Especially regarding the Hokage timeline issues, the plot holes are truly impossible to mend
Cold air rushed into his lungs, accompanied by the strange sensation of his skull being squeezed and then released. Amidst the deafening cries, his consciousness finally broke through the haze and awoke.
[Where is this...]
Before the question could fully form, his newborn hearing caught unfamiliar words.
"It's born! Get hot water quickly!"
Japanese? Not his mother tongue. But for a child who grew up watching mainstream anime, it was certainly familiar.
The sensation from his body wasn't a dream. Does this mean he was reincarnated? Or transmigrated?
If it was the former, he would feel a little frustrated, but if it was the latter, he truly hoped it was a fantasy world setting. Failing that, he could accept the Hokage or One Piece worlds.
If that were the case, he wouldn't have much desire to return.
"It's a healthy girl!"
?????
Although his Japanese level wasn't high, he could understand basic conversation, and the speaker's accent was quite standard, so he shouldn't have misheard.
[TS?! I've fantasized about this, but this is too sudden!]
"Haha, starting today, I'm a father."
"Naruto, Amane, I finally get to see you."
"Alright, Kushina! Although you just gave birth and must be exhausted, we still need to quickly suppress the Nine-Tailed Sealing!"
"Mhm!"
[???? Naruto?! Kushina?! Nine-Tailed?!]
Even if his Japanese wasn't great, he could still understand these familiar names.
So this is the Hokage universe?
He tried to use his consciousness to open his newborn eyelids, but all he saw was a blur.
[Right, I remember newborn babies don't have fully developed eyesight, roughly equivalent to 800 degrees of myopia. That's even higher than my original nearsightedness.]
However, at this moment, he was held and brought close to the mother. Even with 800 degrees of myopia, things were relatively clear at such a short distance.
Red hair, a beautiful yet weak face sporting a maternal smile. At the other end of this beautiful woman, a yellow-haired baby was crying.
[It really is Kushina and Naruto! But I can't clearly see the face of that yellow-haired baby. What if I am Naruto?]
"Minato, look, Amane is looking at me."
"Ah, she must be captivated by her mother's beauty. Little Amane, grow up well. You will definitely become a great beauty, no less than your mother."
[...]
Fine, this confirms that he transmigrated as a girl.
[Uzumaki Tian Yin. The name is acceptable. At least I personally think it's more unique than Naruko.]
He didn't know why many fanfictions gender-bent Naruto and called her Naruko. His name's origin is clearly Narutomaki, a ramen topping. If the gender-bent version is Naruko, doesn't that meaning disappear?
Amane quickly accepted her new identity. So what if she was a transmigrated girl? If she really couldn't accept it later, she could always go find Uncle Snake. After all, in this Hokage world setting, almost anything is possible, just like in cultivation novels.
Speaking of the Hokage world, especially the day Naruto was born... Amane suddenly remembered something, and then a feeling of weightlessness came over her.
In her line of sight, she saw a man wearing a tiger-skin mask. He was holding her with one hand, while the other hand was shaped like a claw, placed right in front of Amane's face.
"Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, step away from the Jinchuriki immediately, or your daughter's lifespan will only be one minute!"
Staring at Obito's chin, Amane had stopped crying, but her entire body trembled with fear.
She could feel that there was something on the baby cloth wrapping her, noticeably heavier than it had felt moments ago.
[Why did I get the "hand warmer"?! System! System!]
Although she disliked this trope when reading novels before coming here, if there was any possibility of changing this inevitable outcome now, the System was the only thing she could rely on.
Or maybe the Six Paths Sage, wandering the Ninja World, could give her a cheat.
But she wasn't Naruto, the reincarnation of Ashura... However, no matter how Amane called out, all she got was silence. After a dizzying moment, Minato lovingly placed her on a small bed, where Naruto was also lying.
Due to her poor eyesight, Amane couldn't see the full picture, but she was truly impressed that, even with one person becoming two, things were still happening exactly the same as in the original work.
