In Konoha Year 51, the sunset painted the village in a warm orange-red glow. The stone roads grew busier with the footsteps of returning ninjas. After missions, they headed to izakayas in small groups. The scent of barbecue drifted out from the shops, mingling with shouts and laughter, giving the whole village a lively, comforting atmosphere.
The Hokage Rock stood out against the twilight, the faces of the four Hokage overlooking the village. The Fourth's statue looked especially gentle in the sunset light, even though his era had long since ended. After the Kyuubi attack, the Third Hokage had returned to office, and the legend of the Yellow Flash was forever etched into the rock wall.
But the protagonist of this story wasn't in the bustling village center.
The scene shifted to the forest on the village outskirts.
Sweat dripped from the tips of her golden hair. Three-year-old Naruto panted heavily and hurled a kunai—"Whoosh!"
The metal glinted coldly as it sliced through the air and embedded itself precisely in the bullseye on the tree trunk.
A three-year-old shouldn't have such control or endurance, yet he had already mastered this level of precision. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and let a small smile tug at his lips.
"What incredible talent... Worthy of the child of destiny. It seems the original story wasted so much of his potential."
His voice was childish and carried that signature quirky flavor, but the tone held an unusual maturity—as if an adult's mind resided within the small body.
Yes, Naruto carried memories of another life.
In a world called Blue Star, he had been an ordinary office worker, stuck in the same routine day after day—until a massive, out-of-control truck ended it all in the most clichéd way possible.
...Really, no originality in isekai methods at all.
His memories from infancy were hazy, like being wrapped in thick fog. He wasn't even sure if he had truly "transmigrated" or if the original Naruto had simply "awakened" to past-life memories.
The one certainty was that, once his consciousness cleared, every plot point and character from *Naruto* was engraved in his mind.
Even stranger—"dattebayo."
No one had taught him that verbal tic, yet it slipped out naturally, like an instinct of this body.
It took several days for Naruto to reluctantly accept his new reality. Not only had he arrived in the Naruto world, he had become Uzumaki Naruto—the "child of prophecy" from the original story.
Konoha was currently enjoying a brief period of peace.
Madara Uchiha's body had begun to decay, while his pawn, Obito Uchiha, now wore a mask and had founded Akatsuki, secretly plotting the Eye of the Moon Plan in the shadows.
The most "filial" son in the ninja world, Black Zetsu, still lurked in darkness, patiently awaiting the moment to backstab and resurrect Kaguya.
Yahiko of Amegakure was dead, and Nagato had fully embraced the path of "making the world feel pain."
Jiraiya continued wandering the ninja world, searching for the so-called "child of prophecy" and gathering material for his next ero-novel—unaware that the person he sought was currently practicing shuriken throws in Konoha's forest.
Tsunade had long since left the village, wandering gambling dens with Shizune, turning into the legendary "fat sheep" and drowning her sorrows in alcohol and dice.
The most recent major event was the exposure of Orochimaru's human experiments. The Third Hokage had personally ordered his pursuit, turning one of the former Legendary Sannin into Konoha's S-rank missing-nin.
The main plot was still years away, and it would be a long time before Naruto even entered the Ninja Academy.
Well... He remembered the big events clearly, but the finer details... After finishing *Naruto*, a mobile game adaptation had renewed his interest.
Though he knew his parents in this life—the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina—were long gone, every time he passed Hokage Rock and saw Minato's statue, a faint depression settled over him.
Still, the loneliness of growing up in an orphanage in his previous life had toughened him. He was used to being alone. In this life, at least he had a small free apartment and monthly living expenses paid by the old man, the Third Hokage.
Though Naruto still wanted to ask where his cheap dad's inheritance had gone...
He had noticed the cold stares from adults and the alienation from other children in the village, but he didn't care. He wasn't some delicate girl—why would everyone like him anyway?
Besides, the future Twelve Konoha Rookies were mostly clan children: Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, that teme (the second son), and the others. Their families knew the truth about jinchuriki and wouldn't point fingers like ordinary villagers.
Truthfully, Naruto didn't need to train this hard. If he followed the original path, he could marry Hinata, become Hokage, and live at the peak... But too bad—there's a sequel!
He hadn't watched *Boruto*, but he'd seen spoilers on forums: Otsutsuki aliens, Naruto getting nerfed, scientific ninja tools... A whole mess.
...If he'd known he'd transmigrate, he would've binged *Boruto* first!
But regrets were useless now. The plot wouldn't start for years. He had time to kill, so better to train than daydream... Besides, if aliens showed up later, he couldn't just talk his way out of it, right?
"Okay, let's try something harder next!"
Naruto took a deep breath and upped the difficulty. He gripped several kunai between his fingers, locked onto bullseyes at different positions on the trunk ahead, then flicked his wrist sharply. They flew out in arcs.
"Keng! Keng!"
Metal clanged crisply as the kunai collided perfectly mid-air, redirecting their paths. What looked like a chaotic throw mysteriously adjusted after each impact.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Every kunai nailed a different bullseye with unerring accuracy.
"...Tsk, isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"
Naruto himself was startled. He knew this body had insane talent—the blood of the Fourth Hokage and the Uzumaki clan—but he hadn't expected shurikenjutsu to reach this level. The original Naruto never had such precision. Was it the transmigrator boosting his potential?
The legendary "transmigrator welfare"?
He scratched his head and started walking over to retrieve the kunai when—
"So awesome!"
A childish, clear voice rang from the woods, startling him. He turned to see bushes rustling. Then a small figure stumbled out in a panic—face flushed red, standing there awkwardly as if regretting her outburst.
So cute...
That was Naruto's first thought.
It was a little loli, about his age. Long black hair fell softly over her shoulders, contrasting her snow-white skin. Her large eyes—black and sparkling—watched him with a mix of timidity and curiosity. Delicate features like finely carved jade, pink lips gently pursed... She had an utterly lovable aura.
Who is this? Was there such an adorable side character in the original?