"Uchiha Shien, wake up… You're going to be late!"
A string of urgent shouts dragged Uchiha Shien out of his deep sleep on the desk.
When he opened his eyes, he saw two boys — one plump, one lean — standing before him in a nearly empty, shabby classroom.
"Did you forget? Today's the graduation exam!"
The chubby one looked at him with exasperation.
Graduation exam?
Uchiha Shien blinked — then it hit him.
Right! Today was the day of the graduation test. He shot up from his seat immediately.
"Taka, Koji, let's go!"
He said, striding out of the classroom.
"Wait for us!"
The two boys hurried to follow.
That's right — Uchiha Shien was a transmigrator.
The world of Naruto!
A world he had only seen in anime before he crossed over — but now it was all real.
And compared to the anime, this world was far grander, more intricate… and far more terrifying.
The place he lived now was the very center of this world —
Konohagakure!
Not a bad start, all things considered.
Crossing into another world, being young, good-looking, and well-off — that should've been something to celebrate.
But ending up in the ninja world? Yeah, not so much.
Because this was a world where human life was as cheap as grass. Kids barely out of diapers were sent to war, to kill and be killed. The death rate was terrifying.
So, in such a dangerous world, Uchiha Shien — a man with two and a half years of "transmigration experience" and no golden finger system — made the only rational choice:
Lie flat.
There was no other way.
If he dared to shout something like, "My fate is mine to decide!" he'd probably end up being "interrogated privately" by some ANBU the next day.
Ninjas were terrifyingly sharp when it came to intelligence and suspicion — and they never hesitated to act on it.
Even in death, they weren't safe; that's why every ninja had to destroy their own corpse after dying, to prevent secrets from leaking.
In such a cruel and dangerous world, how could Uchiha Shien not accept his fate and lie low?
And today was the final step.
If he failed the exam, he could finally "retire early" — and live off someone else's soft rice in peace.
Because once you became a ninja, you became the village's tool. Even if you were sent on a suicide mission, you had to obey. Leave the village without permission, and you'd be branded a traitor and hunted down.
Only ordinary people could escape that brutal system.
So from the moment he crossed over, Uchiha Shien had been laying the groundwork for today.
And now, his chance had finally come.
As long as he performed like a hopeless idiot in the exam, he might just earn his freedom.
With that in mind, Uchiha Shien led his two buddies toward the training grounds.
The chubby one was Honda Taka, whose dream was to become the greatest merchant in the ninja world.
The cold-faced one was Yamanaka Koji, born of a minor offshoot of the Yamanaka clan, dreaming of restoring his family's former glory.
After two and a half years of careful "team-building" and strategic PUA tactics, Uchiha Shien had turned them into brothers — if not by blood, then by spirit.
As a man who'd once watched the Naruto anime, Uchiha Shien had, of course, met some of the future main characters.
But his attitude toward them was simple: "Respect from afar."
Because in a world as deadly as this, the ones who died fastest… were the main characters' friends.
Unless you had plot armor, getting too close was basically suicide.
With his thin arms and weak legs, Uchiha Shien knew better than to get caught up in any of that.
Survival was victory — and staying low was strategy. Staying low was strategy.
Look at Obito — as long as he stayed in hiding, his cool factor was sky-high. The moment he showed up? Boom. Dead.
Or Madara — the ultimate master of "lying low." As long as he stayed in the shadows, he was unstoppable. The moment he stepped out? Betrayed by the "filial son."
And that other "Master of Lying Low" in the Pure Land? He turned lying low into an art form — and walked away the biggest winner of them all.
All of this proved one truth:
"Stay low, and we win.JPG."
With such shining "role models," it was only natural for Uchiha Shien to dedicate himself to lying flat.
The more you jumped around in this world, the quicker you died.
And after two and a half years in the academy, he had successfully earned his reputation as the bottom of the class.
Not the "secretly talented but unlucky" kind, like Obito.
No, Uchiha Shien was the real deal — utterly hopeless.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the training field — only to find something off.
Too many people.
