“Hiruzen, hand Hanekawa over to me!” Danzo Shimura wore a stern expression, cutting straight to the chase.
“He is far too dangerous!
He might be a spy from Kumogakure!” “He isn’t,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied plainly, tapping his smoking pipe.
“Have you forgotten the incident where Kushina was kidnapped by Kumo?!” Danzo snorted coldly, reminding him.
“Hanekawa is an orphan taken in by Nonō.
He belongs in Root.” “Are you telling me how to do my job?” Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Get one thing straight: the orphanage belongs to Konoha, not your Root.” Danzo was irritated by the response and couldn’t help but say, “Hiruzen, you—” “Are you going to tell me I’ll regret this?” Hiruzen interrupted his usual spiel.
“I will not regret this.” Danzo choked on his words, his entire linguistic system momentarily thrown into chaos.
Damn you, Hiruzen, was this all part of your plan too?!
Should I congratulate you for learning how to steal my lines?
Those were my words!
He desperately wanted to shout the classic ‘I am the Hokage!’, but he couldn’t.
Bang!
Danzo stormed out of the room in a fit of rage.
He took a few steps, suddenly turned back, and shouted, “Hiruzen, you will regret this!” Having finally delivered his line, his mood improved significantly.
“…” Looking at the empty doorway, Hiruzen couldn’t help but shake his head.
That was the luxury of being the Hokage’s Assistant—you only had to bicker and argue.
But as the Hokage, one had to consider the bigger picture.
“Hare, have someone replace the door.
Put it on Danzo’s tab.” Hiruzen lowered his head to review Hanekawa’s file on his desk.
Hanekawa.
Male.
Six years old.
War orphan.
Taken in by Nonō Yakushi.
During his examination by the Yamanaka clan, he had erupted with terrifying spiritual energy.
Investigations confirmed this wasn’t due to a pre-planted espionage jutsu triggering, but rather an anomaly with his own innate power.
Without any training whatsoever, his spiritual energy was already several times stronger than his peers.
“Nonō is Danzo’s subordinate.
I can’t let him stay at the orphanage,” Hiruzen murmured thoughtfully.
Yin Release represented spiritual energy—such as the secret techniques of the Yamanaka and Nara clans, or the visual prowess of the Sharingan.
But ninja clans never taught their secret techniques to outsiders.
Unless, of course, it was a civilian ninja.
“Shinku Yuhi.” Hiruzen’s heart stirred.
Shinku Yuhi was a civilian Jonin who specialized in Genjutsu and served as an instructor for Chunin and Genin.
He was the perfect candidate.
…
Hanekawa snapped his eyes open.
His entire body ached as if he had been run over by a truck, or perhaps ravaged by dozens of mature women.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, he subconsciously looked around and put on a bewildered expression.
Where the hell am I?
Is this my room?
Where are my Rin Tohsaka, Celestine, Tsunade, and Tifa figures?
While he was still in a daze, something forcefully inserted itself into his mind, and countless memories began to flash before his eyes.
He had transmigrated—or rather, awakened the memories of his past life.
Good news: He was currently in Konohagakure.
Hanekawa had read Naruto.
In the incredibly chaotic shinobi world, Konoha was considered a relatively safe haven.
If he played it safe and waited for the literal cheat codes known as Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha to save the world, he might just survive until the finale.
Bad news: He was a spy from Kumogakure.
Born in Kumo, Hanekawa was exceptionally sharp, earning him a spot as a sleeper agent sent to Konoha to gather intelligence.
Very quickly, he had faced his first major hurdle: the inspection.
In Konoha, the Yamanaka clan’s secret jutsu could make a corpse talk, let alone a living person.
Fortunately, he had fainted during the examination.
Thinking about this, Hanekawa broke out in a cold sweat, unable to sit still.
Was his cover blown?
The tragic fate of undercover cops was well-documented in every mob movie ever made.
Just then, several lines of text materialized in his line of sight.
[System loading…] [You have successfully loaded the Ninja Trait System.] [By fulfilling specific conditions, you can acquire corresponding traits.
