Chapter 1

In one of the rooms of the orphanage, forced breaths and whispered groans echoed in the air. Although everyone present ignored it as one of the usual cries of the children, sounds not uncommon to hear in an orphanage.

"Ah!" A sharp cry of pain came from one of the children, causing the others sleeping beside him to wake up, and one of the caretakers on duty rushed into the room.

The boy with white hair and blue eyes, like the sky, looked around, uneasy and confused until the voice of the woman in charge called him, gripping his shoulders firmly.

"Eiji-kun, are you alright?" the concerned woman asked, shaking the boy to get a reaction.

The drowsy-eyed children around him looked in Eiji's direction, perplexed by the noise. The younger ones burst into tears at being awakened so abruptly, while the others went back to sleep upon seeing the caretaker in the room.

"Yumi-neechan, what's happening?" asked a girl rubbing her eye with fatigue. "Don't worry, Mari-chan, it's just that Eiji-kun is feeling a little sick. You can go back to sleep," she replied, receiving a small nod from the girl, who went back to sleep.

Eiji looked at the woman, confused, but before he could say a word, an unbearable headache caused him to faint.

"A doctor!" the woman shouted to her colleagues, snapping them out of their daze.

----

In a separate room, Eiji rested peacefully while Yumi and Nana, the orphanage matron, watched the boy as a ninja medic examined him for any injuries. Suddenly, the medic's expression changed to one of surprise, startling Yumi.

"Is something wrong, Kenji-san?" asked Nana, noticing the medic's face.

"No, quite the opposite. It's actually something very good for the boy," he responded with a smile, looking at Yumi and Nana. "His Chakra network opened up; that's why he fainted."

"But he shouldn't have fainted just by opening his Chakra network," Yumi pointed out, with a look of doubt on her face.

"That's true. Normally, his networks would open gradually until he turned 5 years old, but because his chakra reserves are larger than his body can handle, his Chakra network was forced to open abruptly, and that's why he fainted," the medic explained, while Yumi and Nana looked at Eiji with concern.

"As I said before, you don't need to worry. In fact, he's not the first one this has happened to; Lord Third and Sennin Jiraiya also experienced it. Once Young Eiji wakes up, he should undergo special training to adapt his body to his large chakra reserves," he said while writing on a scroll.

"Take this," he said, handing the scroll to the matron. "Give this to the ninja responsible for training the academy aspirants," he requested, receiving nods from Yumi and Nana.

"Very well, that would be all for now. He'll probably wake up early tomorrow, with a strong headache," he said with a slight laugh.

"Thank you very much for coming, Kenji-san," Nana expressed her gratitude with a bow, followed by Yumi. "I know you're usually busy at the hospital, and it must have been tough to come here."

"It was no problem; besides, this place is where I spent my early childhood," he said with nostalgia. "So, I owe a lot to this place," he mentioned, laughing lightly, and walked towards the orphanage door, guided by Nana and Yumi. After more thank-yous, Kenji, the ninja medic, disappeared in a blur.

Yumi let out a sigh of relief she had been holding since Eiji fainted, receiving a faint chuckle from Nana.

"Who would have thought Eiji-kun was so special," Nana commented to Yumi, who nodded with a smile on her face.

"Eiji-kun will be thrilled when he wakes up; becoming a ninja has always been his dream. And knowing that he awakened his chakra early will make him very happy," Yumi happily expressed before letting out a long yawn.

"I'm sure of that, but for now, go rest. Your shift should have ended two hours ago," Nana said, chuckling lightly as she noticed Yumi's drowsy face. Yumi nodded and went to her room slowly, while Nana shook her head with amusement.

----

«Where am I?» Eiji wondered, looking around carefully as his vision cleared. The room was very simple, with cracked white walls, a small window on the wall next to the bed, a small bedside table, and a table lamp. As simple as it was, what caught his attention the most was a small mirror hanging next to the window.

Eiji gently caressed his face with his hand. The face in the mirror felt so familiar to him, as if he had seen it all his life, but at the same time, it felt wrong, as if it wasn't his own, which made the slight headache he had been feeling since waking up worsen.

«Who am I?» he questioned, holding his head and trying to stop the sharp pain that gnawed at his mind. «I am Satoru Eiji,» he said to himself, but quickly corrected himself. «No, I am... Who am I?» The same question he asked when he saw his reflection in the mirror resurfaced in his mind, unable to comprehend what was happening to him.

"Oh! Eiji, I'm glad you've awakened," Yumi entered the room, getting the attention of the young white-haired boy who looked at her with uncertainty. Eiji had memories of the woman; he knew who she was, her name, and the nickname that all the children in the orphanage affectionately called her.

"Yumi...san," the boy responded visibly uncomfortable using the appropriate honorific.

"Are you okay, Eiji-kun?" Yumi asked Eiji, noticing his state.

"Don't worry... I just have a terrible headache," he replied, slowly getting up from the bed, feeling his body lighter than ever before.

"I imagine you must be excited," she exclaimed with a smile on her face. "After all, today is the day, right?"

«The day?» Eiji questioned himself, but seconds later, his eyes widened with surprise as he understood her words, causing his heart to beat faster, and he started gasping for air.

"Don't worry, Eiji-kun," Yumi reassured, calming Eiji down from his panic attack. "You'll become a great ninja."

Eiji began to calm down, taking control of his breathing. Yumi gently stroked his head and began to walk towards the dining room, followed by Eiji.

Upon entering the dining room filled with children talking animatedly due to the man dressed in a green vest and forehead protector, talking with Nana, Yumi and Eiji separated. Eiji went to the table with children his age, and Yumi went to talk with the other caretakers of the orphanage.

"Oh! Eiji, are you feeling better already?" asked a six-year-old boy like Eiji. His gaze was a bit silly, and his hair was black, wearing shorts and a sleeveless green shirt, just like Eiji, dressed in old clothes.

"I just felt a little sick, but I'm fine now, Kato...san," he explained, receiving a confused look from the boy due to his way of speaking, and then he shrugged and returned to his friends.

"Alright, everyone, take your seats," Nana ordered, making Eiji quickly find a place. "This man is Yamada Saito; he will train all of you who have the potential to enter the academy. So behave well and follow all his orders if you want to become great Leaf Shinobi."

The man beside her nodded, although his gaze was blank, his eyes showed a deep pride that even Yumi noticed, causing a bead of sweat to appear on the neck of all the caretakers.

"As Nana-san said, I will be in charge of your training, but first, everyone will have to pass a test, and that will determine who can take the training. For now, eat calmly, and in 30 minutes, I'll be waiting for you in the garden," he explained before disappearing, leaving all the children and some adults with their eyes wide open in surprise.

Eiji looked at the spot where the man was; his expression was full of surprise, contrasting with the excitement of the children around him. Meanwhile, in his mind, a phrase kept repeating: «I am in the world of Naruto.»