Chapter 1: The decision

In the year 53, Konoha found itself in the aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War, a conflict that had taken a toll on the once-mighty Five Great Shinobi Countries. The war's conclusion marked a turning point as the influence of these powerful nations began to wane, giving rise to a period of uncertainty.

The borders of these nations, weakened by the prolonged conflict, became hotbeds for skirmishes with smaller nations seeking to assert their independence. What started as localized disputes eventually escalated into a widespread, all-encompassing war. This unprecedented conflict, fueled by a decline in national power, unfolded as an exhausting war of attrition that tested the limits of each nation's war potential.

Even Konoha, a formidable stronghold, was not spared from the devastating impact. The once-stable foundations of the village were shaken as very young children, some just graduates from the Academy, were thrust onto the brutal battlefield, tragically losing their lives in the name of war. The toll of the conflict weighed heavily on all nations, leaving them grappling with the harsh realities of scarcity and loss.

In a significant turning point during this tumultuous period, Namikaza Minato's strategic destruction of the Kannabi Bridge marked a pivotal moment that gradually brought the long-lasting war of the Shinobi world to its conclusion. The echoes of this war, however, would resonate through the years, shaping the future of Konoha and the broader shinobi society.

In the softly lit room, bathed in traditional Japanese ambiance with six tatami mats and paper sliding doors adorned with subtle floral patterns, a boy, no older than 12, with neatly trimmed black hair and the iconic Byakugan, suddenly opened his eyes, as he laying across the floor, there was a rope with a noose on the ceiling, "What's this?"

Confusion clouded the young boy's expression as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. "Where's this? I was just trying to take a nap in Professor John's class. Why am I here now, and why does everything seem so big? No, wait, I'm small?"

As a typical modern university student, his initial thoughts naturally veered towards questioning the situation. "Is this some kind of virtual reality technology, or have I been kidnapped by someone?" The unfamiliarity of the Japanese-style setting only added to the mystery of his unexpected predicament.

Suddenly, an intense pain surged through his brain, accompanied by a flood of knowledge and memories pouring into his mind. It was an overwhelming experience, and it took a considerable amount of time for him to regain his composure. With one hand pressed against his head, he released a deep breath, muttering, "Hyuga Hiroshi, ninja, suicide..." His whispers continued as the memories from both his current situation and some of the body's original memories began to intertwine and integrate.

After a prolonged period, he managed to sort out the complex amalgamation of memories flooding his mind. He now named Hyuga Hiroshi, a 12-year-old, a talentless child from the Hyuga branch clan. Failing the Genin test and having recently lost his parents in the war, he felt a profound lack of motivation to continue living. The original body had chosen to end its life, and that was the moment he experienced the crossover.

Realization dawned upon him – he was the legendary Transmigrator. Understanding the circumstances of his arrival, he chuckled at the irony. It wasn't due to virtual technology or the mystical transportation by a Kamar Taj mage but rather the "classic" scenario of being hit by a truck in the classroom. Since crossover is always accompanied by truck-kun.

Standing up from the bed, he surveyed his surroundings. The small house consisted of two 6-tatami bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The absence of decorations on the walls and the lack of any expensive-looking items indicated the modest means of his original family. It was evident at a glance that they lived a humble, perhaps even impoverished, life.

After a thorough search around the house, he discovered only 5 million taels in cash in the master bedroom, likely representing the entire savings his parents had accumulated before sacrificing their lives in the war. The modest sum spoke volumes about the financial struggles his original family had faced.

As a normal college student born into a decent family, he had never experienced such hardships in life. The tragic life story of the original body left him with a deep sense of sympathy. He couldn't fathom the desperation the kid must have felt before deciding to end his life.

"I'm sorry about your experience," he spoke to no one in particular. "From now on, I'll be Hyuga Hiroshi. I promise you that I'll take care of your parents' grave carefully." He offered a minute of silence, a solemn respect of the hardships the original soul had endured.

After that, he left the house, wandered outside the Hyuga compound, and tried to make himself familiar with the surroundings. As he observed the streets lined with shops and stalls selling ninja tools and Japanese food, he couldn't help but release an emotional sigh. "I'm really in the Naruto world."

Being a fan of the manga in his previous life, he had memorized the entire plot. However, this knowledge made him acutely aware of the dangers this world posed. Ninjas fought everywhere, Black Zetsu tried to deceive everyone at every turn, the cunning Danzo efficiently eliminated his teammates, the old Madara planned to plunge the world into dreams, and overpowered aliens threatened invasion at any moment.

Suddenly, he recalled something – the system that often accompanied Travelers in transmigrator stories.

"Shit, how could I forget about that? Please be a check-in system, please, please, because I don't know how to fight at all."

