"Let me tell you a tale~"
"Once upon a time, there was a family…"
Standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the traffic light, Kaito wanted to unwind with a short video after a grueling day of overtime.
But the moment he opened the app, he was hit with an opening so cringeworthy it felt like a jump-scare.
Zero-frame startup—no time to react!
Working overtime until past eleven was exhausting enough…
And now, even his attempt to relax with a short video backfired with this cursed content.
Mood thoroughly ruined.
SCREECH—
Suddenly, a deafening noise erupted. A massive truck, accompanied by the spine-chilling sound of brakes, barreled straight toward Kaito.
Lifting his head, Kaito saw nothing but blinding light before everything went black. In his fading consciousness, he faintly heard unfamiliar voices murmuring beside him…
"Comrade, I thought it was just a speed bump!"
"Look… take this up with my insurance…"
"You don't understand… We're all struggling to survive!"
Hearing those eerily familiar words, Kaito felt a chill crawl down his spine, as if plunged into darkness, drowning in despair.
It wasn't hard to figure out…
While waiting at the crosswalk, he'd hit the jackpot—the worst kind.
Wait!!
Someone save me!!
I'm not dead yet!!
Kaito screamed internally, but no response came.
Whatever…
This world where he slaved away like cattle wasn't worth clinging to anyway.
Wait—
My phone isn't wiped yet!!!
Just as he was about to resign himself, the thought of his "educational materials" left unsecured reignited his will to fight, and he let out one last mental cry.
Time blurred.
When Kaito finally opened his eyes again, greeted by light…
He was shocked to find his vision had worsened.
The world was now a hazy blur.
Still, the sterile white ceiling, the fluorescent lights, and the sharp scent of disinfectant in the air told him one thing—
He was in a hospital.
Kaito exhaled in relief, but an odd sensation quickly followed.
Figures approached him.
Though their outlines were indistinct, the white coats made it obvious—doctors.
But something felt off…Kaito found himself being... picked up?
I... why have I become so small?!
Kaito opened his mouth, intending to let out a curse, but to his shock, what came out was the wailing cry of an infant...
"Congratulations, Clan Leader Fugaku."
"Lady Mikoto has blessed you with two more sons."
The nurse held the babies, bowing her head as she congratulated Uchiha Fugaku standing nearby.
"Hmm."
"Mikoto, you've worked hard."
Fugaku's face remained stern, showing no trace of emotion, though his eldest son Itachi could tell his father was pleased.
"Father, Mother has given birth to twin brothers."
Itachi was also in high spirits. Looking at the two bawling infants in the nurses' arms, he revealed a rare smile.
"My children..."
"Let me see my children..."
Uchiha Mikoto stretched out her arms toward the nurses, her voice weak but her spirit clearly strong.
Meanwhile, Kaito, being handled by the nurse, grew increasingly anxious—unable to see his surroundings clearly and unable to understand what anyone was saying.
Wait...
What are these people saying??
What's going on here?
Reincarnation? Rebirth? Or time travel??
"Father, you haven't named the two younger brothers yet."
"Let's call them Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Kaito..."
Spring passed, autumn came; winters turned to summers, and before anyone knew it, six years had gone by.
Konoha, Uchiha Clan Compound—
Uchiha Kaito, his little face as serious as his father Fugaku's, approached Itachi and asked in a grave tone:
"Itachi, tell me the truth."
"If one day, only one of us—me or Sasuke—could live..."
"Who would you choose?"
Seated in the courtyard, Itachi heard his younger brother's usual probing question. He pretended to ponder deeply, putting on a thoughtful expression before answering with equal seriousness:
"That would never happen."
Faced with his precocious little brother, Itachi had long since developed a headache.
Ever since Kaito could understand things, he would often come to Itachi with strange questions.
Sometimes it was about who he would save if both Kaito and Sasuke fell into a river.
And other similarly bizarre scenarios.
At first, Itachi would answer earnestly...
But as time passed, he had learned how to humor his brother with seemingly serious responses.
As descendants of the Uchiha clan, drowning in a river or something like that...
Was simply absurd.
And every time his brother heard his answer, he would nod and say "I see," then turn and walk back home.
But whenever that happened...
Itachi would later get scolded by their father, who would say things like, "As the eldest, how could you bully your younger brother?!"
"I see."
This time, after receiving Itachi's perfunctory answer, Kaito didn't run inside to tattle to their parents.
Instead, he lowered his head, his eyes dimming with visible disappointment.
Unbeknownst to him, his pitiful expression at such a young age struck right at the softest spot in Itachi's heart.
All Itachi wanted to do now was grab his little brother and pinch his adorable cheeks.
But the next second, Kaito suddenly lifted his head, craning his neck exaggeratedly toward the house as if stretching it two miles long, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Father! Itachi says you're a bad clan leader!!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than their father's stern voice rang out from inside.
"Itachi, come here."
Uchiha Itachi: "..."
Again?!Itachi smiled helplessly and raised his hand to poke his younger brother's forehead, but Kaito nimbly dodged at the last moment.
"I have things to do. I'll take you and Sasuke for shuriken practice this afternoon."
"Don't forget to come."
Itachi patted the dust off his clothes and stood up, rummaging through his pocket before pulling out some bills and handing them to Kaito.
"Don't tell Sasuke."
Kaito hesitated for a full 0.01 seconds before accepting the offering. "Fine, my lips are sealed."
Itachi chuckled lightly and walked toward the living room without a second thought.
Meanwhile, six-year-old Kaito stood frozen, staring at his retreating figure for a long time.
Ever since gaining awareness, he had realized that by sheer luck, he had been reborn into the world of Naruto.
He could even accept his new name and was ready to embrace this fresh start.
But…
Why did it have to be as a member of the Uchiha clan?! And Sasuke's twin brother, no less???
Since it had been so long, Kaito had forgotten many of the finer details, only vaguely remembering that shortly after Sasuke started school, the entire Uchiha clan would be wiped out.
And one of the perpetrators… was his own older brother.
As for why he kept asking Itachi those "either-or" questions—well, it was basically getting a fortune-telling session from Itachi Uchiha in advance.
The Uchiha massacre was still about a year away…
Survival had become Kaito's top priority.
Taking a deep breath, Kaito slowly exhaled the tension in his chest. He raised his hands and patted his cheeks, as if encouraging—or consoling—himself.
"It's fine… It's fine…"
"The Uchiha are all geniuses… Maybe I can unlock the Mangekyō in a year…"
But as he spoke, he finally couldn't hold back anymore and flopped onto the ground, radiating sheer despair.
"Damn it!"
"How the hell am I supposed to unlock anything in just a year?!!"
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, Host, for binding with the Immortal Emperor System. This system will safeguard your growth and assist you in reaching the pinnacle of this perilous cultivation world!]
A system!!
A golden finger had awakened!!
Too… Wait, hold on—what??
What did it just say??
Cultivation world…?
...