"You're safe here. Naruto, Amane, wait a moment, Daddy is going to save Mommy now."
Having freed his hands, Minato pulled the wooden shard caused by the exploding tag out of his leg, then disappeared without changing his expression throughout.
[I remember in the original work, Minato pulled out the wooden shard before transferring home.]
Amane remembered the Hokage plot very clearly. This work held extraordinary significance for her in her previous life. It was both the catalyst for her entering this fandom and the first time she had ever found a passion.
Turning her head to look at Naruto, who was already asleep beside her, she could finally see his face clearly.
[Naruto, huh... By order of birth, I'm the younger sister. Will Sasuke target me, or will he continue passionately shouting names with Naruto?]
Thinking this, Amane felt a trace of sorrow.
Her family in her previous life wasn't happy or complete, and now that she finally transmigrated, she was about to become an orphan.
Seriously, Obito's move here.
According to the setting, wasn't the Nine-Tailed supposed to be the last one sealed into the Gedo Statue? Amane remembered this setting clearly: if the Nine-Tailed was sealed first, the balance would collapse.
So, if that's the case, what was Obito trying to achieve by attacking Konoha?
Perhaps the only explanation is that Obito wanted to weaken Konoha. But looking at the subsequent plot, the one truly in mortal danger was Kushina. Minato could have lived if he wanted to.
Furthermore, according to the late-stage setting, a Jinchuriki wouldn't die if a Tailed Beast was resealed back into them, provided they hadn't breathed their last yet.
Therefore, in Amane's view, Obito's move seemed more like Kishimoto patching up Naruto's background story. If she remembered correctly, before shippuden, especially around the Chunin Exams, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was still established as a natural disaster formed by humanity's negative emotions.
Of course, that's the logic of the manga. If all this was truly her transmigration, then Obito just wanted to take revenge on society.
And doing it by attacking his own master and his master's wife—he truly was an irredeemable beast.
[Sigh, I'm really unlucky. If the timeline were earlier, I might have had a chance to work hard, but without a System now, I can only follow the plot.]
Following the trajectory of the original work, Minato decided to seal the Nine-Tailed inside Naruto, while he himself would use the Reaper Death Seal to take the other half away.
The purpose of this was twofold: he didn't want Konoha to lose the Nine-Tailed, and he wanted Kushina to be able to see the adult Naruto in the future, with his own portion helping Naruto control the Nine-Tailed later on.
The plot had reached its final stage: Minato and Kushina were pierced through the abdomen by the Nine-Tailed. Their gazes fell upon Amane, who was also watching the scene, and Naruto, who was on the pedestal, their weak faces showing loving expressions.
"I'm sorry, Amane, but the power of the Nine-Tailed is too dangerous. As a girl, you might marry and have children in the future, and I don't want you to repeat today's tragedy. So we won't seal it in you, but as long as you stay by your brother's side, we can still watch over you constantly."
"Mommy just told your brother many, many things, but even though this is the situation, Daddy is a bit embarrassed to say anything too emotional. All I can say is, Amane and Naruto, you must live strong and bravely. Your existence is the continuation of our lives."
"Also, if you ever meet a man named Jiraiya, although his behavior might be strange, he is truly a trustworthy person. I hope you don't dislike him. If you have the chance, I hope you can apologize on my behalf for disappointing his expectations."
After speaking, Minato embraced Kushina from behind and simultaneously began forming hand signs. The sadness on his face, along with his tears, shone brightly under the light of the Chakra.
Ah, he couldn't hold it together.
Feeling the drops of water streaming down her face, this scene struck her soul far more deeply than when she had watched it in the anime.
Perhaps this was a reminder that what she was seeing now was indeed reality and not a dream.
A weak infant body, a transmigration without a System.
The continuous shocks caused her mind to sink into exhaustion. After seeing Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi promise Kushina that he would take good care of them...
Amane's consciousness completely sank into darkness.