Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
A torrential downpour hammered relentlessly from the sky, as if the heavens had been torn open. Rain mixed with the stench of mud as it smashed into the ground.
Leaves shook violently in the wind, rustling nonstop. In the distance, mountain ridges were swallowed by curtains of rain, blurred into uneven ink-black silhouettes.
Inside the forest, a man in his forties wearing a Konoha forehead protector lay collapsed on the ground. Blood poured endlessly from his abdomen, soaking the mud beneath him.
Nearby lay five corpses. Blood snaked across the ground under the wash of rain, and the air was thick with the stench of death.
Standing before the man were three ninja wearing Iwagakure forehead protectors, dressed in red.
Mockery twisted their faces.
"Didn't expect him to be such a spineless coward."
"At that age and still just a chūnin—his strength really is trash."
"That's enough. Kill him and don't delay the mission. This time we must destroy their supplies. No survivors!"
"D-Don't… don't kill me…" The Konoha ninja clutched his stomach, pushing himself backward with his elbows, terror and despair filling his eyes.
"I won't tell anyone! I swear I won't!"
He truly didn't want to die.
The three Iwagakure ninja sneered. One of them raised the kunai in his hand, cold light flashing.
"Only the dead can truly keep secrets!"
The kunai plunged downward, aiming straight for the man's throat—
"Flame Breathing · First Form · Unknowing Fire!"
Blazing flames erupted violently in the rain, dazzling like a miniature sun.
Wherever the fire passed, rainwater instantly evaporated into white mist!
A perfect arc of flame slashed through the air as a boy swung the blade in his hand, fire coiling around it!
The scorching slash tore open the rain curtain. The three Iwagakure ninja were horrified and immediately retreated—
But the one holding the kunai was already too late.
The blade flashed. Before the kunai could fall, steel met flesh. Like a hot knife through butter, the ninja's head shot into the air!
Only then did the remaining two Iwagakure ninja see their attacker clearly.
It was a child with his back to them, no more than five years old. He wore a black uniform, a Konoha forehead protector tied around his left upper arm. His expression was icy cold, and in his right hand he held a blade nearly as tall as himself.
Flames still wrapped around the sword, while the Uchiha clan crest on his back flickered in the firelight.
"It's a Konoha ninja! Kill him!"
One of the Iwagakure ninja rapidly formed seals.
"Earth Release · Rock Pillar Spear!"
The ground near the boy suddenly burst open as a spear of earth shot upward, stabbing toward him!
The boy spun and slashed. The earth spear was severed instantly. At the same time, his left hand formed seals at lightning speed.
"Fire Release · Great Fireball Technique!"
He drew in a deep breath with his fingers bent before his lips, then spat out a massive fireball!
"How is that possible?! One-handed seals?!"
The two Iwagakure ninja were shocked and hurriedly retreated.
But the fireball was too fast. One of them slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release · Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of earth rose instantly. The fireball crashed into it and exploded, scattering sparks.
"Tch! Get ready—once I release the Technique, I'll kill—"
"Flame Breathing · First Form · Unknowing Fire!"
Before he could finish speaking, a childish voice sounded behind him. The next instant, searing heat engulfed his back.
His pupils shrank as he spun around, just in time to see his companion's neck being sliced open by that blazing blade!
The flames burned even fiercer along the sword's edge.
The boy's gaze was cold. Blood dripped cleanly from the blade, while the fire reflected resolutely across his youthful face.
Thud!
The companion's corpse hit the ground.
The last Iwagakure ninja was truly terrified.
His lips trembled. He never imagined he would die at the hands of a child.
Yet a ninja's pride would not allow him to beg for mercy. He clenched his teeth, determination flashing in his eyes.
He charged forward, hands forming seals.
"Earth Release · Rock Collapse!"
The ground cracked apart as massive boulders surged up from below, smashing toward the boy!
The boy's eyes turned sharp. He shifted his footing slightly and swung his blade upward in a fierce arc. Flames exploded instantly!
The boulder split cleanly down the middle. The cut surface glowed red from the extreme heat, like molten lava!
The scorching pressure turned the Iwagakure ninja's face pale. His heart shook violently—and before he could react, the boy was already upon him.
A flash of steel.
The Iwagakure ninja's body was cleaved in two.
"Flame Breathing · Second Form · Rising Scorching Sun!"
Only then did the boy's cold voice drift through the rain.
Clang—
The blade slid back into its sheath.
The boy glanced indifferently at the stunned Konoha ninja and spoke calmly,
"Go back."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the distance.
Only then did the Konoha ninja snap out of it. Staring at the Uchiha crest on the boy's back, he shouted loudly:
"Benefactor! Please tell me your name!"
"Uchiha Wen Lan."
...
"Hah—"
Wen Lan leapt through the forest, sprinting while maintaining his Breathing Technique.
He was five years old this year.
And he was a transmigrator.
He clearly remembered sitting at home under the air conditioner, drinking soda, and watching the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Then somehow he blacked out.
When he woke up, he was already in this world.
The moment he saw the Uchiha clan crest, he almost broke down crying.
This was a ninja world with an absurdly high mortality rate!
Especially during the Fourth Shinobi World War—that wasn't even a place humans were meant to survive!
Fortunately, he had a system.
The Demon Slayer System.
By cultivating Breathing Techniques, he could continuously grow stronger. Every time he completely mastered one Breathing Style, he would unlock the next.
And his very first Breathing Style was Flame Breathing.
Truth be told, relying on Breathing Techniques alone wouldn't be enough to survive long-term. Even after amplifying them using chakra from the Naruto world, it still wasn't sufficient.
So he chose his targets.
Sage Mode and Demonic Power.
With Sage Mode enhancement combined with Breathing Techniques, he'd even dare to beat down a tailed beast!
As for Demonic Power—it meant immortality. As long as he possessed the Eight Gates Technique, an infinite Gate of Death was no longer a dream!
Not to mention the existence of the ultimate bug—
The Sharingan.
Everyone knew this anime—or rather, manga—was called Naruto.
But in truth, it should've been called The Legend of the Sharingan.
Whether protagonist or traitor, if you had a Sharingan, you were broken beyond belief.
Of course, that was assuming you lived long enough.
Originally, Wen Lan planned to seek out the Three Sannin as masters.
But after the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade had lost her younger brother and lover, and had already left the village to "travel," steadily walking down the path of becoming a gambling drunk.
Jiraiya was nowhere to be found either—supposedly gathering material for his novels, but in reality probably peeping in bathhouses.
As for Orochimaru…
Wen Lan didn't dare.
That man's teaching ability was undeniably top-tier—
But his habit of stuffing his own cells into his disciples was a bit too much to handle.
In the end, the plan was shelved.
At worst, he could look for Tsunade later.
After all, the legendary "Big Fat Sheep", the so-called Gambling Goddess, wasn't hard to track down.