'Well, I finally know who I am and where,' The boy thought with slight irritation as he glanced at a figure beside him from the corner of his eye.
He was currently in a classroom filled to the brim with little kids running around with excitement, and sitting beside him was a young girl with long, light, golden-blond hair, similarly to the boy, tied in a ponytail. Her eyes, a light brown, were locked on a book with the image of the human bone structure on its cover as she read with intensity.
As if sensing his gaze, the girl's face morphed into a deep frown as her light brown eyes looked at the boy with undisguised disgust.
"Do you have a problem? Because I could've sworn I told you to never even look in my direction." She said, her hand tightening around her book, if not for the fact tha this boy was actually a pretty good seatmate who, aside from today, always respected her rules, she would have already punched his face in.
'At least he's not like that white-haired idiot who always hits on me,' she thought with disgust
The boy, seeing this, simply sighed as he thought, 'Naruto, a world where ninjas, psychopaths, and gods are all wrapped in one, and it's also the world I was whisked away to after my death.'
"Hey, are you ever listening, Hiruko?" The girl said with irritation and barely contained anger, The fact that Hiruko seemed to be in his own world, not listening to her, made her want to punch him even more.
'Wow, she's annoying; if not for the fact she's 'Konoha's Princess,' i'd have already given her a piece of my mind… Actually no, with this body I doubt I could guard against even one of her punches,' Hiruko thought, admittedly, as he glanced at his hands.
He had realized this the moment he awoke in this world, though due to a certain outburst, he hadn't focused on it. He was weaker, not as fast or strong, and as for his '*&%$%@%%,' he couldn't feel it, let alone use it.
And the fact that this body looked as if it hadn't eaten or drunk in days meant he was basically fodder to anyone with a modicum of strength, let alone someone with the sage body of the Senju clan.
"My apologies, Lady Tsunade. "Hiruko said, swallowing his pride, "It won't happen again," he added with sincerity because he meant it. 'Who wants to waste time looking at her?' Hiruko chided inwardly.
"Yeah, it better not." Tsunade said with a humph as she returned to her book.
Hiruko, seeing this, simply averted his eyes, his gaze passing by another girl much like Tsunade with short blond hair and round black glasses.
Then a boy in green spandex with a bowl cut and a already growing a mustache. Before finally landing on a boy a few rows in front of him with spiky white hair and a brightening but obnoxious smile.
He stood in front of a seated boy who looked like the byproduct of a man and snake in love . He had a cold, untouchable demeanor around him, to which only the white-haired boy had the audacity to ignore.
His hair was jet black, and his eyes were snake-like, as they were vertical slits instead of round and were a distinct gold color.
'The Sanin,' Hiruko thought as the name brought back a slew of memories. Jiraiya the gallant, Tsunade the slug princess, and Orochimaru the great white snake. A trio of prodigies were key figures in the original story, each in their own ways.
As for him? He was now their classmate, one who also showed up in the original story but not as one of them but as the one who failed to reach their heights, Hiruko, a leech.
'But that won't be me. I have no interest in reaching their heights, nor do I want their talent. I just want to live my life. As for saving the world? I already did that once, so I think I filled my Karmic quota,' Hiruko thought with complete seriousness; he already did enough for one lifetime, so now he would live this life his way.
But unfortunately, it is never that easy. He was now in the Naruto world, a place where the weak died and the strong…still had a 50/50 shot at survival. So though he still had plans to live his life the way he wanted to, to enjoy his childhood, he would need knowledge and strength.
And frankly he was already pretty screwed because if there were two things he had nothing of in this new life, they were knowledge and strength. Ignoring the strength aspect for now, he was basically uninformed about the inner workings of this world.
Sure, he knew all the big stuff like characters, plotlines, etc., but things vital to this world, like shuriken throwing, shinobi tactics, and other things that had been ingrained into these kids since childhood, he was completely ignorant about.
And he could accept that if he was just starting the academy since it was bound to cover all those things, but from what he has been able to gather about his current time and place in this world, they were already in their second year in the academy, and it's been 2 months since the start of that term.
And don't even get him started on chakra; it was like a limb he knew was there and how to move but no matter how hard he tried, couldn't. So the only thing he could do was go to the library after school and attempt to cram things like chakra theory, etc. as fast as he could.
'And the past Hiruko being 2nd in the academy when it comes to theory certainly doesn't help; it oly puts a target on my back because if I fall too much, someone is bound to notice.' Hiruko thought with a sigh
'And then there's the matter of my transmigration. I need to find out who did it and why because if there's one thing I learned in my past life, it is that there is no such thing as a free lunch,' Hiruko thought; there was no way in hell he thought someone did this for no reason.
'Especially if they gave me this,' Hiruko thought, his piercing red eyes focused on a blue luminescent screen visible only to him that hovered before his eyes.
[System Loading: \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \]
This little thing had shown up the first night Hiruko arrived into this world and automatically started installing itself. At first he was surprised, maybe even a bit excited, but as the loading ticked on more and more, all he could feel was annoyance.
