01 - The System

Rain poured down on a remote village in the Land of Rain, turning dirt streets into muddy rivers. Through the downpour, shadows darted between buildings.

A rogue ninja lunged at a young man. He ducked under the swing, using his momentum to slide through the mud. Then, he spun and launched a kunai. The blade found its mark, burying itself in the rogue's throat.

As the body fell, he was already moving to his next target. He quickly categorized threats and formulated strategies. Two more on the left, one trying to flank from behind. Tanaka's exposed...

"Flank left!" he shouted. "Tanaka, watch your six!"

His comrades responded instantly, falling into formation around him. Akatsuki members cornered the remaining enemies, their coordinated attacks leaving no room for escape.

The young man faced off against the last standing rogue—a burly man with a scarred face and wild eyes. The rogue charged, swinging a massive sword. At the last moment, the young man dropped and swept the rogue's legs. As the rogue stumbled, the young man's kunai found its home between his ribs.

The rogue's was shock as he fell, his sword clattering to the ground.

The young man stood over his fallen opponent. "Threat neutralized," he said.

He turned to survey the aftermath. The wandering samurai and rogue ninjas who had attacked the village were now captured and pinned to the ground, awaiting judgment.

Crouching on a tree branch about two meters off the ground, he casually tossed a kunai in his hand. His eyes scanned the battlefield, observing every detail.

The young captain's gaze settled on a group of prisoners being herded together by his subordinates. He smiled as he watched their fearful expressions.

Soon, Tanaka approached him, dragging a few prisoners along. "Captain Shin, the enemy has surrendered. What should we do next?"

"Don't disturb me, I'm thinking," Shin replied in an annoyed tone.

Hearing this, Tanaka shuddered. After spending several weeks with him, he had learned that whenever Shin started thinking, death was usually on the horizon.

Tanaka was extremely cautious as he nervously addressed Shin, who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, much younger than himself. "Captain Shin, please don't think about killing them anymore. Yahiko-sama specifically instructed us before the mission not to take any more lives."

Last time he 'thought,' we had to bury six bodies.

"Besides, according to our initial questioning, these people are locals from the Land of Rain. They became wanderers only because they had no other choice. Yahiko-sama said these people could eventually come to understand our ideals and even become our allies."

"We should show them some leniency."

Finally, Shin stopped tossing the kunai and turned his head with a mocking smile. "Yes, they might understand us one day and even join us. But that's only a possibility, isn't it?"

"At the same time, they might never understand us, never agree with us. They might even bear a grudge against us because of what happened today and seek revenge."

"I'm an orphan, all alone, so I don't really care."

His gaze locked onto Tanaka, his smile turning predatory. "But you still have a family, don't you?"

"I recall you have a sister, isn't that right? A cute little girl, lives in Droplet Village on the hillside. She's twelve this year, has a mole under her right eye, and likes to wear a paper flower in her hair, just like Sister Konan. She has dimples when she smiles."

How... how does he know all this?

"Aren't you worried these people might not agree with us and seek revenge on your sister?"

Tanaka was terrified! Is he doing this on purpose?

He had to be. He was deliberately revealing all these details about Tanaka's sister in front of the prisoners. How was Tanaka supposed to stay calm after that?

But despite Shin's persuasion, he couldn't defy Yahiko's orders. Yahiko was still a respected leader among Akatsuki's early members.

Even though Shin had pushed him into a corner, he tried to reason. "No... they know they were wrong."

The captured wanderers quickly begged for mercy, backing Tanaka up.

"Yes! We know we were wrong! Please, give us another chance. We won't ever oppose Akatsuki again!" one of them cried out, his voice quavering with fear.

But Shin, still on the tree, just smiled. "Heh, Tanaka, they don't realize they were wrong. They just know they're about to die."

He hopped down from the branch, landing softly on the ground. "If you bring them to Yahiko, you're betting that they haven't lost all sense of morality."

Shin paced slowly in front of the prisoners, his eyes never leaving Tanaka. "But didn't the villagers just tell us? These men have all killed before. They've all got blood on their hands. None of them are innocent."

"So, are you willing to take that gamble?"

"Tanaka," Shin whispered, moving closer to him. "You don't want anything to happen to your sister, right?"

At that moment, Tanaka realized just how much of a fucker Shin was. Damn it! Who brought him into Akatsuki?

After struggling for a while, he finally gave in. "Captain Shin, how do you think we should handle this?"

I'm sorry, Yahiko-sama, I'm not trying to disobey you, he silently apologized. It wasn't the first time; he'd found himself apologizing like this several times in recent weeks.

"Don't rush, I'm still thinking," Shin said, this time with a smile.

"Not long ago, didn't we receive intel about Iwa ninjas infiltrating from the north?"

"Yes," Tanaka responded, resigned to his fate.

"Good. Then take these people to the forest up north and bury them there."

