May 18th, 54th Year of Konoha, 3:30 PM.
Ninja Academy Training Ground, First-Year Practice Area.
After a little over a month since the start of the school year, the first-year students finally faced their first minor exam.
Not long ago, they had just finished their shuriken-throwing test. Now, it was time for taijutsu sparring.
The students formed a circle, some standing, some sitting, watching the two figures battling in the open space.
The two figures were very small, their faces still round with baby fat, looking no older than five or six years old.
One had golden hair, the other silver. One had blue eyes, the other red.
The golden-haired boy kept attacking the silver-haired boy, but his wild, uncoordinated punches were effortlessly deflected.
One of his straight punches was thrown with too much force, causing his stance to waver slightly as he leaned forward.
Seizing the opportunity, the silver-haired boy ducked low, grabbed his opponent's arm, and flipped him over his shoulder, sending him flying.
With a heavy thud, the referee, Iruka, immediately announced the result:
"Uzumaki Naruto has been knocked down! Winner: Ryūsei!"
"Both parties, form the Seal of Reconciliation!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the golden-haired boy slowly got up from the ground, his face full of frustration.
"Tch, I almost had you!"
Hearing this, Iruka's forehead nearly sprouted a vein.
Every single move of yours was read like an open book. How can you say you almost won?
But he didn't voice his thoughts. After recently resolving his own emotional struggles, his attitude toward Naruto had changed.
"Hey… Ryūsei, what are you spacing out for? Are you looking down on me?"
When Naruto walked up to Ryūsei and raised his index and middle fingers for the seal, he noticed his opponent was lost in thought and immediately shouted in displeasure.
Ryūsei snapped back to reality and, without thinking, blurted out something unintentionally condescending:
"Sorry, did I throw you too hard?"
Naruto instantly bristled. "Damn it, you are looking down on me! Just wait—I'll beat you and that stuck-up Sasuke one day!"
"Well, you'd better work hard. I won't let you catch up."
Ryūsei suddenly grinned.
That confident smile made Naruto pause. It also made Iruka and the other watching students freeze for a moment.
'Ryūsei… he seems like he just became a lot more lively out of nowhere!'
But with his still-childish, round face—already hinting at the striking handsomeness he'd grow into—that smile carried an overwhelming charm. Several of the girls in the class blushed, and some even squealed.
"Ryūsei-kun is so cool!"
After forming the Seal of Reconciliation with Naruto, Ryūsei returned to the group. While half-heartedly responding to his classmates' praises, his eyes remained locked onto a virtual panel that only he could see.
If not for his strong mental fortitude, Ryūsei would have been trembling with excitement by now.
If not for the inappropriate setting, he might have even let out a cathartic scream.
After six years of transmigration, his golden finger had finally awakened!
Ryūsei. Transmigrator. Age: 6.
Unlike those who possessed someone else's body and lived under their name, or those who physically crossed into another world, Ryūsei was a "native" of this world—born naturally after nine months in his mother's womb.
Unfortunately, he shared the same birthdate as Naruto.
The moment he was born, the Nine-Tails attacked. His mother died protecting him, and his father—a Chunin of Konoha—was obliterated by the Nine-Tails' AOE while aiding the Third Hokage.
'Becoming an orphan the moment he transmigrated?' Ryūsei was stunned.
This is such a cliché!
Was he the protagonist of some novel?
But as he grew older, he realized he had overthought it.
Transmigrating into the bloodline-obsessed world of Naruto, as a civilian orphan with no Kekkei Genkai, meant his fate was sealed as cannon fodder.
If he was lucky, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara Uchiha might grab him by the throat and ask, "Do you want to dance?"
To earn Madara's praise—"I acknowledge your strength"—he'd have to be a once-in-a-generation genius who pushed a skill to its absolute limit.
Otherwise, no matter how hard he trained or how talented he was, Kage-level would be his ceiling.
Being the same age as Naruto and Sasuke meant he was stuck in Konoha until he turned twelve, leaving almost zero room for defying fate.
After years of realizing he truly had no cheat abilities, Ryūsei decided to embrace his role as a minor character and coast through life.
He no longer fantasized about reaching the pinnacle of the shinobi world. All he wanted was to survive the Konoha Crush, Pain's Assault, and the Fourth Shinobi World War, then marry a pretty, well-endowed side character.
But the Goddess of Fortune seemed to enjoy playing tricks on him.
Just moments ago, when Ryūsei defeated Naruto—
A golden light suddenly flashed around Naruto, and a beam of golden energy shot out from his body, forming a hovering golden orb beside him.
It was this orb that made Ryūsei freeze in place.
A few seconds later, the orb automatically flew toward Ryūsei, as if following a video game's auto-loot mechanic.
The moment it merged into his body, the virtual panel appeared before his eyes.
On the panel, Ryūsei's personal information was displayed:
[Host: Hoshina Ryūsei]
[Age: 6]
[Kekkei Genkai: None]
[Inventory: Asura's Chakra (Gold)]
Above was his brief profile, with his portrait on the left. Below was a 5x5 grid resembling an inventory system.
Inside the first slot was the golden orb.
But when Ryūsei read the information attached to it, his breath hitched—his heart flooded with both excitement and fear.
Excitement, because this was one of the few things in this world capable of defying fate.
The reason Naruto and Sasuke became the world's saviors was because they were the reincarnations of the Sage of Six Paths' sons.
Asura's Chakra and Indra's Chakra granted them the ultimate Yin and Yang powers.
Those who possessed Asura's Chakra inherited the Sage's true Sage Body.
Those with Indra's Chakra inherited the Sage's Eyes.
If one developed either the Sage Body or Sage Eyes to their limit and fused a trace of the other's chakra, they could awaken one of the supreme dojutsu capable of destroying and creating worlds—the Rinnegan!
Madara Uchiha was the perfect example.
Fear, because Asura's Chakra carried the Sage of Six Paths' contingency plan.
Every reincarnation of Asura and Indra was one of the Sage's safeguards against his mother's resurrection.
Had Naruto dropped all of it, or just a fragment?
Or was it like a game drop—just material, leaving Naruto unaffected?
Most importantly—if he fused with this thing, would he be influenced by Asura? Would the Sage of Six Paths come knocking?
Ryūsei didn't know.
All he knew was that he was tempted.
Sasuke sought power for revenge. Some sought power to save or destroy the world.
Ryūsei sought power because, in his past life, he had been nothing but ordinary.
Back then, he could never have obtained supernatural abilities. But in this life, he had the chance to touch this transcendent strength. Even knowing his limit might be cannon fodder, even knowing he'd face life-and-death battles, he still chose to become a shinobi.
And now, an opportunity to leap from cannon fodder to cheat character was right in front of him.
If he hesitated now, he might as well hang himself!
With that thought, Ryūsei's eyes sharpened with resolve.
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T/N: Hi there, new Naruto fanfic. Please give comments, reviews, and votes.
Thank you.