A single thought echoed through the void.
"Is this death?"
That question lingered until a second one followed.
"Then why am I thinking?"
A faint sensation began to return—dull pressure against the skin, the slow rhythm of breathing, the pounding of a heart that wasn't supposed to beat anymore.
He opened his eyes.
His body felt too heavy and in pain.
He sat up slowly, his arms covered in bandages were trembling in pain.
He looked around him and noticed that were tens of other patients laying on the beds around him, some were missing an arm, a leg or fully unconscious.
It didn't take long for a nurse to take notice of him and made her way to him.
"Are you alright? Do you feel any discomfort?"
Before asking her about his whereabouts, he started screaming in pain whilst holding his head. It felt like thousands of needles were poking his brain going in and out hundreds of times.
This continued on for a few seconds, yet before he could do anything, he felt his eyes growing heavy and before falling unconscious he saw an empty syringe embedded in his forearm.
A few hours later, he woke up his mind felt very heavy almost as if he was hungover from a night out. 'Where am I? and why is my body smaller? The last thing I remember doing is..'
A wave of memories that he were very foreign to him appeared in his mind. Memories of a boy called Kamikaze Shinra, four years worth of memories played in his mind.
'Goddamn it! I transmigrated into the Naruto world? But why?! Out of all places I could have transmigrated into it had to be the shinobi world.'
After a few minutes of panic, Shinra started to calm down and analyse his situation.
'A world with a ridiculously short life expectancy. Children being sent to war and the possibility of dying for the greater good of the village, truly a not so desirable world to transmigrate into.'
'Thankfully it is not at the time of the great war, the nine tails attack was the last thing in my memory. That means there should be a few years of peace coming up. Things I should avoid are having my memories ever read in case my past life memories can be read and… Danzo.'
Some time had passed after he woke up, a different nurse from the last time examined him. Though his body was covered by bandages it seemed that most of the serious injuries had been healed off.
After the examination, the nurse took him to a different room with poor lighting and for its interior it was only a table and two chairs on opposite sides.
"Just wait here for a second, someone will come and explain everything to you." The nurse said before exiting leaving Shinra alone in the room.
'What the hell is going on?' Shinra had a lot of speculations in mind but nothing concrete until the door creaked open revealing a dark cloaked individual with a white mask.
"Name?" he said as he sat down.
"…Kamikaze Shinra" Shinra said quietly, deep down he was already freaking out.
'Is this Anbu or Root? What would they need from a four year old kid? My body for experiments? or have I been exposed already?'
"Parents name and address?" He asked again with no apparent emotions in his voice.
"Kamikaze Uramishi and Otaru Kanami, We live at XX street in eastern district"
He pulled up a book from his cloak and started reading through it for a good few minutes, Shinra nearly breathed a sigh of relief after concluding that it is merely a routine investigation for survivors of the attack.
"Kamikaze Uramishi found it, Your parents have been killed during the attack and your house has been destroyed. I am sorry for your loss."
Shinra felt his heart tighten, although he has never met either of his parents. In his memory both were very caring and loving to the original Shinra and as hypocritical as it may seem Shinra felt both sadness and relief.
Unbeknownst to him tears started falling from his eyes, prompting him to close his eyes for a while.
"…I-I see"
The masked ninja spoke again, this time his voice held a slight pity towards Shinra. "You have two choices to choose for yourself to move forward. You will inherit what's left from your parents savings and be allocated a new home, but since your parents weren't ninjas you won't be receiving a pension. Which means that you won't have enough money to feed yourself after a while unless you find a way to earn money."
"Or you can enter the ninja academy when you become of age next year, you will receive a monthly allowance by the village until you graduate. If you don't want to be allocated to a new house you can sell the land to the village for a reasonable price and be sent off to an orphanage."
To say Shinra was flabbergasted would be an understatement, 'Isn't this basically dangling a carrot in front of a starving donkey? Finding a job at four? What will I work as? A beggar?'
'It appears the village is truly facing a shortage crisis in terms of ninjas, leading to this 'scholarship-like' opportunity. Selling the house is definitely not an option and entering the ninja academy will require constant effort in addition to being careful not attract Root's attention in the case that I have talent.'