Certain special traits can be deduced and synthesized into higher-tier traits.] [Traits are divided into E, D, C, B, A, and S ranks.
There are three main categories: Ninjutsu, Ninja Tools, and Talents.] “Huh?” Hanekawa’s eyes widened.
His golden finger had arrived?
As a nobody ninja with no bloodline, no secret jutsu, and no clan backing, surviving in the shinobi world was practically impossible.
Now, he finally had hope.
At this thought, he couldn’t help but hum a happy little tune.
Hanekawa studied the system and found it incredibly straightforward.
There was only a single Trait Panel displaying what he currently possessed.
[A-Rank Talent Trait: The Infiltrator.] [Trigger Condition: Novice Starter Pack.] [Effect: When your mind is probed by others, your memories will be automatically fabricated.] [Note: Cannot be synthesized.] Excellent.
The classic Novice Starter Pack.
Hanekawa let out a massive sigh of relief.
With this, he no longer had to worry about the Yamanaka clan’s mind-reading jutsu exposing him.
[C-Rank Talent Trait: Innate Full Soul.] [Trigger Condition: Fusion of souls from two lifetimes.] [Effect: Yin Release talent is increased by 100% of its original foundation.] [Note: Cannot be synthesized.] Innate Full Soul Power?
Shouldn’t I be awakening Blue Silver Grass…
oh wait, wrong universe.
Shouldn’t it be Wood Style?
Hanekawa fell silent.
Yin Release was a tough nut to crack.
He didn’t have the Sharingan, nor was he from the Yamanaka or Nara clan.
Was he supposed to go learn Genjutsu?
Genjutsu ninjas…
well, the less said, the better.
Kurenai Yuhi studied Genjutsu her entire life, yet she was absolutely clowned on by a random Uchiha who just popped open their eyes.
Well, it is what it is.
Time to eat.
Hanekawa felt an intense pang of hunger.
Suddenly, a look of profound regret washed over his face.
“Fuck!
My stash!” Hanekawa remembered that right before crossing over, he had been staying up late grinding the PvP arena and spamming toxic emotes.
He just blinked, and a whole lifetime had passed.
He didn’t know what state his body was in back on Earth.
If he was reported missing, the police would definitely crack his phone open.
Just thinking about his browser history made his blood boil with sheer panic.
Click.
The sound of a door opening.
Hanekawa instinctively looked up at the girl who had just walked in.
Calling her a girl wasn’t quite accurate; she was a delicately beautiful loli.
The most striking thing about her was her ruby-red eyes.
Hanekawa couldn’t help but look confused.
Who is this?
Where exactly was he?
This definitely wasn’t the orphanage.
He remembered every kid there.
But for him, this was a massive stroke of luck.
The orphanage director, Nonō Yakushi, was Danzo’s subordinate.
If he caught the attention of that scheming shadow-Kage, he would be completely brainwashed with the Will of Root, doomed to be broken and used as a tool for the rest of his life.
“You’re awake?” The girl smiled.
“I’m Kurenai Yuhi.” “Hanekawa.” Looking at the pretty loli’s smile, Hanekawa’s mood relaxed.
It was actually Kurenai Yuhi?
In the original timeline, she married Asuma Sarutobi and ended up as a tragic widow.
“Can you walk?” Kurenai paused before adding, “I’ll take you to see my dad.
He’ll explain everything to you.” “I can walk.” Hanekawa got out of bed, silently calculating in his head.
Kurenai Yuhi’s father was Shinku Yuhi.
Does that mean his grandfather was named Akane Yuhi (Madder Red) ?
Although the name conventions were a bit literal, Shinku wasn’t one of Danzo’s subordinates.
As a Genjutsu Jonin, the only person who could order him around was likely the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The reason it was Hiruzen and not Minato Namikaze was because Kurenai was still far too young.
The Fourth Hokage’s era definitely hadn’t started yet.
While Hiruzen was a controversial figure, he truly had dedicated his entire life to Konoha.
Compared to Danzo Shimura, he was practically a benevolent saint.
At the very least, Hiruzen wouldn’t brand the roof of your mouth with a Curse Mark: Tongue Eradication seal.