Floating above the skies of Konoha, Ye Wuyue scanned the village below, searching for the target body he would soon possess. As he drifted, he noticed countless other soul bodies like himself, but unlike him, they were drawn toward the underworld—Hades.
> "This Konoha Village is bigger than I thought. Finding someone here is so hard... I remember it should be somewhere near the edge of the village."
He scratched his head out of habit, though in his soul form, he could no longer feel sensations.
> "Would you like the system to mark all nearby babies who meet the boarding conditions?"
> "What?! You could've done that from the beginning? I've been searching all this time!"
Ye Wuyue sighed in exasperation.
> "Yes! Of course, mark them!"
Three seconds later, red beams of light lit up the area in front of his eyes.
> "Red beams represent babies who meet the boarding criteria."
> This is so convenient!
Delighted, Ye Wuyue floated toward the nearest red beam. Before long, a traditional round-fan-style door came into view.
> "Looks like I found the right place."
Drifting through the walls, he came upon a touching sight: a five or six-year-old boy was sitting by the door, cradling a newborn in his arms.
> "Yoshi, yoshi. Sasuke's a good boy, a very good boy. Mom and Dad will be back soon."
The boy gently rocked the baby, his expression calm and mature.
> "This must be young Itachi... so cute. It's such a shame he hardly smiled in the future, always burdened by his brother's fate…"
Ye Wuyue felt a strange urge to raise Itachi as his own son—but quickly dismissed the thought. He knew too well what tragedy lay in store for Fugaku's family.
> "Warning! Host's soul is destabilizing. Boarding must be completed within 1 minute!"
The urgent tone snapped him back to focus. Wasting no time, Ye Wuyue dove into the infant in Itachi's arms.
> "Let me change your destiny."
Itachi didn't notice anything unusual as he gently soothed Sasuke.
Inside, Ye Wuyue's soul fused seamlessly with baby Sasuke's, along with a faint, nascent chakra signature.
> "Soul boarding successful. Death Sign-In System activated. First-year reward: Reiatsu Cultivation Method!"
The influx of spiritual knowledge overwhelmed Ye Wuyue's senses. Before he could process it fully, fatigue overcame him and he drifted off to sleep.
Itachi watched as baby Sasuke finally fell asleep.
> "Phew... finally asleep."
He exhaled in relief, then turned toward the center of the village, his expression darkening with worry.
> "I hope nothing happened tonight... Please come back safe, Mom, Dad…"
---
The Next Morning
When Ye Wuyue opened his eyes, he immediately felt discomfort—cold, wet discomfort.
> No... no way...
He hesitantly reached down with his tiny hand to confirm the unthinkable.
> I wet the bed?!
Being a baby, Ye Wuyue had fallen into a deep sleep. He hadn't even dreamed, let alone felt any urge to relieve himself.
> This is the sorrow of having a mature soul in a baby's body…
Desperate to maintain dignity, he stayed silent, but it was already too late. Itachi had noticed.
> "Ah, you wet the bed."
Lifting Sasuke, Itachi examined the damp futon and smiled gently.
> I didn't! It was Sasuke! I swear! Not me!
Ye Wuyue turned his head in shame, unwilling to meet Itachi's gaze.
> "Looks like I'll have to take this out to dry in the sun."
Unfazed and without disgust, Itachi wiped Sasuke clean with a warm towel, then wrapped him in a fresh quilt and gently placed him in a basket.
> "Stay here, Sasuke. I'll go hang the futon now."
He walked outside with the soiled bedding, calm and responsible beyond his years.
Ye Wuyue's soul was shattered. He stared blankly ahead, the fire of pride in his heart completely extinguished.
> Forget it... there's no use in sulking. I'm just a baby. These things are normal... Let's just look at that Reiatsu cultivation method and move on.
Suppressing his embarrassment, Ye Wuyue shifted his focus. The technique gifted by the system began to unfold in his mind.
> This world is cruel. Without strength, your fate is decided by others. I won't let that happen—not to me, and not to the ones I care about.
With a determined heart, Ye Wuyue began to study.
The cultivation method was relatively straightforward: by meditating and calming the mind, one could absorb spiritual energy from the environment and transform it into Reiatsu.
He closed his eyes and meditated. As his spirit calmed, he began to sense the faint currents of spiritual energy around him. Slowly, the invisible power entered his small body, enhancing his Reiatsu bit by bit.
> "Congratulations, host. First absorption complete. System panel unlocked."
---
[System Panel]
Host: Ye Wuyue (Uchiha Sasuke)
Spiritual Pressure: 10
(Captain-Class Spiritual Pressure: 48,000)
Chakra: 10
(1 Card = 1000 units)
Zanpakutō: Ryūjin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Flame)
Bloodline Ability: Sharingan (Unawakened)
System Inventory: 10×10 Grid
(Mask stored inside.)
---
The system's voice brought Ye Wuyue back from his meditation.
> Not bad… Everything seems in order—except…
His gaze landed on the "Chakra: 10" value and froze.
> Wait… Only ten chakra?