Chapter 1 — Crossing
Cao Jian's life had never been easy. Born into a poor family, burdened with an unimpressive face and mediocre grades, he lived under the shadow of a father who valued report cards more than affection. His father's endless lectures about "working hard for the future" had long become a dull echo in his ears. At school, things weren't any better—his teachers saw him as a hopeless case, and his classmates treated him like a joke. The so-called "beautiful high school days" that others fondly remembered were, to him, a daily struggle filled with embarrassment and failure.
High school was supposed to be a time of friendship, youthful dreams, and innocent romance—an age when people believed that hard work could change their destiny. But for Cao Jian, all those words were meaningless. He had tried studying harder, but every page of English grammar and mathematics only deepened his frustration. He had imagined confessing to the girl he liked, yet when he caught her indifferent eyes, he immediately shrank back into silence. Life, to him, was simply a cycle of disappointment.
His only comfort came from the glowing screen of a computer. In the dark corners of an internet café, surrounded by the smell of instant noodles and cigarette smoke, he found a small escape. Online games were his only release—the worlds inside them were fairer than his reality. But beyond games, his true passion was Japanese anime, especially Naruto. He had watched it since childhood, following every episode from Naruto's days at the Ninja Academy to his fierce battles during the Fourth Great Ninja War. The story of a boy rejected by his village, yet rising to become its greatest hero, struck deeply within him.
Naruto Uzumaki—once the lonely child shunned because of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, who grew to be the Seventh Hokage—represented everything Cao Jian wished he could be. When Naruto fought Neji and declared, "I'll never go back on my word, because that's my ninja way!" something stirred inside him. He admired that fiery determination, that unbreakable spirit that could turn weakness into strength. Unlike his own world, the world of ninjas gave people the chance to change their fate through effort and will.
Every night, after hours of gaming, Cao Jian would rewatch Naruto's most memorable battles—the fight with Gaara in the Chūnin Exams, Jiraiya's last stand against Pain, and Naruto's final clash with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. Each time, he imagined himself in Naruto's place: what if he had that power? What if he could change not just his world, but his entire destiny? That thought became his only dream—his only hope.
Perhaps he wished too hard, because one night, everything changed.
He found himself in a vast void of light. Floating before him was an old man with long white hair, a flowing robe adorned with tomoe patterns, and eyes that glowed with the power of the Rinnegan and the Sharingan combined. A black staff hovered beside him, radiating ancient power.
Cao Jian recognized him immediately. "You… you're Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki—the Sage of Six Paths!"
The old man smiled faintly. "You know my name. Interesting. Few mortals do. Your soul's desire has resonated beyond your world, young one. You wish to live differently, to wield power, to be acknowledged. Very well… I shall grant you that chance."
Before Cao Jian could respond, a blinding light engulfed him.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a small, worn-out bed in a cramped room. The air smelled faintly of dust and stale food. The furniture was simple—a wooden desk, a small mirror, and a pile of instant ramen cups stacked beside the window. Confused, he stumbled toward the mirror—and froze. The face staring back wasn't his.
Golden hair, blue eyes, and three whisker-like marks on each cheek. He was no longer Cao Jian. He was… Naruto Uzumaki.
For a long moment, he stood there, trembling. The shock soon gave way to a sharp pain in his head as countless foreign memories poured in—Naruto's loneliness, the laughter of villagers behind his back, Iruka-sensei's kindness, and the ache of wanting to be acknowledged. When the pain faded, Cao Jian found that he could understand every word, every thought, as if he had always belonged here.
He opened the door and looked out at the familiar streets of Konoha—the bustling market stalls, the Hokage Rock in the distance, and the laughter of children wearing forehead protectors. Everything he had seen in the anime was now real.
Standing under the warm sunlight, Cao Jian—no, Naruto—finally understood. In this world, power was everything. Without strength, one would be ignored, ridiculed, or even trampled upon. But with strength, one could stand tall, protect others, and earn respect.
With his knowledge of the entire Naruto timeline, from the Shadow Clone Technique to the mysteries of Sage Mode and chakra nature transformations, he knew he held an advantage that no one else had.
This time, he wouldn't be the prankster everyone laughed at. He would train harder, smarter. He would rewrite Naruto's destiny—starting now.
(End of this chapter)