The sun dipped low behind the mountains surrounding Konoha.
"Brother Jie, the sun is almost down. We should get going!"
A little girl, roughly five years old, called out to a boy of the same age standing a short distance away.
"I know, Izumi. Just let me dig up this last herb, then we'll head back," Jie shouted back without turning his head.
Moments later, Jie stood up and dusted the dirt off his clothes. "Alright, let's go."
Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, the two children began their slow trek back toward the village proper.
The boy was Jie Uchiha—the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan Patriarch, Fugaku Uchiha. He also had a twin brother, a boy who would one day awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at age thirteen and become the most infamous rogue ninja in history: Itachi Uchiha.
'Finally done. Please, don't let me down,' Jie thought silently, his mind racing.
Jie was a transmigrator.
Just a few days ago, he had been safe in his previous life, sipping an ice-cold cola and binge-watching anime. He never expected to wake up in the perilous world of Naruto.
Crossing over into the Shinobi World was one thing, but becoming the twin brother of the "filial son" Itachi Uchiha was a twist of fate that made him sweat.
His identity was a ticking time bomb. Everyone knew Itachi was a "Bro-Con"—a brother complex sufferer—which was why he spared his younger brother, Sasuke, during the clan massacre. But no one had ever confirmed if Itachi was also an "Older Brother Con."
Would Itachi spare his twin on the night of the massacre? Or would Jie be just another body on the floor?
Jie racked his brain but couldn't find a concrete answer. After all, in the original canon, Itachi didn't have a twin. Jie decided he couldn't pin his hopes on the slim chance of Itachi's mercy.
The pressure was immense. Itachi was a bona fide genius, destined for Kage-level power by his early teens. Living in the shadow of such a prodigy was suffocating.
Fortunately, Jie wasn't entirely without options. As a transmigrator, he received the standard-issue "Golden Finger."
[The Evaluation System]
The System evaluated every action Jie took. Depending on the impact of the event or its benefit to him, it distributed rewards—sometimes points, sometimes physical items. The greater the chaos caused or the advantage gained, the richer the reward.
For instance, shortly after his arrival in this world, he witnessed the birth of Sasuke Uchiha, one of the world's protagonists. On a whim, Jie reached out and flicked the newborn Sasuke's "little willy."
[System Settlement Complete. Reward: 10% Indra's Transmigrant Chakra.]
That single prank yielded a massive payout.
In the days that followed, everything Jie did—even eating and sleeping—generated rewards. However, these daily routines only offered meager scraps, usually a point or two, or a soldier pill. It became so noisy that Jie eventually muted the notifications for low-level rewards, setting the System to alert him only when something significant dropped.
With a thought, Jie collected the backlog of minor rewards accumulated throughout the day.
[Received: 100 Points.]
[Received: 12 Soldier Pills.]
Better than nothing, but hardly life-changing.
'Sure enough, if I want to get rich, I have to cause trouble,' Jie mused with a mental sigh. 'It all comes down to tonight.'
'I've invested my entire net worth into this operation—a full 100,000 Explosive Tags.'
'When 100,000 tags detonate simultaneously, even the Nine-Tails is going to feel it. I just hope the System's settlement reward is worth the risk!'
Resisting the urge to look back toward the trap he set, Jie offered a silent prayer.
Like most transmigrators, Jie started with a Novice Gift Pack:
Physique: Tenacious Body (High durability and stamina).
Chakra: All-Nature Affinity.
Item: Explosive Tags x 200,000.
The first two rewards made sense. The Tenacious Body ensured survivability, and the All-Nature Affinity meant he could eventually master any Ninjutsu.
But 200,000 Explosive Tags? What was the point? Did the System think the Young Master of the Uchiha clan was short on cash and needed to sell arms? Or did it want him to blow up Konoha for points?
After agonizing over it, Jie combined his knowledge of the plot with a few subtle hints from the System to find the ultimate use for his arsenal.
Buried in the earth behind him, waiting for the Nine-Tails, was his audacious gamble.
Today was October 10th, Year 48 of Konoha's founding.
It was the official start of the plot. It was the day Naruto Uzumaki was born. And it was the night the Nine-Tails would attack.
Lost in his thoughts, Jie didn't realize they had already arrived back at the village. Before he knew it, he and Izumi were standing at the entrance to the Uchiha district.
"Brother Jie, thank you so much for the last few days," Izumi said softly. "If you hadn't helped me gather those herbs, Grandma would have been in danger."
"It's nothing," Jie replied absently. "Your grandma is basically my grandma."
Izumi—Izumi Uchiha.
In the anime, she was Itachi's childhood sweetheart who tragically died during the massacre. But in this timeline, due to Jie's existence, the five-year-old Izumi hadn't really connected with Itachi yet. Instead, she grew close to Jie, who often frequented the back mountains for training while she picked herbs to support her family.
Hearing Jie's casual remark, Izumi's face flushed a deep crimson.
'Is... is Jie confessing to me? Should I say yes?'
'Ah! Jie is too much! I'm going to die of embarrassment!'
Girls in the ninja world matured early. Even at five years old, Izumi had a vague understanding of romance. Jie's unintentional comment sent her imagination spiraling into a daydream of weddings and futures.
"Alright, Izumi, I'm heading home. Take good care of your grandma," Jie said, oblivious to her internal panic.
He waved goodbye and turned toward his house, his mind solely focused on the chaotic night approaching.