Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Among the many shops lining the commercial street, Ichiraku Ramen was always the most popular. However, on the day Ninja School opened, the shop next door stole its spotlight.
Chikawa Blacksmith Shop, a reasonably priced store that moved from the residential area six years ago, specialized in Imitation Shuriken and Imitation Kunai. It was famous for its slightly inferior quality compared to regular ninja tool shops and its direct 50% discount prices.
Simply put, it was a shop dedicated to selling defective ninja tools.
The creation of ninja tools used by shinobi was laborious, with strict precision requirements and harsh material standards.
By changing their product category from “ninja tools” to “training equipment” and adding the word “Imitation” before product names, Chikawa Blacksmith Shop no longer had to meet such high precision and material requirements. While costs plummeted, efficiency skyrocketed, allowing them to offer lower prices to customers.
No one dislikes cheap things.
Especially when Chikawa Blacksmith Shop introduced a series of business methods never before seen in Konoha Village.
Like group buying – two people purchasing together could get a discount; like help bargaining – bringing acquaintances to view products could lower prices; like spend-and-save – reaching certain order amounts could waive partial fees.
And the most attractive offer: free products. As long as you invited enough friends and relatives to help bargain, you had a chance to get ninja tools for free, reportedly with a probability as high as 99%! Bringing more people could even increase the probability!
When these policies were first introduced, Chikawa Blacksmith Shop was bustling with activity, orders flying in like snowflakes, forcing them to outsource some orders to other blacksmith shops.
Later, when other shops learned the essence of these methods, they started their own ventures, gradually diverting traffic from Chikawa Blacksmith Shop.
But thanks to the founder’s status and previously established reputation, Chikawa Blacksmith Shop’s business remained sufficiently booming.
On the day Ninja School opened, many people gathered at Chikawa Blacksmith Shop’s storefront to purchase weapons.
Whether it was little brats just starting at Ninja School or those about to graduate and become genin, everyone needed shuriken and kunai. The difference was that the former could only use unsharpened ones, while the latter could choose freely.
Luke gripped a forging hammer, sweating profusely by the furnace. He had been dragged out of bed by his father Chuan Tuowu at five in the morning to light the furnace. The two had been silently forging iron until now.
His mother Chuan Naixue and younger brother Chuan Guang weren’t idle either – after preparing meals, they had been selling goods at the front counter.
Another heavy hammer strike fell on the red-hot iron, the recoil making Luke’s palms numb. Only through firsthand experience did he understand why people said there were three hardest jobs: blacksmithing, boating, and making tofu.
Every day he rose earlier than chickens and slept later than dogs, working in stuffy environments regardless of bitter cold or scorching heat.
Only sufficient temperature could make iron red-hot and molten, and the heated iron blocks had to undergo enough hammering within a certain time frame to become usable tools.
When he first started forging shuriken and kunai with his father, his small strength, poor stamina, and immature techniques resulted in finished products that received various complaints, earning him plenty of reprimands.
Ninjas possessed far keener eyesight than ordinary people. The slightest imperfection would lead to immediate rejection, rendering the entire order unpaid labor. If they encountered someone with a short temper, they might even have to offer apologies and waive the fee.
Later, he adopted tactics from a certain e-commerce platform, selling defective products outright so the ninjas could no longer nitpick. Only then did life become more comfortable.
A dense crowd had gathered outside the shop. It wasn’t until the opening ceremony of the Ninja School was about to begin, with the Third Hokage’s lecture on the Will of Fire soon to start, that the throng of young customers and their accompanying parents finally dispersed.
At this point, Luke could finally catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his face with the towel draped over his shoulder, took the water flask handed to him by Chuan Tuowu, and drank deeply.
Chuan Tuowu looked at his son, whose face was flushed red from the furnace heat, and spoke in a somber tone.
“With the Ninja School starting recently, we’ll have to endure a busy period for a while.”
Luke let out a heavy sigh and nodded to his father. “I understand. I’ll work on finishing the remaining batch of goods later.”
Chuan Tuowu glanced at him and shook his head. “Balance work and rest. Don’t overexert yourself. As a blacksmith, you mustn’t ruin your physical foundation.”
In the living room, his mother’s call interrupted their conversation. “Breakfast is ready! Come and eat!”
Luke grunted in acknowledgment. “We took on too many orders. If we can’t deliver on time, those ninjas will throw another fit.”
It only happened twice a year—they could tough it out.
After all, ninjas were the village’s guardians and economic backbone, holding a high status even if they were fresh graduates from the academy.
Chuan Tuowu sighed. “The competition among shops on the commercial street is fierce, but the earnings are higher. If you’d prefer an easier life, our shop doesn’t necessarily have to be here.”
Luke remained silent. Making money wasn’t his goal; moving next to Ichiraku Ramen was his true objective.