Perched on walls, rooftops, even in the trees, were figures of authority — village big shots.
Most eye-catching among them was the man in the Hokage's robe and hat, surrounded by attendants.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
The pillar of Konohagakure himself.
But Uchiha Shien's eyes shifted instead to the man standing at his side — his right eye and arm wrapped in white bandages, a cane in his left hand.
Shimura Danzo.
Arrogant, ruthless, cold, and utterly selfish — those were the kindest things anyone could say about him.
You could afford to offend the "gentle sword," the Third Hokage — but never offend that man.
Uchiha Shien had done his best to stay off Danzo's radar. Thankfully, Danzo only paid attention to geniuses.
As a certified bottom-feeder, Uchiha Shien was perfectly safe.
If Danzo had ever taken an interest in him, Uchiha Shien would've already packed his bags and fled.
When he first transmigrated and learned he was in Konoha, his first instinct had been to escape.
But unlike the loose and casual village shown in the anime — where even genin could wander off — the real Konoha was tightly controlled.
The security was ironclad; not even most jonin could sneak out.
Once Uchiha Shien learned how harsh the world outside really was, he'd given up on running.
Outside the village, human life was worth less than a dog's.
Commoners starved, ate grass or worse, froze in winter with only straw for warmth. Cotton blankets were a luxury. Disease meant death. Bandits and war were everywhere.
It was hell on earth — with an average lifespan of under thirty.
By comparison, Konoha was paradise. Safe, comfortable, and prosperous — no wonder so many would rather die than leave.
Getting into Konoha as an outsider was nearly impossible. Only an idiot would walk away from that.
Especially since Uchiha Shien had already latched onto a golden thigh.
And his "lying flat" plan hinged entirely on failing today's test and getting stripped of his ninja qualification.
Because once you became a ninja… congratulations.
You'd be under the village's thumb for life.
No base salary unless you had a post, no pension, and the only early retirement options were death or dismemberment.
The mortality rate among ninja was horrifyingly high — which probably explained why they all dated in school and married in their teens.
When you could die any day, you had to leave descendants fast, or the profession would go extinct.
While Uchiha Shien was lost in thought, his classmates were finishing their tests one after another.
Combat assessment.
Each student had to face off against a chunin examiner to prove their readiness.
That friendly, low-stakes test from the anime? Probably a later reform during the peace era.
Right now, it was Year 42 of the Konoha calendar — war was brewing, and the village needed more cannon fodder. Passing was easy.
But grades mattered.
The geniuses would be recruited by clans and elite teachers. The mediocre? Off to the front lines as disposable soldiers.
So everyone was desperate to be labeled a "genius."
Sure, it drew attention — but the perks were real.
Uchiha Shien, of course, was the last person who wanted that title.
Because if he ever showed "genius-level potential," Root would come knocking.
After all, his surname was —
Uchiha.
Yes, that Uchiha clan — the beautiful, proud, and eternally tragic bunch of edgy drama kings.
His last name was actually adopted — through marriage.
Yep. He was living off his wife.
The original Uchiha Shien had resisted that fate, working hard to "earn his independence"… and got himself killed for it.
That's how the transmigrator Uchiha Shien ended up taking over his body.
From his perspective, the original owner clearly hadn't suffered enough in life.
What was wrong with eating soft rice? So many people want to, but can't!
Uchiha Shien, meanwhile, found it delicious — and fully intended to keep eating it.
Even if he eventually lost his "meal ticket," he could at least get a breakup settlement out of it. Either way, he wouldn't lose.
"Uchiha Shien!"
At the training field, their homeroom teacher — Sarutobi Nagakawa — called his name loudly.
"Go for it!"
"Don't let them look down on you!"
His two buddies cheered him on. Even the usually stone-faced Yamanaka Koji forced out a stiff smile.
Uchiha Shien slowly stepped forward, looking like a man walking to his own execution — but right as he lifted his head, he noticed it.
On the viewing platform, the bandaged old man's single visible eye had shifted — and for the first time, it was looking straight at him.
…That shouldn't have happened.
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