Systems, though great, brought attention and sometimes even control over those it 'blesses,' and if there was one thing Hiruko hated, it was the thought of being controlled.
Thinking about all the tasks and problems he had to deal with in this new life, Hiruko could only sigh, his gaze inadvertently landing on his pocket, which held a meager 200 Ryo.
(In this fanfic, 20 ryo = 1 u.s dollar.)
Yep, on top of being thrown into this chaotic world and stripped of all his previous power, Hiruko was also broke, but if he was lucky, this 200-ryo would be enough to help him get a leg up.
Just as Hiruko was praying 200 ryo could buy him some balloons and rubber balls, a loud poof sounded through the classroom, and from it appeared a burly olive-toned man with messy dark hair.
This was their sensei of two years, Dan Nakamura, a stern but kind man...or at least that's what Hiruko pieced together from the conversations he had been listening to since he arrived at class.
"Children, I have an announcement," Nakamura said, his voice low as he paused both for suspense and for the kids to process what he was saying. "The time for you to show your potential has come." Nakamura said as gasp erupted around the classroom
"In two weeks there will be an assessment that will test your capabilities as a shinobi, and if you show enough ability, you might get noticed, and in return the odds of you becoming a shinobi that can support the village increase," Nakamura said, his mouth slowly curling into a grin. " And let me add these two things: one, the Hokage will be attending, and all bets are off during this assessment."
After these words left his mouth, the classroom erupted into a series of gasps and excitement. The Hokage was most of their idols, and a chance to see and show off in front of him, maybe even get picked out by him, was a dream come true.
But a select few were more focused on the second half of Nakamura's statement, all bets are off. Not everyone knew what that meant, but some certainly did.
'The standard fighting format in the Naruto anime when it came to these assessments was simple Taijutsu with kunai and shuriken being okay. However if all bets were off that meant Ninjutsu and such were okay, Hiruko reasoned internally as him and the others who realized the same came to one singular conclusion
'This test allows geniuses or those from clans to let loose.'
As for Dan Nakamura he was thinking the same thing
'I feel bad for these kids getting their hopes up; unfortunately, those with talent have already been chosen by the village with their futures mapped out. This was nothing but a formality. As for the rest of the kids the untalented and civilian-born, they would go toward refilling the fodder ninja lost in the 1st shinnobi war and that is all they'd ever be.' Nakamura thought as pity filled his eyes; he had taught these kids for two years, and he didn't want them to fail, but a job is a job.
Reigning in his emotions Nakamura once again looked at the class with a forced smile. "I get you all are excited, but your work isn't over. Now turn to page 356; today we'll be learning about concealment…"
.....
Hiruko stood up from his chair as the final bell of the day chimed in his ears, signifying the end of the day. Just as he was about to leave after grabbing his stuff, his path was suddenly stopped by the same boy with hair as white as his and an obnoxious smile.
'Jiraiya,' Hiruko internally repeated the name of the boy in front of him, his mind conjuring the image of a perverted yet good-natured old man who was a hero.
While also being a major of both some of the bad and good that happaned in the origional story. As for the boy currently standing in front of him, despite him being that same man he was a far cry from that man of the future.
"Hey Hiruko, the guys and I are going out to get some food and hang out. Want to join? " Jiraiya asked, his smile so wide it felt blinding.
"Oh, um, no thank you, I have other things that require my attention… maybe another time," Hiruko said somewhat awkwardly his lack of interactions like these with children his age showing through as he quickly left after
Jiraiya, seeing this, could only watch the spot Hiruko was standing in mere seconds ago with slight confusion.
'Did I say something wrong?' Jiraiya couldn't help but ask himself, seeing Hiruko's awkwardness and quickness to escape him.
As Jiraiya stood there contemplating what went wrong, a young boy with light brown hair approached him. "Hey Jiraiya, why even ask him? You know he barely talks to anyone, let alone goes out; he's part of the COT."
(COT—Closed-off Trio)
Jiraiya, hearing this, simply looked at the boy with his characteristic grin as he placed his hands on the back of his head as if laying on a pillow. "Yeah, I know Shiki, but it was worth a try. Everyone deserves a chance at friends." Jiraiya said before seeing a snake-like figure out of the corner of his eye trying to quickly leave.
"Hey Orochimaru!"
.....
Hiruko walked down the streets of Konoha, his eyes looking at the unfamiliar sense of peace and happiness with the feeling of alienation. He could feel it etched in his bones; he didn't belong here.
Kids walked with their parents as they enjoyed the warmth of a family and the happiness that came with childhood. Homes stood as tall, complete buildings, not destroyed rubble. The sun stood tall in the sky, its brilliance filling the bright blue expanse, leaving Hiruko in slight awe.
Light, the sun, the sky—all of those were words he was familiar with, but their images were blurry, muddled, and nearly forgotten due to the period of darkness in his old world. To be honest it was this sight and warmth that brought both awe and a darker feeling.
To be honest, it all felt unnatural and undeserved as the thought of, 'Why am I out of everyone the one who gets to experience this beauty?' continued to force its way through his head.
