In Konoha Village, sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, and dappled shadows danced on the ground.
Within the Uchiha Clan's residential district, a traditional Japanese house stood quietly. This was Uchiha Kaede's home.
"Something as ridiculous as transmigration actually happened to me one day."
Uchiha Kaede, a soul from modern society, had somehow transmigrated into the world of Hokage Ninja and become a member of the Uchiha Clan.
He was currently staring blankly at his hands. In his previous life, he had gotten too excited while reading a novel on his computer and accidentally knocked over a glass of water nearby.
A tingling sensation rushed through him, his vision went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this anime world from his past life.
He didn't have any close relatives in his previous life, so he had no attachments when he came to this world.
At this moment, Kaede sat by the window in his room, watching the clan members hurrying back and forth on the street outside, his heart filled with countless thoughts.
He deeply understood the future destiny of the Uchiha Clan—to be suspected by Konoha's higher-ups and ultimately suffer a tragic massacre.
He certainly didn't want to foolishly follow the predetermined plot toward destruction. He had to change his fate, survive in this dangerous world, and preferably live a freer life.
"Kaede, it's time to train." His father's stern voice came from outside the door.
"I know, Father." Kaede replied, stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the room.
In the courtyard, his father, Uchiha Gō, was waiting for him with a serious expression.
The Uchiha Clan had always prided itself on its strength, placing extreme importance on the training of its members. Unfortunately, his father was only a Chunin.
"Kaede, you must remember that our Uchiha Clan bears the responsibility of protecting Konoha. But at the same time, our own strength is the foundation of our existence. You have reached the age where you must work hard to improve your strength; you must not be negligent." His father said, looking at him intently.
"Yes, Father, I understand." Kaede responded respectfully, but inwardly, he was continuously recalling his past memories to adapt to this world faster.
In his memory, Shisui was already one of the family's top geniuses.
Fortunately, there was no news of his death yet. As for Uchiha Itachi, although he was also a genius, perhaps due to Shisui's influence, his status within the clan was not yet so prominent.
Following his father to the clan training ground, he saw that many clan members were already training diligently.
The glow of various Ninjutsu flashed, mixed with shouts and the sounds of hand seals, creating a lively yet competitive scene.
Kaede found a relatively secluded corner and began practicing the Uchiha Clan's basic Ninjutsu by himself—Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Following the hand seals from his memory, his hands moved rapidly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" With a low shout, a mass of flame gathered in front of him, then violently shot forward, forming a massive fireball that flew toward the open ground, exploding upon impact and kicking up a cloud of dust.
This was the Great Fireball Technique, famously said to have never killed anyone in the original series, and one of the few Ninjutsu he currently knew.
"Hmm, the power still isn't enough." Kaede frowned slightly, looking at the effect of the Great Fireball Technique he had just performed.
This level of power was only about the same as Second Sasuke at the start of the story.
But he was twelve years old now and already a Genin. With only this much strength, surviving the Night of the Clan Massacre was nothing short of a pipe dream.
After training for a while, he told his father he was going out, as he felt his improvement was far too slow.
No wonder the original host never appeared in the plot; he was probably just a victim under Itachi's hand.
Walking on Konoha's main street, he couldn't help but look around. The prosperity here was probably the highest in the entire Ninja World.
Just then, a commotion came from nearby. Kaede looked up and saw several Uchiha Clan youths arguing with a non-clan Ninja whom they had surrounded.
"Hmph, an outsider dares to act arrogantly on Uchiha territory? They must have a death wish." an Uchiha youth said with disdain.
"Exactly. Hurry up and scram. This isn't a place for you to run wild," another youth echoed.
The non-clan Ninja who was surrounded flushed red but dared not fight back easily. He simply clenched his fists, suppressing his anger.
Kaede's heart stirred slightly. No wonder Konoha's people didn't accept Uchiha members like this.
This was an outdoor training ground, meaning anyone could use it, yet these Uchiha Ninja directly drove others away.
Kaede shook his head. This had nothing to do with him, and he couldn't afford to get involved in other people's business right now.
Thus, he pretended not to notice and walked past them.
"Yo, Kaede, is that you?" A familiar voice came from a distance.
Kaede turned around and saw that it was one of the Uchiha clansmen who had just been chasing people away.
This was actually a cousin in the family named Uchiha Qi.
Qi was considered quite diligent in his training within the family, and his strength was somewhat greater than Kaede's.
"Cousin Qi, what a coincidence." Kaede greeted him politely.
"It is. How about it? Want to train together?" Qi said as he walked over to Kaede.
"No thanks, I came out to buy a few things, and I need to head back now." Kaede refused with a smile.
"Haha, well, forget it then. Have your Ninjutsu improved recently?" Qi looked at Kaede with a half-smile, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.
Kaede felt a slight chill in his heart. He knew that competition was fierce in this clan, and everyone was secretly vying for position.
"Still the same, I guess. My talent is just too ordinary," Kaede said, shaking his head.
"Huh? Why are you saying that today? Didn't you always talk about working hard to get stronger?" Qi patted Kaede's shoulder, looking puzzled.
"It's nothing, just feeling a little emotional. There are too many geniuses in the clan," Kaede explained.
"Oh, that's true." Qi agreed profoundly, then returned to the original training ground and resumed his training.
Kaede watched Qi's retreating figure, secretly glad that he hadn't revealed any flaws.
He knew that in this clan, he had to remain vigilant at all times and not let anyone notice anything unusual about him.
After wandering for a while and feeling tired, Kaede finally went home.
Upon returning home, his mother, Uchiha Miho, had already prepared dinner.
The family sat around the dining table, and the atmosphere felt somewhat subdued. His father was still serious, while his mother occasionally served Kaede food, her eyes full of loving kindness.
"Kaede, how was your training today?" his mother asked softly.
"It was alright," Kaede replied vaguely.
"That's good, but you must also take care of your body and not overexert yourself," his mother cautioned.
"I know, Mother." Kaede nodded in response. Looking at his mother, he inwardly cursed that Great Filial Son: *You're truly high and mighty, killing off the old, weak, sick, and disabled, only sparing your little brother.*
Kaede had no parents in his previous life, and he didn't have deep feelings for his parents after transmigrating. But their kindness toward him was genuine.
After eating, Kaede lay on his bed, recalling the day's events.
He really couldn't think of any way to quickly boost his strength right now. If anything, the Uchiha's greatest advantage was the Sharingan, but at twelve years old, he hadn't even awakened his.
"Damn it! It's bad enough transmigrating into the Uchiha Clan, but I don't even have a Cheat System! How am I supposed to survive?" The more Kaede thought about it, the angrier he got.
In this world of Hokage, even hard work has limited effectiveness, and he doesn't even have much time left to work hard.
A moth suddenly flew near Kaede's bed. Distraught, Kaede grabbed it and crushed it to death.
Looking at the moth's corpse in his hand, he inexplicably thought of himself.
At this moment, a sudden change occurred. The blood flowing from the moth's corpse in his hand actually vanished, and at the same time, Kaede felt a burst of airflow emanating from his palm.
He looked at his palm in astonishment and confusion. What was this?
The moth's corpse in his hand was already shriveled, but that sensation made Uchiha Kaede snap to attention. Had his Cheat System arrived?