"Hiruzen, hand Yukawa over to me!"
Shimura Danzo demanded bluntly, his expression grave.
"That kid is too dangerous! He could be a Kumo spy!"
"He's not," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied flatly, tapping his pipe.
"Don't forget the kidnapping incident with Kushina Uzumaki! The Kumo can't be trusted!"
Danzo snorted. "Yukawa's an orphan adopted by Nonō Yakushi. He should've been assigned to Root."
"Are you teaching me how to do my job?"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "The orphanage belongs to Konoha, not to Root."
Danzo's face darkened. He snapped, "Hiruzen, you—"
"What? You want to say I'll regret this?"
Hiruzen interrupted him calmly. "I won't."
Danzo choked on his words. His mental script collapsed.
Damn you, Hiruzen! Was this all part of your plan?
Even stole my lines... I was going to say "I'm the real Hokage!" But I can't now.
Bang!
Danzo stormed out in a fury.
After a few steps, he turned back and shouted, "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Saying it did make him feel a little better.
"..."
Hiruzen looked at the swinging door and shook his head.
That's what being a Hokage Advisor is like—all bark.
But being the Hokage? That takes thought.
"Shun, have someone replace the door. Put it on Danzo's tab."
He turned his eyes to the file on the desk.
Name: Yukawa
Gender: Male
Age: Six
War orphan. Adopted by Nonō Yakushi.
During a routine Yamanaka Clan mental evaluation, he suddenly released immense spiritual energy.
Upon investigation, it wasn't caused by any pre-implanted spy technique. The source was purely mental.
Despite having no formal training, his spiritual power was many times stronger than his peers.
"Nonō is Danzo's subordinate. He can't stay in the orphanage," Hiruzen murmured thoughtfully.
Spiritual energy relates to Yin Release—used in Yamanaka and Nara clan techniques, as well as the Sharingan.
But clan secrets are never passed down… unless you're a civilian-born shinobi.
"Kurenai Yuhi," Hiruzen mused.
A genjutsu expert from a civilian background, currently a jōnin and instructor for younger shinobi. A suitable candidate.
---
Yukawa's eyes snapped open.
His whole body ached—like he'd hit the jackpot and then been ravaged by dozens of women.
He stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, glancing around in confusion.
Where the hell am I? Is this even my room?
Where's my Rin Tohsaka, Celestine, Tsunade, and Tifa figures?
While dazed, something suddenly stabbed into his consciousness.
Memories surged back.
He had transmigrated—or rather, regained memories of a past life.
Good news: He was in Konoha.
Having watched Naruto, he knew that compared to the chaos of the shinobi world, Konoha was relatively safe.
Play it safe, wait for Naruto and Sasuke to save the world, and maybe he could coast to the ending.
Bad news: He was a Kumo spy.
In this life, he was born in Kumogakure. Because of his sharp mind, he was selected to infiltrate Konoha.
His first challenge arrived fast—the inspection.
In Konoha, the Yamanaka Clan could make even corpses talk. Let alone the living.
He'd fainted during the process.
Just thinking about it made Yukawa break out in a cold sweat.
Had he been exposed?
He knew what happened to undercover agents. Infernal Affairs made that clear enough.
Suddenly, lines of text appeared before his eyes:
---
[System loading…]
[You have activated the Ninja Trait System.]
[Fulfill specific conditions to acquire traits. Some special traits can be evolved into higher tiers.]
[Trait Grades: E, D, C, B, A, S. Categories: Ninjutsu, Tools, Talents.]
---
"Huh?"
Yukawa's eyes widened.
His cheat… finally arrived?
With no bloodline, no secret techniques, and no clan background, he was basically doomed in the shinobi world.
But now—there was hope.
He couldn't help but hum in delight.
He examined the system. Simple layout. Just one trait panel:
[A-Rank Talent Trait: Infiltrator]
[Condition: Newbie Starter Pack
Effect: Your memories are automatically forged when someone tries to probe them.
Note: Cannot be evolved.]
Perfect.
A classic starter pack gift.
He let out a deep breath. No need to fear the Yamanaka mind probe anymore.
[C-Rank Talent Trait: Full Soul from Birth]
[Condition: Fusion of two souls
Effect: Yin Release potential increased by 100%
Note: Cannot be evolved.]
---
Why didn't full soul awakening give me Blue Silver Grass—wait no, Wood Style?
Yukawa fell into silence.
Yin Release, huh… not easy to work with.
He had no Sharingan. He wasn't from the Yamanaka or Nara clans. Was he supposed to learn genjutsu?
Better not.
Even someone like Kurenai Yuhi, a genjutsu prodigy, spent her life training and still couldn't compare to a random Uchiha who unlocked their eyes.
Forget it. Food first.
Yukawa's stomach growled.
He suddenly wore a look of regret.
"Damn! My holy sword!"
He remembered staying up all night grinding PvP and patting heads. Then he blinked… and woke up in another life.
No idea what happened to his old body. If he vanished, someone might crack his phone open.
That thought alone made his face flush with despair.
Creak—
The door opened.
He instinctively looked up and saw a young girl walk in.
Well—calling her a girl wasn't quite right. She was more of a petite loli, exquisitely pretty, with striking ruby-red eyes.
Yukawa blinked in confusion.
Who was she?
Where was he?
Definitely not the orphanage—he knew every kid there.
Still, this was good news.
Nonō Yakushi, who ran the orphanage, was Danzo's subordinate.
If Danzo marked him, he'd be brainwashed into Root's "Will of Darkness" and have all kinds of cursed seals slapped on him.
"You're awake?"
The girl smiled sweetly. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi."
"Yukawa."
Her smile made him feel unexpectedly at ease.
So this was Kurenai Yuhi, not "Granny Sunset," huh?
In the original, she married Asuma Sarutobi and became a widow.
"Can you walk?"
She paused. "I'll take you to my father. He'll explain everything."
"I can walk."
Yukawa got up and began thinking fast.
Kurenai's father… must be Yuhi Shinku.
Thoughts aside, he wasn't a subordinate of Danzo.
As a genjutsu jōnin, the only one who could have ordered this was likely the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Why Hiruzen and not Minato?
Because Kurenai was still a kid. This must've been before the Fourth Hokage's time.
Hiruzen may be controversial, but he dedicated his life to Konoha.
Compared to Danzo, he was practically a saint—at least he wouldn't carve curses into your tongue like "Root's Binding Seal."