bed.
Transmigration? Maybe. For a 21st-century youth, this wasn't a novel concept—it was something out of fiction. But looking at his small, unfamiliar body, he had no choice but to accept it.
Gazing at his new mother and brother, the boy recalled his past life. In his previous life, he was Yang Wei, an ordinary name he'd long forgotten the origin of. Like most people, Yang Wei was an average college student with mediocre grades, sometimes even below average.
Yang Wei's life hadn't been easy. At 16, his parents died in an accident, turning him from an ordinary teenager into an orphan. Such circumstances often force maturity, and Yang Wei was no exception.
His parents' inheritance supported him through college. He remembered their words: only through hard work and study could he rise above. At 16, Yang Wei channeled his pain into determination, studying diligently and tirelessly.
"Brother, your head didn't get smashed silly, did it?" A voice snapped Yang Wei out of his reverie. Looking up, he saw a boy staring at him, his dark eyes like glistening obsidian, clear and gentle.
Yang Wei quickly searched his new memories and found information about the boy. Chiba Otowa, his new brother, who often doted on him and played with him.
Thwack. Mayumi smacked Otowa on the head, prompting a dramatic wail. She scolded him unceremoniously, "Idiot, how dare you curse your brother! Are you only happy if Sho-taka turns silly?"
"Ow! Mother, you're so biased! I'm your son too!" Otowa clutched his head, feigning innocence with a pitiful expression that was both comical and endearing. As he opened his mouth to say more, a strange noise filled the room.
The sound came from Yang Wei's stomach, leaving him embarrassed on the bed, his face flushing red. As the saying goes, "Man is iron, rice is steel—a meal missed leaves you weak."
Otowa and Mayumi burst into laughter. "My precious son, you haven't eaten in two days. Otowa, go buy something for your brother—something nourishing," Mayumi said with a giggle, instructing Otowa.
"Got it, got it!" Otowa didn't dawdle and leaped out the window. The casual act shocked Yang Wei. He didn't know how high the hospital was, but jumping like that was outrageous!
Chunin, ninja. A sudden flood of memories made Yang Wei's heart race. Ninja? Naruto? The familiar name surfaced in his mind. His favorite anime from his past life—he had transmigrated into the world of Naruto!