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Konoha Village, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth fell slightly agape, disbelief flickering across his weathered features.
Standing before him was an ANBU operative, his masked face unreadable, one hand gently holding that of a small child.
What could possibly make Hiruzen Sarutobi—the seasoned Third Hokage who had witnessed countless extraordinary events—display such an expression? The answer lay in the unremarkable child standing before him.
The boy appeared to be three or four years old, diminutive in stature with thin arms protruding from oversized sleeves. His unkempt black hair cascaded messily past his shoulders, while dark eyes remained hidden beneath disheveled bangs, their depths unreadable.
Such a child—seemingly as ordinary as any found wandering the streets of the ninja world—should never, under normal circumstances, warrant the attention of someone at the Hokage's level.
Yet here he was, not only having alarmed the Hokage himself, but also managing to summon another figure whose authority was second only to the village leader.
Bang.
The office door burst open with violent force, followed immediately by a cold, gravelly voice:
"Hiruzen, what's so urgent that you—"
The words died abruptly. Danzō Shimura narrowed his single visible eye, scrutinizing the ANBU operative with calculating intensity.
"Tora? Weren't you assigned to Kirigakure? How are you back so soon?"
As the commander of ANBU's training division, Danzō naturally recognized the masked figure before him, despite the operative's direct allegiance to the Hokage.
"Lord Danzō." Tora offered a respectful nod before shifting his attention toward Hiruzen.
"Go ahead, Tora. Tell him." The moment Danzō had entered, Hiruzen's expression had smoothly transitioned back to his typical composed demeanor. As Tora looked his way, the Third Hokage even retrieved his pipe with practiced ease.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. The situation is as follows, Lord Danzō..."
With Hiruzen's permission, Tora began recounting his experiences in the Hidden Mist Village.
However, the tale he wove was nothing short of astounding.
"What did you just say?!" Upon hearing the full account, Danzō stood frozen in shock.
"You're claiming this... this child is my son?!" Gone was Danzō's usual calculated composure. His bandage-wrapped right arm shot out, trembling slightly as he pointed at the small figure cowering behind Tora's leg.
"Y-yes, sir. That appears to be the case..." Tora replied, steeling himself for the inevitable explosion.
"Preposterous! When would I have ever—" Danzō had abandoned all pretense of dignity, profanity spilling from his lips as he fought to defend his reputation.
But before he could complete his vehement denial, he fell silent of his own accord.
Everyone present watched in tense silence as Danzō slowly lowered his arm, his piercing gaze fixed upon the child who trembled with fear behind Tora's protective stance. The color drained from his face, then returned in shifting waves of emotion.
"Hah." Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably thick, Danzō released a long, measured breath. His expression softened marginally, and when he spoke again, his voice lacked its earlier conviction: "That item... where is it?"
Danzō's cryptic question would have puzzled most, but Tora seemed prepared. Without hesitation, he produced a kunai from within his vest and extended it toward the war hawk.
"The child has carried this with him constantly. Given the circumstances..." Tora explained as he offered the weapon.
"Mm..." Danzō accepted the kunai with a noncommittal grunt, then fell into contemplative silence, his single eye studying the blade intently.
"Ahem. You're both dismissed for now. Tora, take the boy for a walk around the village. And remove your gear first—we don't need to attract unnecessary attention." Hiruzen's practical reminder cut through the tension; an ANBU operative escorting a child through Konoha's streets would certainly raise eyebrows.
"Understood." Tora acknowledged the order, then gently guided the child from the Hokage's office.
They navigated the building's winding corridors before arriving at what appeared to be a changing room, where several ANBU operatives were switching between their gear.
"Ah, senpai! Welcome back—it's been ages!" Several masked figures called out warm greetings to Tora.
"Indeed it has." Tora responded cordially to each while leading the child to a nearby corridor lined with wooden benches.
"Feng Bai, wait here while I change. I'll be right back." After settling the boy on one of the benches and receiving a small nod of acknowledgment, Tora hurried into the changing room.
"Whew... Christ, that was terrifying." Only after Tora disappeared inside—and with no obvious observers in sight—did the boy called Feng Bai finally exhale in relief, his young face still etched with lingering anxiety.
Feng Bai wasn't native to the ninja world in any traditional sense. His soul originated from Blue Star, and through some twist of fate—whether fortune or cosmic joke—he had awakened to find himself reincarnated as a newborn infant in an entirely different reality.
As months turned to years and his understanding of this new world gradually expanded, he made a startling discovery: he had been reborn into the universe of Naruto.
Well, isn't this just perfect?
Taking stock of his circumstances—a ramshackle dwelling that leaked in every storm, an ailing mother whose health deteriorated daily, and an absent father whose whereabouts remained unknown—Feng Bai felt utterly overwhelmed by his predicament.
This was supposed to be the world of Naruto—emphasis on becoming an actual ninja. Instead, his current situation had effectively relegated him to the role of a civilian bystander in a world where such people were little more than collateral damage!
Moreover, the Naruto series had concluded years ago in his previous life. Beyond remembering that the finale involved Naruto successfully retrieving Sasuke and sealing Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the specific plot details had faded to mere fragments in his memory.
System? Hello, system? A little help here would be appreciated!
Unfortunately, no matter how desperately Feng Bai called out—mentally and otherwise—no mystical system interface materialized to assist him.
It seemed he would have to accept this harsh reality: living out his days as an ordinary civilian until natural death claimed him. At least his reincarnation had occurred in the Land of Water. As long as he avoided the ninja profession entirely, whatever chaos the Blood Mist policies unleashed would remain someone else's problem.
That had indeed been Feng Bai's plan.
Until his mother, as she lay dying from years of accumulated hardship when he reached his third birthday, revealed two earth-shattering truths:
First: she was a descendant of the Ice Release bloodline, forced into hiding for reasons that needed no explanation in this war-torn world.
Second: his father wasn't dead—he was a Konoha shinobi named Danzō, and she had preserved a keepsake from their time together.
"Mom, you can't be—" After absorbing these revelations, Feng Bai felt his world collapse entirely.
Good grief. Either one of these background elements would make survival in the Land of Water virtually impossible for someone his age. Having both was essentially a death sentence!
I'm completely screwed.
Gazing at the kunai and training scroll his dying mother had pressed into his small hands, Feng Bai was overwhelmed by profound sadness—both for her impending loss and his own impossible situation.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." A familiar voice interrupted his melancholic reverie. Looking up, Feng Bai found himself studying a face that seemed oddly recognizable.
"It's fine." Feng Bai focused on the man's distinctive silver hair, nagged by the feeling that he was overlooking something crucial.
"Good. Let's go, then." The man offered a genuinely warm smile as he extended his hand, smoothly taking Feng Bai's smaller one in his own.
"Oh, and while we're in the village, don't use my codename. Just call me Uncle Sakumo—I have a son about your age, actually." As they began walking, Sakumo provided this casual instruction.
"Okay, Uncle Sakumo." Feng Bai nodded obediently.