c1: My Sister is a Scissor
Li Chen's consciousness drifted in and out, as if he were floating on the surface of a restless sea. Somewhere in that haze, voices pierced through.
"Rope Tree! Rope Tree, wake up!"
"He's losing too much blood! Where's the medical-nin? Apply pressure to the wound!"
"Damn it! Who planted a string of detonating tags in an area like this?!"
"…!"
"Call for Lady Tsunade! Lady Tsunade is on her way!"
"Rope Tree, hold on… you have to hold on!"
The cries blended into each other, harsh and incessant, rattling Li Chen's half-conscious mind. He wanted to tell them to shut up, to let him sleep in peace but his lips barely parted. His eyelids felt like boulders pressing down on him.
The struggle went on for what felt like hours, until at last he forced his eyes open and rasped out in irritation.
"Enough already! Stop shouting in my ear! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep? And who the hell is this 'Rope Tree'? My name is Li Chen! Muzi Li! Chen Richen!"
But the sound of his own voice made him falter. Why did it sound so… thin, almost like a child's? The weak, high-pitched timbre was nothing like his usual tone, it was like listening to a starved twelve-year-old.
The confusion only deepened as the people around him erupted with relief.
"He's awake! Rope Tree-sama is awake!"
"Quick, inform Lady Tsunade immediately!"
Li Chen blinked at them, dumbfounded. And then, like a tidal wave, foreign memories smashed into his mind.
It was suffocating, a chaos of images and names crammed into his head: a village hidden in the leaves, carved into the cliffs of Fire Country; shinobi garbed in flak jackets; kunai, chakra, hand seals; the Senju Clan, its legendary patriarch, Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage; his brother Tobirama, the Second Hokage. His sister Senju Tsunade praised as the greatest medical-nin of her generation, her monstrous strength matched only by her sharp tongue and heavy fists.
And himself… Nawaki, Rope Tree of the Senju.
The boy who dreamed of becoming Hokage one day, just like his grandfather.
The boy fated to die young, blown apart by a hidden explosive trap during the Second Shinobi World War.
Li Chen's heart froze.
"Don't tell me… I really crossed over?!"
A bitter laugh echoed in his chest, though it came out as a hoarse croak. The immersion of the inherited memories dissolved instantly, leaving only a chilling awareness. He wasn't Rope Tree. He was Li Chen. But his aching body, the searing pain radiating from his torso, the smell of iron filling his nostrils, it all reminded him this was no dream.
"Not only did I transmigrate into the world of Naruto… but I just happened to land in the body of Rope Tree—the kid whose death would break Tsunade, plunging her into hemophobia and ultimately causing her to abandon Konoha."
He winced at the irony. "If I really die here, Tsunade's path won't change. But if I live, then history is already broken."
The thought sent a shiver through him. This wasn't some harmless playground of nostalgia this was a war-torn era where shinobi killed without hesitation. Akatsuki hadn't even been born yet, but the Second Great Ninja War had already swallowed countless lives.
Li Chen knew too well: his only advantage here was his knowledge of the original story.
He tried to shift, but the sudden strain tore at his wounds, making his vision blur and his teeth clench. He remembered clearly Nawaki's injuries weren't light. In the canon timeline, the explosion shredded his body, rupturing his organs beyond saving. That he was even breathing now was a miracle.
As sweat rolled down his brow, another shock coursed through his head.
"System rebooting… 0%… 10%… 50%… 100%."
A clear, mechanical chime echoed in his mind, cutting through the chaos.
"Restart complete. Welcome, Host, to the Main God System."
The words rang with a weight that silenced everything around him.
Hearing that sudden voice in his head, Li Chen's eyes widened, his lips parting slightly.
A system? Could it be? Or was this some hallucination born from the shock of transmigrating?
"Master, it is not an auditory hallucination," the voice replied smoothly, resonating within his consciousness. "This system manifests in your spiritual world and communicates directly with your mind."
Li Chen froze. It really was a system. His heart leapt—was this his golden finger? His cheat? But what was it for?
The voice clarified at once, as if anticipating his doubts.
"Master, this program is called the Lord God System. Based on your inherited memories, you may compare it to the 'Lord God' concept from those infinite flow novels in your previous world."
"Lord… God?" Li Chen shivered. His back broke into a cold sweat. That thing, the very concept that could erase players in an instant, was inside him?
This wasn't necessarily a blessing. What if it issued twisted, immoral missions? Could he obey and survive, or would he resist and be destroyed?
If he obeyed, little by little he'd lose himself, becoming nothing but a hollow puppet. If he resisted… he might simply die.
Sensing his unease, the voice quickly interjected.
"Master, rest assured. This is not the tyrannical Lord God of fiction, but only a 'Lord God's Auxiliary Program.' It possesses trading, redemption, and materialization abilities but it requires intelligent life to operate. In truth, you are the real Lord God."
"I… am the Lord God?" Li Chen repeated, stunned.
"Yes. You may select 'Reincarnators,' assign them missions, and in return earn points. These points can be exchanged for whatever you desire ninjutsu, bloodlines, forbidden techniques…"
The system droned on, explaining endlessly until Li Chen's head swam. He struggled to follow, the complexity mixing with the flood of Nawaki's memories still settling inside him.
It must be because I just fused Rope Tree's memories… my brain's a mess, and this system's rules are too bizarre, he rationalized to himself.
The system sighed, almost exasperated.
"In that case, Master, the quickest way is for you to try. You currently hold one quota. You may designate any individual within your sight as a reincarnator. The stronger the subject, the greater the point yield… though beware, if they are too powerful, they may escape control. Unless"
But Li Chen didn't hear the rest.
Because the door to the ward burst open.
A striking young woman stood there, her blond hair tied in a high ponytail, framing delicate yet heroic features. She was beautiful, her body carrying the maturity of her twenty-two years but her eyes were red and swollen.
"Tsunade…" Li Chen's heart sank.
His "sister."
She rushed forward like a gale, flinging herself onto him, clutching his head tight against her chest. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
"Thank goodness, Nawaki! You're alive… I'm so glad!"
"Mmmph—mmm!"
"What's wrong, Nawaki? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Mmmphhh!"
Li Chen struggled desperately, thrashing against her iron grip. Air fled his lungs. Damn it! Am I going to die, not from a detonating tag, but smothered by my sister's…
Yes. At twenty-two, Tsunade already had the legendary "assets" that made shinobi and one particular white-haired pervert—infamous for their ogling. With his head buried, only the back of his skull was visible. To any bystander, the scene was equal parts heartwarming and terrifying.
Finally noticing his frantic gasps, Tsunade loosened her hold, cheeks flushing crimson. She flicked his forehead with a sharp snap.
"You little brat! What filthy thoughts are you having? Don't you dare learn Jiraiya's perversions!"
"Ow!"
The flick sent sparks dancing behind his eyes, and the sudden jolt tugged at his wound. Pain seared through him, forcing his features to twist.
Great. Not only am I half-dead from the trap, now I'm being finished off by Tsunade's fists. Truly… Rope Tree's life is suffering.
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