Chapter 1: Awakening and the Forging System
Naraku's consciousness slowly rose from the depths of unconsciousness. His eyes fluttered open; his vision was blurry, and his head throbbed as if it had been split open.
As he woke, Uchiha Mikoto's face lit up with relief and joy. She hurried to his side, voice soft with concern. "Naraku! How are you feeling now?"
Naraku glanced at the black-haired little girl beside him and muttered instinctively, "I'm fine."
Mikoto beamed at his response, then quickly left to fetch his dinner.
Lying in bed, Naraku began piecing together the memories flooding his mind.
His name was Naraku—a surname that existed back in his original world. Now, he was Uchiha Naraku. The unfamiliar room, his small, frail body, and the legendary Uchiha name all pointed to one conclusion: he had transmigrated.
Into the world of Naruto—the land of the Five Great Ninja Villages and endless clan wars.
He recalled his previous life: no parents, no wife, no children. Orphaned young in a run-down orphanage nicknamed the "Tomato Home." An ultimate hardcore Naruto fan. And, of course, the classic ending—run over by a dump truck on his way to work. (Why the hell was there a dump truck in the city? Don't ask.)
At least his cheap red phone had fallen into the river before he died. Small mercies.
Before he could dwell too long, Mikoto returned with dinner and gently fed him a few bites.
Afterward, Naraku excused himself, claiming he needed rest. Mikoto left obediently.
Now came the most important part of any transmigrator's life: finding the golden finger.
Sure, as a die-hard Naruto fan, he knew most of the plot—but the ninja world was full of walking cheats. Naruto and Sasuke alone were broken enough. Even Orochimaru, who would be a top-tier villain in any other world, ended up as a side character here.
Gods above—Jade Emperor, Tathagata, the Three Pure Ones, whoever's listening— With my unparalleled talent, unbreakable will, and sheer effort… is Deep Blue here? System? Chat group? Old grandpa in a ring?
He called out in every direction. Nothing.
Just as he was about to try something more drastic, a cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A pale blue semi-transparent screen materialized before his eyes.
[Multiverse Forging Master System binding in progress… Congratulations, you have become an Apprentice Forger.] [Task 1: As a forger, you must possess your own forging workshop. Please immediately locate a personal forging site!]
Naraku let out a long breath of relief. It wasn't the instant "Invincible in the Ninja World" or "Ultimate Villain" system he'd dreamed of, but a system was a system. Even an auxiliary profession like forging should be decent in this cheat-filled world.
The interface showed no further details yet—likely because the binding was still in the trial phase. He needed to complete the first task to unlock more.
No time to waste. If the system vanished because he delayed too long, he'd lose his mind.
Naraku tried to get up—only for his head to spin violently. Darkness swallowed him again.
"I f—king—" was all he managed before passing out.
When he woke once more, it was early the next morning. This time, more of the original body's memories had integrated smoothly.
He realized he hadn't just transmigrated recently. He'd actually been here for years—only now had he "broken through the prenatal mystery" and fully awakened his past-life memories.
The original Uchiha Naraku had been eerily similar to him: a cheeky, mischievous little brat. An absolute "immortal of petty chaos."
His parents—a Jonin father and Chunin mother—had died during the fragile semi-peace after the First Shinobi World War. His father had been a hardcore hawk faction loyalist, right-hand man to one of the Uchiha clan's Grand Elders. Mikoto was that Grand Elder's granddaughter, making her and Naraku childhood friends—practically (childhood sweethearts).
Thinking of the beautiful, gentle woman Mikoto would grow into, Naraku made up his mind on the spot: She was his. No question. He'd claim her himself. As for whether Itachi or Sasuke would ever be born? Not his problem. By the time any "second son" showed up, Naraku figured he'd already ascended to godhood with his talent, will, and a sprinkle of system cheats.
He refused to sit idle just to preserve the original plot. That was suicide.
Determined, Naraku headed out to find Mikoto. A proper forging workshop wasn't something an orphan kid could easily acquire alone.
"Naraku, are you feeling better?" Mikoto asked worriedly the moment she saw him. Then she added sternly, "And no more randomly provoking people, okay? Especially not that (sarcastic mocking) stuff you do."
Naraku knew exactly what she meant. The original body had been mocking some Uchiha kid named "Kei" (or whatever his name was), only to get jumped by a whole gang of the brats he'd pissed off. That beating was apparently what finally triggered his memory awakening.
He silently vowed to "repay" those little punks generously in the future.
"It's fine, Mikoto-nee. They were saying nonsense like 'only Fugaku is worthy of you.' That's why I mocked them." Naraku looked up at her with the purest, most innocent childlike eyes. "Mikoto-nee, the only one who can marry you… is me."
Mikoto, completely unused to such bold words from a little boy, blushed furiously. "W-What are you saying?! You're still smaller than them! Anyway—no more one-vs-many fights! If you have to fight, call me first!"
Naraku then explained his request: he wanted a personal forging room.
Mikoto was surprised—why would a child suddenly want something like that?—but she agreed without hesitation. She'd help him find one.