Chapter 1: Embers of Fire

"Hey, Fūka, wake up already! It was just a kick; you're letting your willpower sink too much!"

"If you don't wake up soon, I'm leaving!"

"If I leave, no one will take care of you, you jerk."

"Damn it, I'm going to help an old lady cross the street. I don't care about you anymore!"

The nagging voice gradually faded away. On a tatami mat with a distinct Japanese style, a pale 6-year-old boy slowly opened his eyes.

"I... am Uchiha Fūka?"

A surge of unfamiliar memories poured out from the deepest part of his mind, frantically stimulating a certain part of his brain. In an instant, his eyes were filled with a sharp, painful sensation, as if countless ants were crawling around inside, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Fūka writhed in pain on the tatami mat, knocking over a mirror.

He hurriedly grabbed the mirror and looked at it, only to see a pair of blood-red, ominous pupils staring back at him.

"Is this... the Sharingan?"

In the blood-red pupils, a black tomoe was slowly rotating around the iris, looking exceedingly sinister!

"I really have become Uchiha Fūka. This is the world of Naruto?!"

Fūka's expression was one of utter disbelief. Naruto was just an anime, wasn't it? How could this be happening?

It took him a full five minutes to reluctantly and somewhat happily accept this reality.

"In my previous life, I was just a regular kid from an ordinary family, with no background or connections. After graduation, I worked in a factory, working overtime until 9:30 every night, leading a mundane life for several years with nothing to show for it… I'm sorry to my parents."

Fūka sighed, and without realizing it, his Sharingan gradually faded away. After all, it was newly awakened and, given his age, he couldn't sustain it for long.

Exhausted, Fūka fell back into a deep sleep.

The next day, when he opened his eyes again, he had fully recovered.

Yesterday, the Ninja Academy had conducted its graduation exam. The 5-year-old Kakashi had graduated with outstanding results, breaking the record for the youngest graduate in the academy's history. He had become a super genius in Konoha, admired by countless people.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Fūka was high-spirited and proud, and naturally disliked Kakashi's showy behavior. He decided to challenge Kakashi in public and ended up getting kicked away, becoming the laughingstock of the entire school.

"Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy. This period should be right between the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. I remember the trigger for the Third Shinobi World War was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage..."

Fūka wasn't concerned about his challenge with Kakashi; after all, it wasn't something he'd be involved in. He was more focused on recalling the Naruto storyline, though many details had faded over the years.

"The Third and Fourth Shinobi World Wars were bloodbaths, each more horrifying than the last. Without sufficient strength, one would become cannon fodder, not even knowing how they died!"

"Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, and the Akatsuki... all of them are beyond human!"

"Right, Kakashi's father was the White Fang of Konoha, a super existence that even the Legendary Three Ninjas would avoid. If I could receive his guidance... well, the Uchiha and Hatake clans have a notoriously strained relationship."

With his mind spinning, Fūka felt overwhelmed and distressed.

At that moment, he heard the sound of a door opening from outside.

"Fūka, I'm coming in."

A little boy with goggles walked in—none other than the person who had taken care of Fūka yesterday.

"...Uchiha Obito?!" Fūka nearly jumped out of his skin and did a 360-degree flip in his mind. It took him a moment to remember that Obito was his age and was still a struggling student at the Ninja Academy, far behind him in terms of rank.

"Eh? Fūka, are you surprised to see me?" Obito casually walked over and sat beside Fūka on the tatami mat, feeling his forehead. "No fever, huh."

"Idiot, I'm perfectly fine!" Fūka's face reddened a bit. How could he, an adult in a child's body, be so startled by a little kid? He wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

"Well, speaking of which, don't go out alone lately," Obito said, continuing nonchalantly. "Your challenge to Kakashi has already spread through the clan. Everyone thinks you embarrassed the Uchiha clan, and many people are eager to beat you up."

"Can you be more serious when you say that?" Fūka's mouth twitched.

"I'm just happy for you!" Obito laughed heartily. "Isn't this what you always wanted—to make a name for yourself in Konoha? Now, your dream has come true. I'm truly happy for you."

"You jerk!"

In Fūka's memories, he and Obito were neighbors and had played together since they were little. They had a good friendship, though Obito's kind nature contrasted sharply with Fūka's prideful and stubborn demeanor. Still, their friendship remained strong.

"Oh, and I'm sorry, I made you breakfast but ended up giving it to an old lady I helped across the street," Obito said, slapping his forehead with a look of regret.

Fūka's eye twitched. "Dude, you live right next door. Was crossing the street necessary?"

Obito tilted his head, grinning shamelessly. "Well, I also went to see Rin, haha."

Fūka was completely speechless.

Rin was the girl Obito had secretly admired for years. It was because of her that Obito ultimately fell into Uchiha Madara's trap and became a puppet.

But... looking at Obito, who was the same age as him and only 6 years old, Fūka couldn't believe he was already experiencing unrequited love.

Just how precocious are you? Were you already developing feelings before you were even born?

Fūka sighed and covered his forehead.

"Fūka, don't be so disappointed. Kakashi's just relying on his genius father's guidance. If we work hard, we can graduate next year too!" Obito said with enthusiasm, imagining himself proudly graduating and appearing in front of Rin, a silly grin plastered on his face.

Gurgle...

Fūka's stomach protested after a whole day without food.

"Ah, Fūka, let's go out to eat. I'll treat you to ramen!" Obito sprang up with surprising agility.

Fūka moved, noticing that his head wasn't hurting as much, and nodded. He put on his clothes.

"Fūka, you're so slow," Obito complained from the side.

What could Fūka do? He was equally helpless, as his current clothes were different from his previous life. He couldn't just ask how to wear them and had to take his time figuring it out.

Finally, ten minutes later, Fūka, a bit weary, dressed and left the house with Obito.