Using profit as his excuse, he had persuaded his parents to relocate from their remote corner to the commercial street. Then, under another pretext, he made sure their shop was situated right beside Ichiraku Ramen—all for the sake of safety.
Luke’s memory of many details from the original story had grown hazy. He couldn’t guarantee he’d evade every disaster unscathed, but he vaguely recalled that Ichiraku Ramen remained untouched through several subsequent upheavals.
Six years ago, during the Nine-Tails’ rampage, their current location was spared, while their former home lay in ruins. If they hadn’t moved back then, their family might have already been reincarnated for the second time.
But the trials of Konoha didn’t end with the Nine-Tails—there was more turmoil to come.
“If you have time, visit Ichiraku Ramen more often. Didn’t you say as a child that you liked Ayame and wanted to marry her when you grew up? Why haven’t I seen you making an effort?”
Seeing his son fall silent, Chuan Tuowu added another reminder.
His son was now at the age to pursue romance—healthy, decent-looking, and clever. It was time he took some action to contribute to Konoha’s next generation.
Luke: …
He’d almost forgotten. It seemed he had used his fondness for the daughter of Ichiraku Ramen’s owner, Ayame, as the reason to convince his parents to open their shop here.
Of course, he did quite like Ayame—pretty, with a good figure and a pleasant personality. But his mind was always preoccupied with future events, leaving no room for romance.
“Next time for sure, next time for sure.”
Luke brushed off the remark casually and followed his father to the dining table.
Mother and younger brother were already seated in their respective spots, waiting for the two to join them. The younger brother, Chuan Guang, seemed particularly famished, gazing eagerly as the family’s two decision-makers took their seats.
As the head of the household, Chuan Tuowu glanced around the table and waved his hand grandly. “Let’s eat.”
“I’ll dig in.” x4
The atmosphere at the dining table was peaceful, quiet, and considerate.
Luke stuffed his mouth with rice ball sushi. It wasn’t exactly unpalatable, but having tasted the diverse flavors of the great food empire, he found this bland cuisine rather unappealing.
He couldn’t help but reminisce about the delicacies of his hometown.
How he longed for Mianyang Steamed Trio, Hongmiao Crispy Cake, Maozui Braised Chicken, Shahu Salted Duck Egg, Pearl Meatballs, Steamed Three Delicacies, and Mianyang Steamed Pork with Rice Flour.
Sighing inwardly, Luke’s buried memories slowly surfaced.
In his previous life, Luke had been a fresh-faced obstetrician-gynecologist. Originally planning to join his relative’s hospital right after graduation, he coincidentally found out it went bankrupt just as he graduated.
Left with no choice, he had to face the same selection process as his peers. Returning to his hometown Fengning City to job hunt, he encountered the classic circular reasoning dilemma:
Interviewer: This position requires prior medical experience.
Luke: If you hire me, I’ll gain that experience.
Interviewer: Without experience, how can we hire you?
Luke: If you don’t hire me, how can I accumulate experience?
Interviewer: You need existing medical experience to be employed.
Luke: I need employment to gain medical experience.
Interviewer: Go get experience first before interviewing!
Luke: F******!
Furious, Luke abandoned hospital work and decided to earn through online gaming. He aimed to play the popular “World of Kyushu,” but his anger deflated when he saw the price of the gaming headset and his empty wallet.
After much deliberation, he ultimately chose to rely on his looks—becoming an internet celebrity showing off abs and posting suggestive content. If some wealthy woman took interest… he’d even accept being scrubbed with steel wool!
Finally signing with a company and getting mentored by a moderately famous female influencer, he tragically got hit by a car the very next day.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a crib.
Without a moment to mourn Luke’s death, the scene was immediately taken over by the resurrected Luke who won the comeback round.
When he first learned this was Konoha, he was overjoyed—the evergreen isekai destination! Though he hadn’t finished watching Naruto, he’d practically memorized the plot through fanworks alone.
But soon he noticed various discrepancies.
Both his parents were alive—father Chuan Tuowu and mother Hirata Natsuki were native Konoha residents. The former worked as a blacksmith crafting simple ninja tools, the latter was a floral shop assistant who took the surname Chuan after marriage, becoming a dedicated homemaker.
Both had common surnames unseen in the original series.
Learning he wasn’t an Uchiha or Hyuga made Luke’s heart sink. After thoroughly searching the house and failing to find any hidden identities his parents might have, his heart turned completely cold.
Still unwilling to give up, Luke had once begged his father to obtain the “Chakra Refining Technique” and practiced it for a while.
“The Chakra Refining Technique” wasn’t strictly controlled. Unlike the tiered systems in fantasy cultivation novels, everyone used the same basic method, and its content was pitifully sparse—more like a list of precautions than an actual refining technique.
