Splash.
Moonlight poured down like water, reflecting off the flowing stream below.
In the reeds along the lower reaches of the Naka River, faint rustling sounds came from beyond the bushes.
Splash.
"Oh yeah—awesome! It finally bit!"
Amid an arcing spray of water, a blond-haired little brat grinned from ear to ear.
In front of him, an autumn saury that had just been hauled up thrashed anxiously, splashing water everywhere.
Quite a bit of it even landed on the boy's head, soaking his yellow hair.
The four-year-old was drenched from head to toe, his dirty little face framing a pair of clear blue eyes.
Yet not a trace of irritation showed—if anything, his smile only grew brighter.
"Hehe! This one's gotta be at least half a jin, right? I can finally eat my fill today!"
The smile was simple and pure.
In his eyes, there was not the slightest hint of resentment over hunger—only longing and anticipation for what lay ahead.
Crackle, pop.
As the campfire was lit, the reddish glow slowly roasted the cleaned fish until its skin turned golden and slightly charred.
The aroma gradually spread through the night.
Crack.
But just then, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.
They weren't loud, yet beside the quiet riverside and the crackling fish, they felt jarringly out of place.
"Who's there?!"
The blond kid sprang to his feet instantly, arms raised defensively in front of him.
At this hour, the only ones who usually came near him were those hateful kids from the village.
Whenever they saw him, it was either stones or insults.
Even though he'd never done anything wrong.
Rustle, rustle.
This time, though, after waiting a while—
No stones were thrown.
Instead, someone slowly stepped out from behind a tree.
Much taller than him.
Long black hair tied behind the head, sharp yet gentle features, and none of the usual disgust he was accustomed to seeing.
The clothes the boy wore also looked strangely familiar.
They seemed like the attire of one of Konoha's great clans.
"B-big brother… who are you…?"
After hesitating for a moment, Naruto's wariness still kept his gaze locked on the newcomer.
"So it really is you… Naruto."
The newcomer was none other than Uchiha Arata.
After night fell and he'd received news from Itachi, Jin left a clone behind in the clan compound.
His real body slipped out—to touch a corpse.
The corpse of a Kumogakure ninja.
A character who was destined to die in canon anyway—did it really matter whose hands he died by?
After finishing and sensing pursuit, Jin had originally planned to leave right away.
But suddenly, he felt someone nearby—by the river.
At this hour, a kid alone by the river…
Across all of Konoha, only one person fit that description.
The Crown Prince—Naruto.
"You know me, big brother?"
Hearing someone call his name, little Naruto visibly brightened.
His small face flushed red.
Then his orange-blue eyes rolled around as if he'd made up his mind. He scratched his head and grinned.
"Big brother, I'll treat you to fish! Hehe!"
At that moment, the excited and happy child had no idea how to respond to someone knowing him.
He only instinctively shared the most important thing he had.
Grrr—
But right after speaking, a loud rumble came from his stomach.
Clearly, four-year-old Naruto was already starving.
"Just someone knowing your name is enough to make you this happy, huh?"
Watching Naruto, Jin shook his head.
If that man—who even in death thought only of his son—knew what kind of life his child ended up living…
Would he still have been able to pass on so calmly?
Unfortunately, the Uchiha clan had long been under close scrutiny by the village.
Jin had tried more than once to approach Naruto and talk to him.
But the moment he got close to Naruto's residence, he would feel as if thorns were pressing against his back.
Clearly, the ANBU—or rather, ROOT—were watching closely.
Since the Nine-Tails Incident, Naruto had been under constant surveillance.
And it was obvious that the higher-ups in the village were unwilling to let the Uchiha have any contact with the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
With no other choice, Jin had temporarily given up on approaching Naruto.
He wasn't keen on being truly targeted by the village that early.
"Ah… it's… it's true the fish isn't that tasty. I don't really have any seasonings…"
Seeing Jin shake his head, little Naruto thought his fish had been rejected.
He lowered his head in disappointment.
Like a big quail, shrinking in on himself.
"Heh, no, that's not it. I just—how about this, we eat together."
"Huh?! Okay!"
Instantly, light flared up in the lonely child's eyes.
Little Naruto seemed to have endless things to say.
With every bite of fish, he'd chatter on for ages.
Jin didn't say much—he simply ate alongside him, occasionally responding with a short reply.
If Sasuke saw this, his jaw would drop.
Since when did the talkative second brother become this quiet?
As time passed, Jin finally began to see some of Naruto's traits.
[Conversation Target: Uzumaki Naruto]
[After ten minutes of conversation, copyable traits:
• Talk-no-Jutsu (Black)
• Child of Destiny (Rainbow)
• Nine-Tails Jinchūriki (Gold)
• Chakra Monster (Gold)
• Agile Body (White)]
A pitifully small list of traits.
Aside from what he was born with, in four years Naruto had only gained Agile Body.
One could say he'd grown up in a very… different childhood.
Jin murmured to himself, yet grew even more excited.
Fewer traits meant fewer possible outcomes when copying.
Out of five traits—four were downright bug-level!
An 80% chance to copy something good!
How was that not amazing?
Jin smiled and looked forward to the system's prompt.
[Copy successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Common Trait: Agile Body (White).]
Jin: "..."
Was that 80% chance fake or what?
A trace of regret flashed through his eyes, but it vanished quickly.
Meeting Naruto at all had been an unexpected joy.
Being able to copy even one trait—what was there to complain about?
Without hesitation, he said:
"System, fuse it into Swift Light Shadow."
[Fusion successful. Swift Light Shadow (Blue) has received a slight enhancement.]
A familiar warm current passed through his body.
Jin could clearly feel his limbs… and yet, nothing really changed.
The improvement was minimal.
Or rather—the proportion was small.
The Elite Trait Swift Light Shadow (Blue) had been upgraded over the years by continuously feeding it Agile Body, evolving from Light as a Swallow.
The boost it provided was substantial—at least, when Jin moved deliberately, he made no sound at all.
Paired with his Rainbow Trait Weak Presence, it was nearly perfect.
Of course, over the years, Jin hadn't only fed that single trait.
With a thought, he continued chatting while subconsciously checking his own status.
[Name]: Uchiha Arata
[Chakra]: 1,000,025
[Traits]:
• Seven-Year Itch (Black)
• Body of Golden Light (Rainbow)
• Weak Presence (Rainbow)
• Flying Thunder God Technique (Gold) Lv.4
• Noble Lineage (Purple)
• Sharingan (Purple)
• Byakugan (Purple)
• Adamantine Sealing Chains · Fragment (Purple)
• Cloud-Style Body Technique (Purple)
• Lightning Release Mastery (Blue)
• Fire Release Affinity (Blue)
• Swift Light Shadow (Blue)
• Dynamic Vision (Green)
• Eight Trigrams Palm (Green)
…
Quite a few traits.
But limited by his age, his body couldn't be overly reinforced.
Those who matured too early often broke early—he knew that well.
Not to mention how many child stars in his past life loved martial arts, only to end up not growing very tall.
It all pointed to one thing:
Don't overconsume your body.
Muscle growth could also restrict bone development.
After musing for a while, his attention shifted to the Flying Thunder God.
This—
Was the trait he'd been continuously feeding for the past four years.
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