Chapter 1: Time Travel? Rebirth?

Ninja World, Land of Fire, Village Hidden in the Leaves.

As the prestigious Uchiha clan of the entire Konoha village, the Uchiha clan has its own significant piece of land in Konoha.

At this moment, within the Uchiha clan's territory, inside an ordinary small building, a two-year-old child sits on the steps in the backyard with a troubled expression, occasionally scratching his head.

Finally, the little boy, who had to accept the reality, could only sigh helplessly.

"So, does this mean I have really traveled through time?"

The little boy muttered to himself, his eyes filled with confusion. Then, he uncertainly said,

"Or perhaps, I've been reborn? Well, it doesn't matter. There's no point in dwelling on this."

That's right! The little boy has a secret, he is not a native of this world, or more accurately, his soul comes from another world. That world is called the "Earth", and in that world, the little boy's past life was a university student named Lin Qing.

In that world, Lin Qing was quite exceptional, attending one of the top universities in the country and pursuing dual degrees in biology and medicine. While in university, Lin Qing developed a passion for reading novels. The scenes of mountains crumbling and seas overturning in various fantasy and martial arts novels fascinated him. This one time, he stayed up all night reading, accidentally became addicted, and lost consciousness without waking up.

Lin Qing's soul was transported to this world and became a young boy named Uchiha Kiyoshi.

Perhaps it was a puzzle in the womb? Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't directly bring his memories when he crossed over. Initially, when Uchiha Kiyoshi was a child, everything was normal without any anomalies. However, when he turned one year old, he began dreaming fragments of Lin Qing's memories. Over the course of a year, Uchiha Kiyoshi went from occasionally dreaming to having additional memories from his past life.

However, Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't make a fuss about it. Perhaps it was a subconscious reaction or maybe because he had seen similar things in the additional memories and knew that he shouldn't draw attention to himself at this time, or else he might be noticed and dissected.

And so, Uchiha Kiyoshi gradually awakened to the memories of his past life, even though his parents, who he spent every day with, had no idea about the changes taking place within Uchiha Kiyoshi . In fact, apart from not telling his parents about the occasional additional memories, Uchiha Kiyoshi acted completely normal, just like any other child. He always regarded those memories as something like "movies" that he watched.

Until a few days ago, when his parents tragically died on a mission, Uchiha Kiyoshi was deeply devastated. These past couple of days had been hazy for him. Originally, the complete awakening of Lin Qing's memories would take at least three years, but due to the recent events, all of Lin Qing's memories awakened at once. It was then that Uchiha Kiyoshi realized he had crossed over, and the previous process was his own memory awakening.

But it's fortunate that there was something like the puzzle in the womb. Uchiha Kiyoshi's memories awakened in segments, allowing him to slowly recover all of his memories. Otherwise, it would have been suspicious for a newborn baby to abruptly display such reactions. Awakening memories gradually and regaining them bit by bit was actually quite good, as it was easier to accept.

These past couple of days, Uchiha Kiyoshi has also sorted out his own situation.

This time, the parents of Uchiha Kiyoshi are both ninjas of the Uchiha clan and members of the same team. The father possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan, while the mother only has the regular Sharingan. A few days ago, during a mission, their team encountered a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village, resulting in the entire team being wiped out. The reinforcements that arrived later discovered their bodies and deduced what had happened based on the scene.

The reason why Uchiha Kiyoshi , at such a young age, knows about his parents' Sharingan is that they never hid it from him. In fact, they would proudly activate their Sharingan in front of him and educate him about its power. Strange as it may sound, ever since Kiyoshi awakened all of his memories after the great change, he feels that his mind is extremely clear, and he can recall many things from his memories. However, he realizes that he doesn't possess a photographic memory. Still, after studying something carefully for three or four times, Kiyoshi can remember it.

Kiyoshi speculates that his soul has become stronger due to the profound changes he experienced and the acquisition of memories from his past life. But all of this isn't the most important thing to him.

What Kiyoshi is most concerned about now is the situation in this world. Thanks to the memories he received from his past life, Kiyoshi is intelligent despite being only two years old. He has already learned the language of this world and can communicate with others normally. According to his limited understanding, if he's not mistaken, the world he is in now is the world of a popular anime called "Naruto."

"Sigh! How did I end up being reborn in such a world? The world of ninja, huh? It can be said that it's the cruelest world to start in, especially as an Uchiha."

Every time he thinks about his identity, Kiyoshi feels a headache.

The Uchiha clan is destined to be annihilated by that man. Kiyoshi is afraid that one day he'll wake up and find that man standing before him, ready to attack him.

Concerning his future, Kiyoshi has been pondering for several days. Finally, he has made up his mind, showing a determined expression as he clenches his teeth and says, "Alright! I must become a ninja. In a world like this, without strength, one will be at the mercy of others. Becoming a ninja is the best choice to gain power."