And with that an understanding of the other 4 great nations surfaced, one the inhabitants of Konoha either struggled to grasp or simply never cared to acknowledge.
'Who wouldn't want this?' Hiruko thought as he continued to look at the unfamiliar sight of happiness and content. 'The other 4 kage are leaders of nations with people who look up to them who trust that they will bring prosperity.'
'So who in their right mind would look at the eyes of their people, the ones who fight for the prosperity of their nation, and not seek the happiness, the beauty, and the resources Konoha has for themselves? ' Hiruko thought as a twinge of sympathy for villages like Sunagakure surfaced.
'Konoha might not be perfect, far from it; it has flaws, but at the end of the day, to others, it's like a paradise, one with a thriving economy, life, and nature.' Hiruko thought as he stopped, his gaze drifting up to a sign that said "Sato Family's Party Store." This was his destination.
Entering the store, Hiruko's was met with a small and humble open space and the small smile of an old lady who stood at a counter adjacent to the door.
She was old as wrinkles plastered her face, but she was strangly fit for someone her age, her hair was gray with streaks of black and bangs sat neatly atop her head covering her forhead.
"Hello, kiddo. What brings you to this old lady's shop?" the lady asked, her voice soft as she looked at the boy with a look Hiruko couldn't quite understand.
"Oh, hello, Ms. I am looking for balloons. And some cheap rubber balls if you have them?" Hiruko asked politely.
The lady, seeing Hiruko's politeness, smiled slightly as she fought the urge to pinch his plump little cheeks.
"Balloons can be found on the wall right over there," the lady said as she peered out from her counter, slightly pointing to the far opposite wall, where several shelves held packs with different contents in each.
"As for rubber balls, we're out as of right now, but in about a week we should be getting another shipment. Is that okay, Kiddo?" The old lady asked
"Yeah, that's perfect, thank you," Hiruko said, bowing slightly in gratitude as he walked toward the wall holding the balloons, picking up a pack.
'Good first step accomplished, though this was the easy part,' Hiruko thought with anticipation as he could finally take his first step toward achieving something beneficial to his goals of the future as the image of a spinning blue ball of chakra surfaced in his mind.
This was his plan, Rasaegan, one of the only jutsu that the audience was given a step-by-step guide on how to complete and also one of the most complex yet simple jutsu Hiruko could attempt.
The thing about the Rasengan is it's a jutsu that actually doesn't have too harsh requirements. I mean, Konohamaru learned it around twelve and fended off one of the six paths of pain with it.
As for chakra, you would need a good amount, but you didn't need jinchuriki or even Senju-level amounts to do it; it should be and is an amazing starter jutsu for Hiruko.
But why was such a good jutsu forbidden? Why was it not widely taught? Because in return for a jutsu that is easy to learn and doesn't require a lot of chakra, there is one major prerequisite to learning it.
One needed amazing chakra control, and as said earlier, Hiruko had none; he couldn't even mobilize his chakra currently.
'But if I could learn and hone my chakra control, Rasengan would improve my strength a lot and at least let me get my foot in the door to becoming a shinobi with enough strength to protect myself. ' Hiruko thought before he felt the need to add, 'Though I might not be able to learn it anytime soon.'
'And as for Minato…you should thank me; I'm saving you three years,' Hiruko thought as he mentally justified the fact he was attempting to steal someone's creation who wasn't even born yet.
Picking up the pack, Hiruko headed back to the counter and placed the pack on the counter in front of the old lady.
"Fine, everything okay, Kiddo?" the old lady asked as she looked at the pack on the counter. "60 ryo," she added
Hiruko, hearing the price, mentally thought, 'Not too bad,' to himself as he pulled out his wallet, grabbing 3, 20-ryo bills, while saying, "Yes, ma'am."
The old lady, hearing this, simply smiled as she took the bills from Hiruko's outstretched hand and pushed the pack of balloons toward him.
As Hiruko grabbed the pack ready to leave, the woman stopped him beckoning him back. "Hey Kiddo, this old lady made a bit too much lunch for herself, so here, take this." She said, pulling a bento from beneath her counter and extending it toward Hiruko.
Hiruko, seeing this, was about to refuse politely before the lady interrupted him. "Take it, kiddo. You wouldn't want to leave this old lady with more food than she can consume, would you? Plus, you're all skin and bones, so take it, and if you want some more, visit me again." She said, her voice a mix of warmth and sternness, that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
And Hiruko, knowing this, took it reluctantly, a small sense of warmth filling his chest as he bowed slightly, saying, "Thank you."
The old lady, seeing this, couldn't hold back as she vigorously pinched Hiruko's cheek, which was met with a slight wince from him. "Aw, you're so cute I just couldn't resist; now get going you shouldn't waste all your youth with this aging old lady; my grandson already does enough of that," the old lady said with a sigh.
Hiruko, hearing that, couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu, but being rushed by the old lady, he hurried and thanked her again before leaving.
As Hiruko once again began his journey toward the library, he couldn't help unconsciously smile as he recalled the kindness of the woman. His gaze remained focused on the bento in his hands as a weird feeling of happiness filled his heart.