He wiped away his tears with his bandages, before giving his answer to the masked ninja.
…
In Konoha's hokage building, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window staring out of it into the distance precisely at the hokages face carvings.
Today marked a year since the attack and also the day that the academy starts its new academic year, this year will have the most number of students in any other year. This is in hope to compensate for the death of the may ninjas that died during the attack.
In times of crisis it was always quantity over quality, especially when there are four major villages that are eyeing Konoha's land.
Currently the leaf is at it's lowest point in history with the death of the fourth hokage and his wife the nine tails jinchuriki, Jiraya and Tsunade are both out of the village leaving only Hiruzen, Danzo and Orochimaru.
Hiruzen let out a slow breath, the smoke from his pipe curling lazily toward the ceiling before dissipating.
'Minato… Kushina… if only you were here.'
The weight on his shoulders felt heavier than it had in decades. Reports piled on his desk, requests for funding, border patrol reinforcements, orphan registrations—names of children who would never see their parents again.
A soft knock echoed through the office.
"Hokage-sama," an ANBU said from behind the door. "The academy is ready."
Hiruzen nodded. "I'll be there shortly."
The door closed, leaving him alone once more. He placed the pipe down, straightened his robes, and took one last look at the stone faces outside the window. Hashirama's expression was calm as ever, Tobirama's stern, Minato's carved smile faint but warm.
'We are asking children to bear the weight of our failures.'
With that thought, Hiruzen turned and made his way out.
The streets of Konoha were livelier than they had been in months.
Parents walked hand in hand with their children, some smiling nervously, others masking their worries behind forced confidence. Many children walked alone—escorted by academy staff, caretakers, or simply following the crowd with uncertain eyes.
Hiruzen noticed them immediately.
The academy building soon came into view, its familiar structure standing firm despite the scars still visible across the village. The cracks in the walls had been repaired, but memories of the horror of that day were hard to mend.
As Hiruzen stepped through the academy gates, the chatter gradually died down. Instructors straightened, parents whispered, and children fell silent—some staring in awe, others were confused.
The Third Hokage climbed onto the small platform prepared for him at the front of the courtyard.
He looked out at the crowd.
So many small faces. Some excited. Some frightened. Some already hardened by loss.
He cleared his throat.
"Welcome," Hiruzen began, his voice calm yet carrying effortlessly across the courtyard. "To the Ninja Academy of Konohagakure."
He paused, allowing the words to sink in.
"Today marks the beginning of a new chapter—not just for you, but for our village as a whole. Many of you come here with dreams. Some wish to become strong. Some wish to protect others. And some of you…" His eyes softened. "…may not yet know why you are here."
A few children shifted uncomfortably.
Hiruzen continued, "The path of a shinobi is not an easy one. It requires discipline, perseverance, and above all, heart. Strength alone is not enough. A ninja who fights without understanding why they fight will only bring ruin—to themselves and to others."
His gaze swept over the orphans once more.
"Konoha was built on the belief that the next generation will always surpass the previous one. That even in times of loss, we move forward together. Here, you are not alone. You are part of this village, and this village is part of you."
Some parents nodded. A few children straightened their backs unconsciously.
"You will study. You will struggle. You will fail." A faint smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. "And you will learn. The instructors here will guide you, but your growth depends on your own effort."
He bowed his head slightly.
"On behalf of Konohagakure, I welcome you. May you find your path—and may the Will of Fire burn brightly within you."
For a brief moment, the courtyard was silent.
Then applause broke out, hesitant at first, then growing stronger. Children clapped awkwardly, some copying their peers, others smiling for being addressed by the hokage.
Hiruzen stepped down from the platform, instructors moving to organize the students into groups.
Amidst the crowd was Shinra a year older than when he had arrived in this world, he wore a blue tracksuit with a white shirt underneath, he had a faint smile on his face as he would finally start on the path of a ninja.
'I guess my training will only increase from now on.'
—
A/N:
This is a rewrite of the previous version of the fanfic, I hope that you enjoy the chapter.