As a transmigrator, Chiba Hakushi felt that he should possess the basic qualities of one.
Remaining calm and quickly integrating into a new world was the most important task at hand.
Even though this world had many things that defied science, like seeing someone on the street jumping onto the roof of an eight or nine-meter-high building as easily as a flea, or spitting fire from their mouths, and summoning streams of water invisibly...
These fantastical scenes that surpassed reality had left Hakushi dumbfounded more than once.
What kind of magical world was this?
Superman?
The key was that there wasn't just one Superman. In this village called Konoha, there were countless similar superhumans.
It was only after this that Hakushi understood that these humans, who seemed like 'Supermen', were beings called 'Ninjas'.
They used a special kind of energy called Chakra, and their astounding jumping abilities and mastery over various miraculous Ninja Techniques all depended on Chakra.
After a few days of adaptation, Hakushi finally understood that he had come to an extraordinary world.
He also had a very detailed understanding of his current identity.
In Konoha Village, he was an orphan. For the past few years, he had grown up in the orphanage of Konoha Village. It was not until he recently turned six and was found to have the potential to become a ninja that he left the orphanage to live alone outside.
The time Hakushi took over this body was on the day he left the orphanage.
This made Hakushi internally spill with sarcasm; what kind of lousy orphanage kicks him out at just six years old?
It's probably to let him fend for himself.
According to the information provided by the orphanage, his parents died on the battlefield not long after he was born. It was said that when the couple died, they were both under twenty, and their remains were incomplete, with only their cold names carved on the Memorial Stele.
Therefore, for Hakushi, a descendant of heroes, the village's upper echelons still gave him many conveniences in life. After Hakushi came out of the orphanage, the tuition for Ninja School was fully waived, and a certain amount of living subsidy was given monthly. All of his parents' inheritance would also be inherited by Hakushi.
Just from this aspect, Hakushi felt that Konoha Village still had a bit of human warmth.
But everything needs to be discussed on a comprehensive level. These days, Hakushi had heard not just once or twice some idle gossip on the streets of Konoha Village.
And as a result, he came to a conclusion that terrified him.
As long as someone was a formal ninja, regardless of age, they had to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy as arranged by the village's upper echelons.
According to some of Hakushi's observations, due to the ongoing Second Great Ninja War, every year, Konoha Village threw a large number of children under ten years old into the battlefield.
Ten years old?
More of them were even under ten?
Going to the battlefield?
This is a joke, right?
Is there seriously a need to send children under ten years old to the battlefield?
It is said that there are children as young as six or seven who, due to their excellent potential, graduate early from Ninja School and are directly sent to the battlefield...
Bewilderment and confusion immediately occupied Hakushi's heart.
What kind of dire situation were the frontlines of Konoha Village in, that they needed to send children under twelve to the battlefield?
Are they mad?
Could this Konoha Village be a terrorist organization?
Had he actually entered a terrorist organization?
With this possibility in mind, Hakushi looked at the Ninja School admission notice in his hand, his eyes showing a complex expression, and he sat on the ground with a somewhat dejected look.
It's over! He had entered a terrorist organization!
Once he entered Ninja School, he wouldn't just be taught various terrifying killing techniques, but would probably also be brainwashed to become a killing tool for the village's upper echelons...
Looking at the beautiful village under the bright sunshine, Hakushi felt a chill down his spine.
Escape?
Where to escape to?
The powers those ninjas displayed were just the tip of the iceberg, yet they could crush him like an ant. Hakushi didn't feel that he could escape from this terrorist organization right now.
After a severe internal struggle, Hakushi decided to take things one step at a time and escape from the village at the first suitable opportunity.
◎
April, Year 30 of Konoha.
Ninja School.
Not long after leaving the orphanage, Hakushi needed to attend Ninja School, as this was his only way out.
Hakushi had also accepted the extremely dangerous situation he was in now; Konoha Village was a terrorist organization. Until he had strong enough power, he must not act rashly or cause suspicion.
One wrong step would arouse suspicion among those around him, leading to being dealt with secretly.
Therefore, Hakushi couldn't help developing a sense of vigilance toward the seemingly harmless villagers around him.
He increasingly felt that the kindness on the faces of these honest villagers was a cunning smile, a devil's smile, while he himself was as innocent and harmless as a rabbit.
Each of them seemed to have the intent to devour him; their teeth stained with blood and sin.
This was Hakushi's reasonable analysis of his current situation.
Hakushi blended into the crowd and entered Ninja School. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Some children, like Hakushi, came alone, while others were accompanied by their parents.
The scene was bustling, almost like a fair.
Hakushi did not choose to stand silently to the side, emitting an aura out of place with the environment.
Such behavior was definitely foolish.
He must not attract attention, had to be ordinary, plain, and definitely should not do anything to stand out.
Before formally entering the class, Hakushi and the new students had to attend the opening ceremony.
The so-called opening ceremony was extremely simple, merely marking out a piece of ground on Ninja School's playground, lining up hundreds of new students by height, and listening to the lengthy and boring speeches of adults.
The speaker on stage was a middle-aged man wearing the Divine Robe, with a refreshing smile that was very infectious.
Hakushi knew that this middle-aged man wearing the Divine Robe was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The current leader of the terrorist organization Konoha Village.
The fearsome man who inherited the will of the previous two terrorist organization leaders, the First Hokage and the Second Hokage.
Involuntarily, Hakushi attached an extreme danger label to the benign smile of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
The content of Hiruzen Sarutobi's speech seemed extremely tedious to Hakushi.
It was nothing more than the same old propaganda.
The Will of Fire is great.
Konoha Village is bright.
We are all one family.
He then explained the great achievements of the previous Hokages from a historical perspective, exaggerating them to the skies, resonating with everyone present.
Except for Hakushi.
But in order not to attract attention, Hakushi also showed an expression of excitement and admiration like the others, as if he was truly inspired by the accomplishments of the previous Hokages.
This was called political correctness!