Once he has made his decision, Kiyoshi starts planning his future.

"Firstly, it's impossible to be a prodigy. Regardless of the time period, the Uchiha and Konoha's relationship has never been good. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. As an orphan, if I become too outstanding, I'll either be recruited by someone from the Hokage lineage or be ostracized by the village. Either way, it will bring endless troubles."

Kiyoshi establishes his own character first but then mocks himself, "Ha, I don't even know my own talent yet, and here I am thinking about becoming a prodigy."

However, Kiyoshi quickly dismisses his self-deprecating thoughts.

"In my past life, I was considered a prodigy. Even in this world of cultivation, I should be able to make some waves, right? Besides, my soul is powerful, which gives me an advantage. And most importantly, I am an Uchiha. With memories from my past life, opening a Sharingan shouldn't be too much to ask for, right? Uh, it's not too much. It shouldn't be."

Regaining his confidence, Kiyoshi begins to plan his future once again.

After briefly outlining his goals, Kiyoshi stands up and returns to the house.

"Planning is the most unreliable thing. Just set a rough direction. For now, I should tidy up and have a meal. My parents passed away recently, and there are a few things to take care of. I'll think more carefully about my situation when I have time later.

These days, I should also gather some information. I need to know what time period I'm in now, right? Based on my memories from the previous year, the situation between Uchiha and Konoha isn't that severe yet. There haven't been any signs of a coup or anything. It should still be early."

As Uchiha Kiyoshi cooked, he muttered to himself.

In his past life, he was a gifted student, and since his parents were often not at home in this life, Uchiha Kiyoshi had been cooking for himself since he could walk. So his cooking skills were decent. In no time, he had prepared a delicious meal.

Looking at the food in front of him, Uchiha Kiyoshi began to eat.

Although he had accepted everything and temporarily calmed down, Uchiha Kiyoshi couldn't help but fantasize about his future, imagining himself becoming powerful and capable of destroying everything with his every move.

"And the Sharingan, I wonder how I'll awaken it in the future. It seems that novels are deceiving. It's not as easy as unlocking it at the age of six or even getting the Mangekyou Sharingan right after the parents' death. It's not happening at all.

If even my parents could awaken it, there shouldn't be a problem with my bloodline, but it's been so long since I received the news of their death, and there hasn't been the slightest sign of awakening.

Well, it seems that awakening doesn't necessarily require intense emotional changes. There are other conditions. Many things I knew from my past life can only be considered as reference.

It should be related to chakra, right? I don't even have chakra now. Isn't unlocking the Sharingan just wishful thinking?"

While eating, Uchiha Kiyoshi would occasionally pause and mutter a few words.

"Oh? Kiyoshi , is the food ready? You truly are a good child. By the way, what were you muttering about earlier when I came in?"

Just as Uchiha Kiyoshi finished his muttering, a gentle voice sounded from behind him.

Uchiha Kiyoshi heard it and was startled but quickly responded, "Ah, it's nothing. I was just commenting on the food. Ah, haha."

Replying with his mouth, Uchiha Kiyoshi inwardly admonished himself, "It seems I shouldn't say everything out loud in the future. Many things are better kept to myself. Fortunately, I wasn't heard this time. Otherwise, as a two-year-old child, if someone heard me talking about awakening and past lives, it would be disastrous."

Uchiha Kiyoshi turned around and looked toward the entrance.

There stood an elderly woman with a kind face and a hunched figure, holding a basket in her hand.

This elderly woman was Uchiha Kiyoshi's neighbor. After his parents' death, Uchiha Kiyoshi had been taken care of by her during those hazy days.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was grateful to this neighbor. After his parents' death, he relied on her care during those few days to get through it.

Assisted by Uchiha Kiyoshi , the old woman walked into the kitchen and, observing the scene around her, felt sympathy for this child who lost his parents at such a young age.

"Kiyoshi , life and death are fated. You shouldn't be too sad. Your parents in the afterlife would also want you to live happily.

Also, a few days later, someone from the clan will come to arrange for you to go to the orphanage in the clan. If you don't want to go, I can talk to them, and I'll take care of you myself."

Upon hearing the neighbor's concern, Uchiha Kiyoshi was moved for a moment but then declined.

"Grandma, it's better to forget about it. I can take care of myself. Look, I can cook for myself."

Seeing this, the old woman didn't insist any further. She sighed and placed the basket on the dining table.

"These are the dishes I made for you. Although you've already cooked for yourself, I'll leave them here for you. Don't worry; they'll stay warm, and you can eat them in the evening. In the future, if you feel hungry, you can come to my house, and I'll cook for you."

After saying that, she turned and left Uchiha Kiyoshi's house.

Watching the old woman's figure recede, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt a warm current flowing through his heart.

"It seems that not all Uchihas are arrogant, ill-tempered. There are still many kind-hearted clan members."