Takeda Shuichi

After 40 years in Konoha, Takeda Shuichi stood in his house, watching snowflakes gently descend outside the window. He remained unperturbed by the fact that he had traversed into the Hidden Leaf Village in the Naruto world.

Through a glass barely larger than two heads, Shuichi could vaguely see his youthful face. His lustrous, purplish-black hair framed his forehead, and his bright, observant eyes reflected his delicate and youthful countenance.

In his previous life, Shuichi grew up carefree in Peng City, Leihai Province, in the southern part of the Hua Nation. His parents, warm-hearted and determined inland villagers, became prosperous due to Peng City's openness and interactions with merchants from the harbor city across the strait.

In the past, Shuichi had two sisters, a brother, and a worry-free youth. His parents emphasized imparting good behavior rather than involvement in academic matters. Shuichi, a child who spoke little but always thought deeply, excelled academically.

While his two sisters married early, and his brother joined the family business after completing his undergraduate studies, Shuichi, with surplus family assets, pursued education abroad after graduating from high school. Recently, he felt a bit lost about his future after completing the final semester of his graduate studies.

Despite his momentary concerns, Shuichi, an inherently optimistic person, swiftly dismissed these worries and engaged in spirited League of Legends battles with his classmates.

"Recently, Infinite Firepower started again. Interested?" a friend asked.

"Of course! I just bought the new skin today. No one better steal EZ from me!"

"Shu, Shu-ge, the invitation is sent. Hurry into the room. Today, I specifically invited those two attractive girls from our previous group project. If you get over 30 kills and fly with them, hehehe..."

Due to his years of studying abroad, Shuichi experienced moments of loneliness. From being a studious and well-behaved child, he transformed into a slightly introverted otaku.

While he sporadically followed anime like Naruto during his childhood, he had revisited the series, including reading the manga multiple times, as he grew older.

Although Shuichi had watched various anime, Naruto held a special place in his heart. In his leisure time, he didn't have many hobbies besides occasional physical activities, gaming, and watching anime. He had invested spare money in collecting Naruto figurines.

"No need to rush; even if you fly with them, what's next? Part ways in two months?... I'm in," Shuichi responded casually.

"Wow, are you always this calm? Well, with your conditions, you won't lack attention when you return to the country. Started, started!"

However, despite his nonchalant demeanor, Shuichi was a bit troubled today, so he decided to focus on the game. Lately, he occasionally checked Naruto's side stories but dismissed Boruto with disdain, considering it a commercialized attempt to capitalize on nostalgia after Naruto's conclusion.

Thinking about Naruto, he suddenly felt an itch to play a ninja hero. Glancing at the hero list, he promptly selected Akali.

Entering the game swiftly, perhaps stimulated by the girl's voice or the nostalgia of graduation season, Shuichi seemed unusually irritable today. Four minutes into the game, he brandished the "Book of Kills," achieving 30 kills in less than 20 minutes, neglecting even attacking towers, almost trapping the entire opposing team in their fountain.

As Shuichi played, his posture became more audacious, half-lying on his chair with his feet stretched forward. Unintentionally, his feet nearly reached the power strip in the middle.

Perhaps even the heavens couldn't stand it. Suddenly, Shuichi's small hand trembled, and after a positioning mistake, the opposing team finally punished him.

Just as he was about to express his frustration by slamming the keyboard, an electrical surge from the power outlet occurred. Shuichi felt a sudden loss of strength, darkness enveloped him, and he lost consciousness.

Upon awakening, he felt an uncontrollable, numb sensation throughout his body, struggling to sit up after a long time. He realized he had turned into a child, surrounded by a somewhat outdated wooden house.

The room had a strong Japanese style, eerily similar to what he had seen on a music app in his previous life. Initially, Shuichi thought he might be dreaming in a hospital.

Over the past few days, occasional memories, akin to movie recordings, popped into his mind, making him understand that he had transmigrated into the Naruto world's Hidden Leaf Village, becoming a 4-year-old orphan named Takeda Shuichi.

Takeda Shuichi's original family belonged to a lineage of ninjas. His father, Takeda Kenta, was a special jōnin in the Hidden Leaf Village, with ancestors known as renowned samurai from long ago. However, in the era of the Five Great Nations, they were merely descendants of settlers who arrived at Konoha's founding and achieved the level of a special jōnin within less than 30 years, which was no small feat.

His mother, also from a similar background, possessed a natural talent for medical ninjutsu, contributing to the medical system established by Lady Tsunade in the Hidden Leaf Village. Due to these circumstances, after his parents' demise, Shuichi wasn't placed in the Hidden Leaf Orphanage. Instead, the village assigned him a house strikingly similar to Naruto Uzumaki's, near the center of Konoha and next to the village's reservoir, for specialized care.

Takeda Shuichi's original self was a lively child. However, upon learning of his parents' demise half a month ago, he first experienced overwhelming grief. Moving to his current residence only left him in a dazed and confused state.

A few days ago, Shuichi's soul transmigrated, and he accepted this new body without much resistance. After all, as a 4-year-old, his memories were limited.

Currently, the ninja world was far from peaceful, still in the aftermath of the Second Shinobi World War. Shuichi knew that the war would end soon, and the original self's parents unfortunately died during this turbulent period.

In the first few days after his arrival, Shuichi spent time reminiscing about his parents from his previous life. Many things, once taken for granted, became precious only when lost.

"Since I'm here, I should accept it. I'm starting a new life. The future is long; let's pull ourselves together as soon as possible," Shuichi silently encouraged himself.

During these days from his transmigration until now, he could only reassure himself that he had to live well in this lifetime.

Although the Naruto manga and anime portrayed a world of fiery determination, Shuichi, reborn as Takeda Shuichi, had to confront the first issue – the choices for his future.