With that thought, he hastily ran back home, leaving villagers around him puzzled, "Did that kid forget to close the gas stove?" Upon returning, he urgently called out, "System!" But there was only silence. Undeterred, he continued trying different words he knew, "Gold finger? Menu panel? God?..." 

Thirty minutes later, after wailing, howling, and every other expressive act imaginable, he reluctantly came to terms with the fact that he probably didn't have any special cheats in this chaotic and dangerous world.

"No way, no way..." he kept murmuring in despair. "Why did you send me to this world without any help? Why, God, f*** you?" He shouted out in desperation and then fell into silence.

'I'm dead', his last thought before laying on the ground, crying.

~the next morning~

After a night of wailing, he finally calmed down.

"Guess it's humor mode, then," he muttered.

There were countless stories of successful transmigrators before him, and he knew that. But guess what? "Bullshit," Hiroshi scoffed as if he tried to talk to someone.

An ordinary man in the 21st century suddenly transformed into a warmonger and professional killer as soon as he changed worlds—it was just ridiculous. Especially for Hiroshi, who had been taught by a traditional family in his previous life. He had learned to respect others, do good, avoid harming anyone for personal gain, and remain cautious of being deceived by those with ill intentions. While it might seem naive, he took pride in his values because he knew that it's easy to be a bad person, but not everyone can be a good person.

With that mindset, the thought of killing someone just for minimal task rewards seemed disgusting to him. Emotionally, he understood that he could never be a ninja.

On top of that, he didn't know how to fight at all. The original body was a person with extremely bad talents, evident by failing the Genin test. Even Naruto in the original series only failed because of the disturbance of the Nine-tails chakra with his own chakra. While it was only a theory in his previous life, according to the knowledge about chakra the original body had learned, this could actually be true.

The ninja world isn't a walk in the park. Dark secrets lurk, with Hokage and puppeteers like Danzo pulling the strings. The cursed seal on his forehead as a branch? It's not just for show; it's a mark of subservience to the clan's traditions. Fear cranks up to eleven as he grasps the gravity of his situation. But what can he do, crack a knock-knock joke?

"No, I have to think carefully about my future plan."

Considering he is just a regular person who has never even killed a chicken, and in this world where even a child can easily take down an adult, talking about Kakashi being a 5-year-old genin and 6-year-old chuunin – it's fucked up.

So, becoming a ninja is out of the question. Why? Because that decreases the chance of dying by a kunai. As his memories combined, he knew that even his original body couldn't dodge two kunai at the same time.

"If not being a ninja, then I cannot protect myself. If so, then I just have to avoid the chance of being attacked."

Luckily (or unluckily), the seal mark on his forehead prevents anyone from targeting his eyes. Avoiding being attacked is also possible; he just needs to be a commoner. Ninjas all follow the ninja code in their life, one of them being "Do not attack civilians." With only a small number of them violating it, those issues can be solved by hiring ninja guards.

Then, the problems can be solved using "Money."

"In conclusion, I just need to be rich in this world and not do anything that can be a target for anyone. Hmm, seems actually doable," a light bulb lighting up in his head as he gradually discovers the possibilities of how to survive in this world.

"Yes, I can do it, it's not impossible. Now I recall, there are a lot of cases in Naruto where they show the power of the rich, right? And this world also has a Daimyo, how can I forget about it? If that's the case, then I just need to... I just need to..." His brain was running fast as if the beautiful road had been opened up in front of his eyes. Suddenly, all thoughts came to a single conclusion: "Go to the Fire Capital."

By doing that, he can effortlessly avoid almost all terrifying events that happened in the manga—the Nine-tails incident, the Pain invasion, and Danzo. Even, if he did not leave his footprints on the butterfly effect, he only needs to wait for the protagonist to finish the last boss, while he just sleeps for a while. Even if he died by then, he would have lived at least 16 years already. While it may sound bad, just think of it as an unstoppable cataclysm. But he doesn't think that Naruto might fail.

"There is a God who put me here; that God should also know about the storyline of Naruto. Even if he is the one who created this entire universe based on the manga, so I don't think He allows the plot to fail." As for what that God might do to him, "Nah, don't think about it." He tried to ignore the fact that he had repeatedly cursed the very same God last night.

After sorting out his thoughts, he felt more and more refreshed and enlightened. He then took out a notebook, writing down the situation about the timeline so he could formulate a more detailed plan: "Well, I'm 12, this year is Konoha 53, the main protagonist will be born this year or the next year, so the next imminent event is the Nine-tails event, which will occur in this year or the next?" when he keeps scribbling these concerns into his small notebook, he abruptly stopped "wait, this or next year?"

As if being electrocuted, Hiroshi dropped his pen, the only thought running in his mind at the moment was "Run."