After spending about half a month to successfully refine a wisp of chakra, Luke came to terms with his abysmal talent as a ninja.
According to Teacher Ka’s precise description using mana bar metrics, if Luke refined chakra for two hours daily in peak physical and mental condition, he could reach Genin level in five years, Chūnin in twelve years, and peak Chūnin after forty years.
Jōnin? He simply didn’t have what it takes, you know.
Chakra is the combination of mental and physical energy. The maximum amount of chakra one can possess is predetermined from the moment of birth.
And that’s just considering chakra volume. A qualified ninja also needs to study the utterly useless “Will of Fire” and somewhat useful skills like disguise, infiltration, assassination, and escape. They must master ninjutsu and gain sufficient combat experience.
Of course, they also have to take on missions.
After hearing Teacher Ka’s assessment, Luke clung to one last hope and asked his father if their family had arranged any marriage contracts for him.
Receiving a negative answer, he completely gave up, took over his father’s hammer, and began working fervently at the forge.
Surviving through Boruto’s era would be considered a success!
He hammered away like this until he turned eighteen and reached adulthood, continuing right up to this very moment.
Perhaps because of the day’s significance, at the dinner table, his mother hesitantly asked Chuan Tuowu, “Speaking of which, Guang is almost six years old. Should we enroll him when Ninja School opens next term?”
Ninja School tuition was a significant expense. Most who could afford it were either Konoha’s noble families or civilian ninjas supported by major clans.
There were also tuition exemption policies for certain groups, such as descendants of ninjas who died while completing village missions or those who fell in the Third Shinobi World War.
The Chuan family previously couldn’t afford Ninja School, but since Luke started his interworld bargain hunting business, they’d earned enough to easily cover one child’s tuition.
Hearing the conversation about himself, Chuan Guang stopped wrestling with his food, his eyes shining with hope. In a soft, childish voice, he asked, “Can… can I really go to Ninja School?”
Chuan Tuowu remained silent. For civilians, this was a major decision. He looked at Luke and asked, “What do you think?”
He was an honest, reserved man who didn’t understand complicated matters. His eldest son was now an adult and sharp-minded—it made sense to hear his opinion first.
Over the past two years, he’d begun feeling his age and had consciously started transferring household decision-making authority to his eldest son.
Luke licked his lips, putting on a thoughtful expression.
His well-behaved younger brother was also born in the year of the Nine-Tails attack. Naruto was born on October 10th, while his brother was born on May 12th.
According to the timeline, Naruto would be enrolling in school in about six months.
Luke thought placing his brother in the same batch as Naruto was rather dangerous. Even if it wasn’t dangerous, there was no need to compete with protagonists who would become the Six Paths by age seventeen.
He weighed his words carefully before speaking. “Being a ninja offers substantial income, but it also comes with high risks. Guang is still young—it wouldn’t hurt to delay the decision for another year or two.”
While six was the ideal age to enroll in the Ninja Academy, it wasn’t mandatory to start exactly at that age.
Chuan Tuowu nodded in agreement; this was more or less his view as well. Although ninjas held high status, their mortality rate was equally high.
Despite growing up in Konoha, where the Will of Fire instilled in everyone a desire to shine as ninjas and selflessly dedicate themselves to the village, Chuan Tuowu had witnessed the Nine-Tails’ attack and seen many acquaintances lose their lives overnight. Because of this, he felt some resistance to the idea of his younger son becoming a ninja.
With both heads of the household in favor, the mother could say no more. She nodded and dropped the subject.
Seeing the three adults in the family reach a decision, Chuan Guang lowered his head in disappointment. It wasn’t until his mother placed a large piece of meat in his bowl that his spirits lifted again.
…
After a busy day, Luke lay exhausted on his bed.
Thinking about Orochimaru’s upcoming plan to destroy Konoha, Pain’s “One Bag of Rice” speech, the unavoidable Infinite Tsukuyomi, and the later appearance of the Ōtsutsuki clan in the less compelling sequels, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Simply moving near Ichiraku Ramen wouldn’t solve the problem—he needed to come up with another plan…
Burdened by physical fatigue and mental anxiety, Luke drifted into a hazy sleep.
In that half-awake state, he felt his body grow unusually light, until he began to float, drifting toward an unknown destination.
After passing through an indistinct barrier, his consciousness suddenly became crystal clear.
Luke slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a mysterious space filled with faint gray mist.
Two figures gazed at him through the haze, extending their hands toward him in unison.
“Welcome, Luke.”
“Now, we are comrades!”
Note: This part combines elements from “Lu” and “Du” characters.
Originally considered using “Brother Jie” from the trilogy, but found the name “Luke” didn’t quite fit the anime style.
Played on a trope from early crossover fics as a tribute.
Really wish that author would write another multiverse story—or at least let Roman eyes write some side stories!