"Hey, wake up, kid!"
Mawari Yasu was still half-asleep, feeling someone repeatedly smacking his face. Anyone who knew him would understand—he had a terrible case of morning grumpiness. Being rudely woken from a dream like this instantly set him off.
"Damn it! Try smacking me again and see what happens!"
Before he could even finish, another slap landed.
That was it—any remaining sleepiness vanished instantly. Mawari Yasu leapt to his feet and began rolling up his sleeves.
But then he froze.
A vast, lush forest stretched out before him, far from the dust of modern cities, clean air all around. Every breath was crisp and refreshing.
Nice view, right? Nope. He wasn't thinking about the scenery.
Because standing in front of him was a masked dude with dead-fish eyes that gave him the creeps.
"Who the hell are you? You look like Kakashi Hatake!"
"You... know me?" Kakashi looked surprised for a moment, then pointed at himself with a confused expression.
Mawari Yasu twitched at the corner of his mouth. He'd seen his fair share of edgy cosplayers, but someone this deep into their character? First time ever.
"If you're Kakashi, then I guess I'm Naruto. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"
"Hm… age roughly matches, but your hair's all wrong. Naruto's hair is yellow." Kakashi stroked his chin, eyeing him carefully before replying seriously.
"Can you just stop talking already?!"
"Kid, you'd better hope for the best. The enemy's tricky—I might not be able to watch your back!" Kakashi's tone suddenly turned serious.
He slowly lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye, revealing a blood-red Sharingan.
"No way… cosplaying this intense, even the Sharingan?!"
Before Mawari Yasu could finish his thought, Kakashi pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
Then, a beam of white light shot straight toward Kakashi. With a single hand motion, Kakashi deflected it, the metallic clash ringing sharply.
Heart skipping a beat, Mawari Yasu instinctively took a step back.
Clang!
Several figures suddenly appeared, encircling the two of them.
"Sorry for dragging you into this," Kakashi said weakly—but Mawari Yasu caught a hint of anger in his tone.
And at that moment, it hit him.
He had transmigrated—straight into the world of Naruto.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Sign-in system activated!]
[Ding-ding! Detected host has made contact with Kakashi Hatake. Sign in now?]
Mawari Yasu froze for a second, then it hit him.
A system!
A must-have for transmigration—a system that lets you survive in the Naruto world.
"Sign in!"
He confirmed immediately. After all, a dozen masked ninja had appeared around him—any hesitation could easily get him killed.
[Ding! Sign-in successful!]
[Ding! Congratulations! You've obtained Kakashi Hatake's sword techniques! (You also gain the target's jutsu, tools, and kekkei genkai!)]
[Ding! Congratulations! You've gained 10 points of Kakashi Hatake's affection! Current: 62 points (starting: 50). At 0, Kakashi would rather abandon Konoha than spare you. At 100, Kakashi would abandon Konoha for you… willing to do some… unspeakable things!)]
Mawari Yasu shivered. Goosebumps ran across his body.
If it had been a female ninja, boosting affection wouldn't be a problem. But male ninja? Forget it—he was a normal guy.
After venting that thought, he looked at the other reward.
Kakashi Sword Technique – the Hatake clan's kenjutsu!
Just the name sounded weird at first, but after a quick description, he understood instantly.
The famous kenjutsu of Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, struck fear into the Water Country ninjas with his signature tantō, earning him his legendary status in Konoha.
Kakashi had trained in it since childhood, but after getting the Sharingan, he used it less.
For Mawari Yasu, this reward was perfect.
Other rewards—like Chidori, the Sharingan, etc.—wouldn't help him form actual combat power immediately. But Kakashi's sword technique? Even without sufficient chakra, it would keep him from being a total punching bag.
"Don't worry, kid. I'll draw their attention. You just run."
"You really think they'll let me go?" Mawari Yasu glanced around wryly.
Kakashi's eyes darkened.
To prevent Mawari Yasu from calling for backup, these ninja wouldn't let him leave. And Kakashi didn't have the strength to protect him fully, let alone carry him away.
"I'll take White Fang and fight too!"
Kakashi froze. White Fang was his father Sakumo's personal weapon. Since his father's death, Kakashi had carried it everywhere.
Yet he rarely used it in battle, preferring kunai for close combat. White Fang was mostly sentimental now.
Besides Kakashi, only one other person in Konoha knew he carried White Fang.
"Kid, I don't know how you knew about White Fang, but I'm not giving it to you!" Kakashi said, tossing a kunai to Mawari Yasu instead.
"But you can use this."
Shrugging, Mawari Yasu caught the kunai. Better this than nothing.
Although Kakashi's kenjutsu was strongest with White Fang, substituting with a kunai wasn't impossible for a short-blade technique.
"I'll protect you as best I can. The moment you get a chance, run—keep going north until you reach Konoha and find someone to help me!"
Mawari Yasu paused. Kakashi could go toe-to-toe with anyone, barely giving ground. That proved his strength.
If Kakashi found this situation tough, the enemies ahead must be terrifyingly strong.
Now, Kakashi's words meant those ninja would target Mawari Yasu directly. His heart sank.
Sure enough, their conversation had been overheard. A dozen enemies immediately surrounded Kakashi, while two moved toward Mawari Yasu.
"This kid's chakra is too weak—barely counts as a ninja. Take him out, then help with Kakashi!"
"Got it. Let's strike together. Kill him fast!"
Before they finished speaking, they vanished and a sudden wave of murderous intent rushed toward Mawari Yasu.
He furrowed his brow and surveyed his surroundings carefully.
A sharp kunai suddenly stabbed straight toward his face, the glint of metal sending a chill down his spine.
"Got him!"