Outside Konoha beneath the fading glow of the evening sun, Uesugi Kyōsuke ran with all his strength. Sweat soaked through his gray short-sleeved shirt. His limbs ached, and he felt as though he might collapse at any moment—but he still gritted his teeth and completed today's training goal.
Before long, he caught sight of the gates of Konohagakure. Slowing to a stop, he took deep breaths to steady his pounding heart. Without resting, he walked into the village.
Just then, he heard an energetic shout calling his name from a distance. Turning around, he saw a figure dressed in green.
It was Might Guy.
"Kyosuke! Wait up! My mom gave me some pocket money yesterday—let's go get some barbecue together!"
Seeing Guy's bright, enthusiastic grin lifted Kyosuke's spirits. Even his exhaustion seemed to ease a little, and he returned the smile.
"Heh, I'd never turn down barbecue. Make sure to thank Auntie for me."
Kyosuke was an orphan—not even the child of a shinobi. His parents had been ordinary villagers of Konoha who died in the chaos of war. Aside from a small house, they left him nothing.
Fortunately, Konoha provided a monthly relief stipend. Otherwise, he might have starved.
Although Guy's father was only a genin and didn't earn much, his family was still better off than Kyosuke, who hovered just above the poverty line. At least Guy occasionally had some spending money.
The two entered the village, drawing a brief scrutinizing glance from the shinobi guarding the gates.
Although the Second Shinobi World War had ended, the world remained unstable. Small-scale conflicts were countless, and shinobi everywhere maintained high vigilance.
In recent years, however, Konoha had avoided major warfare. Combined with the Land of Fire's abundant resources, the village had gradually recovered from the scars of war. The streets were lively and bustling.
Inside the barbecue restaurant, Kyosuke showed no restraint when a freshly grilled plate of meat arrived. He and Guy immediately fought over it.
Before long, the plate was empty—and so was Guy's pocket money.
Licking his lips, Kyosuke still felt unsatisfied. He really wanted another plate.
It wasn't greed. He trained hard every day, expending tremendous energy. His body needed proper nutrition—living on vegetables alone was becoming unbearable.
Guy, on the other hand, patted his stomach contentedly and laughed again.
"Hahaha! Tomorrow's the first day of school. Let's go register together! Once we're classmates, we can train together too, right?"
Hearing the sincere invitation, Kyosuke gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Guy, it's not like we haven't trained together before. Your regimen is way too intense—I can't keep up with your pace. And honestly, I don't dare to. I don't have money for the supplements you use. If I force myself to match you, I might cripple myself."
From childhood, Guy had undergone systematic physical training—not just specialized techniques, but also medicinal support to sustain his body. Without it, that level of training would have ruined him long before he could ever become a shinobi.
In truth, cultivating a shinobi was far more expensive than training a soldier.
Kyosuke had no shinobi heritage. After meeting Guy a year ago, he had once coveted the Eight Gates. Reality quickly discouraged him.
Without exceptional talent or sufficient funds, even if Guy taught him the Eight Gates, Kyosuke wouldn't dare practice it—and likely wouldn't succeed anyway.
After finishing their meal and parting ways, Kyosuke walked slowly toward home. Along the way, he saw many shinobi.
The proud members of the Uchiha clan.
The white-eyed Hyuga clan.
The low-profile Aburame clan.
The broad-shouldered Akimichi clan.
And, of course, many civilian-born shinobi.
The two Shinobi World Wars had devastated numerous shinobi clans. As conflicts grew larger in scale, the village had no choice but to heavily cultivate civilian shinobi.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the rise of civilian talent that someone like Minato Namikaze could become the Fourth Hokage.
As a transmigrator, Kyosuke viewed the world of Naruto through the combined perspective of two lifetimes.
No sooner had he thought of Minato Namikaze than he saw a young blond man at a street corner, smiling gently at a red-haired girl beside him.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
Kyosuke walked past them calmly, treating them as ordinary strangers.
He had no choice. Kushina was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, constantly monitored by the higher-ups. To Kyosuke, she was the embodiment of trouble. He didn't dare show the slightest irregularity—who knew what might happen? At worst, he could be accused of espionage.
After returning to his small home, night had already fallen. Kyosuke washed up quickly and lay down, drifting into sleep.
Though he had seen many shinobi with kekkei genkai, he felt no envy. Life was never equal to begin with. If you weren't born lucky, you couldn't blame others.
Besides—
He had his own cheat.
After falling asleep, Kyosuke felt his body grow weightless. Soon, he arrived in a gray, mist-shrouded space.
All around was hazy fog, except for a small patch of clean green grass.
Four teenage boys were already standing there, chatting. Kyosuke waved in greeting.
"Sorry. I had barbecue with Guy today. Got delayed."
Though apologizing, he felt no real remorse.
When his soul had inexplicably transmigrated into the world of Naruto, something had gone wrong. His soul split into five parts, forming five independent yet mysteriously connected lives.
They were:
Uesugi Kyōsuke, born in Konohagakure.
Mizumori, born in Kirigakure.
Tasaka Chisuke, born in Sunagakure.
Kurasaka Kiichiro, born in the Land of Lightning.
Ōoka Shin, born in the Land of Rain.
Whenever they fell asleep, they could enter this shared dream space—exchanging intelligence, sharing insights, and planning their future paths.
After several years of experimentation—especially after Tasaka Chisuke entered the Ninja Academy last year—they discovered something astonishing:
Their abilities were shared.
If one person learned the Transformation Technique, the others only needed to practice once to master it—as if their bodies already knew how.
If one trained strength, the others grew stronger automatically.
If one improved hand seal speed, the others' hand seals became faster.
If one's chakra reserves increased, so did the rest.
Though they were five individuals, in certain aspects, they functioned as one.
They didn't understand the reason—but that didn't stop them from exploiting it.
So they divided responsibilities.
Tasaka Chisuke, whose father was a chūnin and who had already entered the Ninja Academy, focused on learning and practicing ninjutsu.
Kyosuke, though not from a shinobi family and lacking instruction in ninjutsu, lived in the relatively safe environment of Konoha and had enough to eat. He focused on physical conditioning and overall fitness.
Moreover, he dared not practice ninjutsu—or even cultivate chakra openly. If discovered, he'd have no explanation.
An orphan with no background—how would he know ninjutsu? A spy?
If the village grew suspicious, he might end up invited for "tea" by the Anbu.
Kirigakure was turbulent, with poor security and low living standards. Mizumori didn't dare wander about, instead training his hand seal speed in safe environments. His father had been a genin who died in battle, so knowing basic techniques wouldn't arouse suspicion.
Kurasaka Kiichiro lived in the Land of Lightning—not in Kumogakure, but in a town. His parents were small merchants, and his relatively wealthy upbringing meant good nutrition. He took responsibility for high-intensity taijutsu and kenjutsu training.
The Land of Rain was chaotic. Ōoka Shin's village had been massacred by rogue ninja years ago. Now a destitute wanderer, he struggled even to find food.
He couldn't train systematically.
However, because of the constant turmoil, Ōoka Shin frequently encountered enemies. This gave him opportunities to hone his killing techniques and sharpen his combat instincts—strengthening his real battlefield capabilities.