"Report that we fought off the enemy who attacked the village, but unfortunately, we didn't capture any prisoners. On the way back, we happened to discover the trail of Iwa spies, and after tracking them, we killed them all in the northern forest. That's the story."

Shin's plan caused the captured wanderers to struggle desperately. Without missing a beat, he casually threw the kunai he had been playing with, piercing one of the prisoners' foreheads and killing him instantly.

Even while making this move, Shin's voice remained steady and unaffected. "Remember to strip them of their clothes before you bury them. Yahiko is sometimes quite particular, especially with missions I lead. He might even dig up the bodies afterward to check. So make sure everything looks convincing."

Tanaka was beyond frustrated. He had so many words he wanted to scream. Why was Yahiko so particular about Shin's missions? Didn't Shin know?

Finally, Shin patted him on the shoulder. "I'll leave this to you, Tanaka. It's all to protect your cute sister, after all."

Tanaka gritted his teeth, barely containing his anger. "Captain Shin, should I thank you for this?"

Feigning innocence, Shin replied, "Shouldn't you?"

"..."

In the end, Tanaka had no choice but to carry out the orders, though he silently lamented as he walked away.

How did things end up like this?

Just a few months ago, Akatsuki had felt so warm and bright, like sunshine.

The reason for this change was something Shin could answer—because a few months ago, the current Shin had just crossed over into this world.

Several months earlier, he had been just an ordinary orphan in the Land of Rain. He had been agile but otherwise unremarkable. Only after being taken in by Akatsuki had he learned how to extract chakra and begun his journey as a ninja.

From the moment he had arrived in the ninja world, Shin had been fighting for survival.

It had been real, life-threatening danger. He'd nearly died. The cause? A damn banana peel.

The very first day after his transmigration, Shin had heard a strange voice in his mind:

[System Alert: You have been bound to the Fate System by Anāhata.]

[This system observes existing information to simulate and predict your future outcomes.]

[After evaluation, the system has analyzed that your future has the following probabilities:

70.0% chance of death in 3 days, cause: slipping on a banana peel thrown in your path, falling into the street, and being trampled by a horse carriage;

17.0% chance of death in 153 days, cause: revenge by rogue ninjas from the Land of Rain;

23.7% chance of death in 337 days, cause: choking on a banana during a high-stakes negotiation with Hanzo of the Salamander;

33.1% chance of death in 402 days, cause: killed during Hanzo of the Salamander's purge;

35.7% chance of death in 402 days, cause: collateral damage from Nagato's Rinnegan losing control;

7.2% chance of death in 1,153 days, cause: kidnapped by Konoha's Root organization, subjected to experiments, leading to physical collapse;

4.8% chance of death in 1,467 days, cause: traded to Orochimaru by Root and dissolved as experiment material;

1.6% chance of death in 3,891 days, cause: killed during Orochimaru's defection from Konoha;

0.5% chance of death in 6,315 days, cause: killed during the Konoha Crush orchestrated by Orochimaru;

0.4% chance of death in 7,825 days, cause: Slipping on a banana peel during a crucial battle, impaling yourself on your own kunai;

0.1% chance of death in 31,330 days, cause: natural death.]

Shin's expression at that moment had been utterly numb. Three days. A banana peel. It seemed absurd, yet the system's warning was dire.

Luckily, it also had informed him that his actions could change these predictions in real time. Moreover, if his efforts had led to significant changes in his fate, the system could siphon power from the river of destiny and grant him rewards.

For the next two days, Shin had avoided bananas like the plague. But on the third day, he had had no choice but to go outside. His eyes had scanned the ground constantly, watching for any sign of the fruit peel.

But it had come from above.

A banana peel, casually tossed from a window, had struck Shin's face. Momentarily blinded, he had stumbled. Something on the ground, he couldn't see what, had caused him to slip. As he had fallen, he had heard the sound of an approaching carriage.

In that instant, survival instinct had taken over. His hand had shot out, grasping something from the ground. Without thinking, he had thrown it toward the sound of the carriage. A dull thud, followed by shouts, had told him he'd hit his mark. The horses had whinnied as their driver had yanked the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt mere inches from where Shin had lain.

As the dust had settled, he had realized he was alive. He had beaten the system's prediction. Looking up, he had locked eyes with the startled face of the banana peel thrower, still leaning out the window.

"Thank you," Shin had called out calmly. The man's confused expression had been the last thing he had seen before he had disappeared into the shadows.

That night, as the man who had thoughtlessly tossed the banana peel had slept, Shin had paid him a visit. It had been quick, silent, and final. His first kill in this new world. It had been a grim lesson that in a world of ninjas, even the smallest actions could have deadly consequences.

As he had left, he had known the man would never carelessly endanger another life again. And Shin? He had learned that in this world, survival meant taking control of his fate, no matter the cost.

It had been kill or be killed. He had chosen to live, no matter the cost. And if that had meant occasionally being the villain, that had been a small price to pay for survival.