Konoha, Year 48
October 10
Night...
Deep within a forest more than a dozen kilometers from Konohagakure, a naked infant lying atop a ritual altar slowly opened his eyes.
Where am I?
Above him stretched a sky filled with countless stars.
A brilliant silver moon hung high overhead.
An endless forest surrounded him on all sides.
After a brief moment of confusion, the baby took in his surroundings. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his innocent eyes, while the thick scent of blood hanging in the air filled him with instinctive unease.
Ding! Earth transmigrator detected. Beginning System binding... 1%... 2%... 3%...
Before he could gather his thoughts, a cold mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
Earth transmigrator? A System? Did I transmigrate?
He clearly remembered what had happened.
After failing the college entrance examination, he had wandered the streets alone late at night, drowning his frustration in alcohol. While crossing the road, he hadn’t noticed the red traffic light. A heavily loaded truck had slammed into him, sending him flying dozens of meters before darkness claimed his consciousness.
He had expected death to lead him to the underworld.
Instead...
He had transmigrated.
In his previous life, he had been an avid web novel reader. Transmigration stories had always been his favorite genre. If he had to guess, he’d probably read well over eight hundred of them—perhaps even a thousand.
Besides, he had been an orphan with no family or attachments.
Looking down at his tiny, delicate hands and the steadily rising progress bar in his mind, he accepted his new reality with surprising ease.
If anything...
He found himself looking forward to this new life.
A moment later, the progress bar reached 100%.
Ding! System binding complete!
As the notification sounded, a flood of information about the System poured into his mind.
These days, every System seemed obsessed with flashy names—God-Tier, Supreme, Myriad Worlds, Heavenly—as though stacking enough grand titles automatically made them more impressive.
His was no exception.
It was called the God-Tier Analysis System.
The name didn’t matter.
Its ability did.
After examining it, he discovered the System was remarkably straightforward.
There were no missions.
No quests.
No rewards.
It possessed only a single function.
Analyze a corpse and inherit every ability the deceased had possessed during life.
Simple.
Direct.
Terrifyingly overpowered.
Still... I should’ve just been born, right? Why am I out here in the middle of the forest? Don’t tell me I’ve already been abandoned...
Once he’d figured out what the System could do, another question surfaced.
When in doubt...
Ask the System.
"System, what world am I in? And what’s my identity?"
Whether he’d been abandoned didn’t concern him all that much.
After all, he’d been abandoned in his previous life as well.
The real problem was that he was now a newborn baby.
How exactly was he supposed to survive?
Host’s current world: Naruto.
Identity: Naruto Uzumaki (Yang Nine-Tails Jinchūriki).
Naruto Uzumaki...
(From this point onward, the protagonist will simply be referred to as Naruto Uzumaki.)
Naruto frowned for a moment before relaxing.
It was true that Naruto’s childhood in the original story had been miserable.
Rather than being honored as the son of the village’s greatest hero, he had been feared, hated, and despised by nearly everyone in Konoha.
His life had been nothing short of tragic.
But to the current Naruto...
A second chance at life was already more than he could have asked for.
He had no intention of complaining.
Then a thought suddenly struck him.
The timeline... This should be the Night of the Nine-Tails.
With that realization, he turned toward the source of the bloody scent.
Just as he’d expected.
Not far away lay a man and a woman.
The man had golden hair and wore the Fourth Hokage’s white cloak.
The woman had long crimson hair and was still dressed in maternity clothes.
A massive hole had been torn through both of their abdomens.
Dark crimson blood soaked the earth beneath them.
Although they had died before his transmigration, meaning he had never met them...
By every standard...
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were his parents in this life.
Seeing them lying there in such a gruesome state left an inexplicable ache in his chest.
Since you’re my parents in this life... I’ll inherit your strength.
After a moment of silence, Naruto suppressed the heaviness in his heart.
Then he silently commanded,
"System. Analyze."
Ding! Analysis complete! Congratulations! You have obtained every ability Minato Namikaze possessed during his lifetime, including the Flying Thunder God Technique, Sage Mode, Rasengan, Konoha Taijutsu, numerous ninjutsu, and more!
Ding! Analysis complete! Congratulations! You have obtained Kushina Uzumaki’s pure Uzumaki bloodline, Adamantine Sealing Chains, the complete collection of sealing techniques, and every other ability she possessed during her lifetime!
As the System’s notifications echoed in his mind, an overwhelming torrent of knowledge surged into his consciousness.
Countless techniques.
Decades of combat experience.
Endless battle instincts.
It was as if he had trained for an entire lifetime.
Every skill was engraved into both his mind and every cell of his body.
For a brief moment, it felt as though he could perform any technique with nothing more than a thought.
Of course...
Naruto knew that was only an illusion.
Although inheriting Kushina’s pure Uzumaki bloodline had more than doubled his vitality...
He was still, in the end, nothing more than a newborn infant.
His body simply couldn’t keep up with everything his mind now possessed.
Doesn’t matter.
I’ve got plenty of time.
The old man—the Third Hokage—isn’t going to let anything happen to me over the next few years.
There’s no need to rush.
Having only just transmigrated, Naruto had no intention of acting recklessly.
He could afford to play the long game.
Not long afterward, hurried footsteps echoed through the forest.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally broke through the barrier, arriving with more than a dozen Konoha shinobi.
"Lord Third! The Nine-Tails destroyed our village! Kill the child immediately!"
"That’s right! The Nine-Tails has already been sealed inside him. As long as we kill this child..."
"Exactly! Avenge the Fourth Hokage and his wife! Avenge all our fallen comrades!"
Kushina’s pregnancy as the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki had been one of Konoha’s highest-level secrets.
Aside from the village leadership and those closest to Minato and Kushina, no one knew Naruto was their son.
To everyone else...
He was just an insignificant baby.
Kill him...
And the Nine-Tails sealed within him would perish as well.
To avenge those who had fallen, that was a price they were more than willing to pay.
The dozen Konoha shinobi stared at the infant lying on the ritual altar.
Their faces were filled with grief.
Their eyes burned with killing intent.
"No."
Hiruzen slowly walked to the altar and gently lifted Naruto into his arms.
A complicated expression crossed his face as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
The Nine-Tails broke free... Minato and Kushina sacrificed themselves... Konoha has suffered catastrophic losses. Every hidden village will seize this opportunity. The recently concluded Shinobi World War could erupt once again at any moment.
Whether as the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki or as Minato’s son, Naruto’s identity must never be exposed. Otherwise, assassins from every nation will come for him.
The Sealing Team no longer has the means to transfer the Nine-Tails into another host. Nor does Konoha have anyone suitable to become its next Jinchūriki.
Most importantly... Minato and Kushina’s bloodline must survive.
After carefully weighing every consequence, Hiruzen reached his decision.
He turned to face the assembled shinobi, his solemn gaze sweeping across each of them before he spoke.
"The Jinchūriki is Konoha’s strategic weapon—our greatest deterrent against the other hidden villages."
"The Fourth Hokage gave his life to ensure the Nine-Tails remained within Konoha."
"We have already lost Minato and Kushina."
"We cannot afford to lose our new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki as well."
"The Jinchūriki will be protected at all costs."
"As for the fact that the Nine-Tails has been sealed inside this child..."
He paused, his expression hardening.
"That information is forbidden from leaving this place."
"Is that understood?"
"Lord Third..."
Several shinobi still wanted to object.
Hiruzen raised a hand, silencing them before they could continue.
"Enough."
His voice left no room for argument.