Chapter 1: After Three Long Years, I Finally Endured
Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
It was deep into the night. The pitch-black sky looked as if someone had splashed thick ink across it, with not even a single star visible.
"Swish!"
From a wooden house on the outskirts of Konoha, a figure clad in black shinobi attire leaped out of the window.
After carefully scanning left and right to confirm no one had noticed, the figure dashed swiftly toward the village's edge and vanished into a dense forest.
The figure's name was Lin Mu.
Tonight, he was about to do something that would change his entire life as a shinobi.
He was going to obtain the "key" that would unlock his golden finger—one he had waited three full years for!
Yes, Lin Mu was a transmigrator. Three years ago, he had arrived in the Naruto world. Like most transmigrators, he had received a golden finger: the Naruto Template System.
The problem was that the templates in the system required a specific "key" to unlock, or he could buy them with exorbitant amounts of system coins.
When Lin Mu first arrived, he had reincarnated into the body of a six- or seven-year-old child. The missions issued by the system were far beyond what a kid like him could accomplish.
With his meager strength back then, forget rogue ninjas outside the village—even a slightly fiercer wild beast in the forest could have ended his life.
"Tonight, I must obtain Hashirama's cells!"
Lin Mu steeled his resolve, determination flashing in his eyes.
His figure flickered as he plunged deeper into the forest near Konoha.
Hidden within this forest was one of Orochimaru's secret bases—and inside that base were Hashirama's cells!
If not for the system's guidance, Lin Mu would never have believed that Orochimaru was bold enough to build a secret laboratory right under Konoha's nose.
Perhaps the most dangerous place truly was the safest. This base had existed for who-knows-how-long, yet Konoha's shinobi had never discovered it.
Although Lin Mu had known about this "key" for activating his system long ago, he hadn't acted rashly.
As a veteran Naruto fan, he understood the world extremely well—including Orochimaru's cunning and cautious nature.
After careful planning, he chose tonight as the perfect moment to strike.
It was currently the Chunin Exams period, and the exams were already well underway.
From his memories, this was the very exam where Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, would launch the invasion of Konoha alongside Sunagakure and Otogakure, throwing the village into chaos.
Right now was the eve of Orochimaru's full-scale invasion plan—the ideal window for Lin Mu to seize Hashirama's cells.
Guided by the system, Lin Mu navigated through the forest, his dark silhouette flickering in and out of the moonlight.
The forest was only a few kilometers from Konoha, and over the past few years he had thoroughly memorized the terrain. Reaching the secret base now was second nature.
Lin Mu moved quickly, leaping between trees.
When he was a few hundred meters from the base, he abruptly stopped, hiding behind a large boulder. His vigilant eyes swept the surroundings.
Three years of experience had taught him that even near Konoha, nowhere was truly safe.
After observing for a while and seeing nothing, Lin Mu let out a quiet breath. He crept forward cautiously toward a massive tree several hundred meters ahead.
Along the way, he constantly checked his surroundings. The slightest unusual rustle and he would abandon the plan immediately.
Once close, Lin Mu circled the tree several times, cross-referencing it with the system map he had studied countless times.
"This is definitely the tree marked on the system map as the entrance to Orochimaru's secret base. But how do I get in?"
Lin Mu scratched his head and examined the tree carefully. Suddenly, he spotted a hollow on the side.
A spark of joy lit in his heart. He quickly climbed the trunk and jumped into the hollow.
"As expected!"
Inside the hollow, the tree's interior had been gutted, revealing a hidden passage leading underground.
While thrilled, Lin Mu couldn't help but marvel at Orochimaru's genius.
This tree looked utterly ordinary among the thousands in the forest. Tree hollows were common here—who would ever suspect a secret base beneath one?
Taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement, Lin Mu jumped down the passage. After landing softly, he scanned the area, only relaxing once he confirmed there was no immediate danger.
He moved forward a few steps and cautiously pushed open a door. What greeted him was a laboratory spanning over a hundred square meters!
Seeing the lab clearly, Lin Mu sucked in a cold breath and thought once again: "Orochimaru truly is the greatest scientist in the entire Naruto world!"
The room was filled with all manner of sophisticated experimental equipment. The air carried a heavy medicinal odor.
Along the walls stood rows of massive glass tanks—two meters tall and one meter thick—filled with dark green liquid. As Lin Mu approached for a closer look, his scalp tingled.
Inside were grotesque creatures that were neither fully human nor beast—clearly Orochimaru's failed experiments.
One of them seemed to sense his gaze. It suddenly snapped its eyes open, bared its fangs, and slammed frantically against the glass, as if desperate to break free and devour him.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The noise agitated the other creatures in nearby tanks, causing them to thrash as well.
Startled, Lin Mu quickly backed away.
"What the hell are these monsters? I didn't expect the lab to be this dangerous even without anyone here. I need to find Hashirama's cells fast."
Calming his racing heart, Lin Mu began searching the laboratory.
"But I don't even know what Hashirama's cells look like. How am I supposed to find them?"
As he pondered, his wandering gaze landed on a glass vial in the corner. A flash of inspiration hit him.
"With Orochimaru's cunning personality, he wouldn't leave something as precious as Hashirama's cells out in the open, nor would he lock them in an obvious safe. So..."
Acting on the thought, Lin Mu strode over and picked up the vial.
"Ding! Host has obtained Hashirama's cells. Use as key to fully activate the Naruto Template System?"
"Yes!"
Overjoyed at the system prompt, Lin Mu couldn't believe he had guessed correctly on the first try.
"Ding! Naruto Template System activating. Estimated time: ten minutes."
As soon as the prompt finished, the vial in his hand shattered. A small piece of what looked like flesh flew toward him and merged into his chest, vanishing instantly.
Lin Mu froze for a moment, but there was no time to dwell on it. He had the cells, and the system was activating—there was no reason to stay longer.
Every extra minute here meant extra risk!
With that, Lin Mu turned and hurried back the way he came, emerging from the tree hollow into the forest once more.
Breathing in the fresh forest air, he could no longer contain his excitement.
He had planned for three whole years for this moment. The system was finally activating!
But before he could fully savor the joy, his ears twitched. A rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.
"Someone's coming!"
Panic surged through Lin Mu, but it was already too late to run!
His eyes darted around, and without hesitation he dove into the thick underbrush beside the entrance tree.