Chapter 2: Am I About to Drop Dead Again?
Yoru Gojo, six years old this year, was a transmigrator.
A sudden death had transformed him from a twenty-five-year-old adult into a newborn baby.
Thanks to the Japanese elective courses he took in high school and his part-time work in a translation group during college, Yoru learned what kind of world he had entered as soon as he was born.
It wasn't an unfamiliar otherworld, but a 2D universe where everyone spoke Japanese—specifically, the world of Naruto, one of the three major shōnen manga.
Upon discovering he had transmigrated into the Naruto world, and into a family without a Kekkei Genkai, Yoru felt as if the sky had collapsed.
After all, the three major shōnen manga were also known as the three "lineage-centric" series, where every protagonist started out ordinary but ended up as the world's favored son.
Who could believe that the Paramecia-type Gomu Gomu no Mi, after over a thousand chapters, would suddenly become the Zoan-type Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika?
Even before the Gomu Gomu no Mi became the Nika fruit, Naruto was the most criticized lineage-centric manga.
This world was one where bloodline reigned supreme—a cruel universe entirely centered on the conflicts of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
No matter how talented a ninja genius was, their limit would be like that of the Second Tsuchikage Mū or the Third Raikage A—the pinnacle of the Five Kage.
Only by having ties to the Ōtsutsuki Clan or becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki with the full Nine-Tails' acknowledgment could one hope to reach the level of a super Kage.
Being born as a commoner without a Kekkei Genkai was already a disastrous start. Then, at age three, his father—an all-rounder Jōnin—and his mother—a Special Jōnin—along with their comrades, all perished in a major mission, plunging Yoru into despair.
His support and connections—all gone!
Logically, such a cursed, lone-wolf beginning should have been the protagonist's treatment.
But even after his parents' sacrifice, Yoru had yet to discover his cheat.
If not for a sliver of hope for a turnaround, he would have considered ending his life to see if he could transmigrate again.
Opening a locked chest, Yoru retrieved a palm-sized red scroll from beneath a pile of scrolls.
He channeled Chakra into the seal on the scroll, and the word "Seal" slowly vanished. He then unrolled it to reveal a blank surface.
Biting his thumb, Yoru smeared blood on the scroll, formed hand signs, pressed his palms onto the surface, and whispered, "Release!"
With a poof, white smoke filled the dim basement.
As the smoke cleared, the blood on the scroll had disappeared, replaced by a stack of notebooks and a box of pens.
As usual, Yoru sat cross-legged before the scroll, picked up the top notebook, and opened it.
It was filled with memos written in Pinyin and Cantonese. Even though Japanese, English, and Chinese characters existed in this world, no one could decipher it unless they accessed Yoru's memories.
He quickly flipped through the notebook, reinforcing his memories to avoid losing the transmigrator's greatest advantage.
"Main Plot Summary," "Key Characters' Personalities and Experiences," "Complete Akatsuki Member Guide," "Vague Chronicles," "Speculations on the Timeline of Flashback Arcs"…
After reviewing each notebook, Yoru picked up the last one while retrieving a pencil from the pen case with his other hand.
He continued flipping through the notebook, but this time his reading pace was exceptionally slow, his gaze profound as if deep in thought or organizing something.
The title on the diary's first page stood out prominently: "On the Possibility of Defying Fate!"
The subsequent content consisted of a "game guide" meticulously crafted by Yoru, leveraging his advantage as a transmigrator familiar with the plot and characters from the original work.
"Shortcuts to Gaining Status and Resources!"
"The Balance Between Sharingan and Hashirama's Cells Equals a Guaranteed Survival as a Wood Release Test Subject!"
"Can Becoming a Jinchūriki and Crafting the Identity of a Child of Prophecy Win the Favor of the Nine-Tailed Beast?"
"The Optimal Timing to Seize the Rinnegan!"
…
Whenever inspiration struck, Yoru would refine or revise this guide, and this time was no exception.
As he flipped through the pages, he occasionally erased the text, rewriting new content in their place.
On blank pages, he repeatedly wrote and erased new strategies.
After multiple revisions, once he could think of nothing better, Yoru closed the diary, returned the pencil to its case, and stored both back into the storage scroll.
Emerging from the basement, he found night had already fallen. The clock on the living room wall showed 7:52 PM.
Instead of hastily filling his hungry stomach, Yoru took some ingredients from the refrigerator and prepared a simple yet nutritious dinner for himself.
After eating, he went out for a walk to avoid drawing the village's attention due to his reclusive nature.
His "aloof" and "school bully" persona at the academy already made him stand out; pushing it further could easily backfire.
Returning from his walk, he tidied the house briefly, took a quick shower, and lay down to sleep.
It was nearly 9:00 PM.
Early to bed, early to rise, three balanced meals a day… Having experienced sudden death in a previous life, Yoru cherished his body deeply in this one and knew exactly how to maintain it properly.
This was also the main reason he was taller and had more stamina than Minato.
...
The next morning at 6:00 AM, the alarm clock promptly roused Yoru from his sleep.
After washing up and changing clothes, he began his first day of holiday morning runs, returning home drenched in sweat by 8:00 AM.
Cooking, bathing, reading… Once these routines were complete, Yoru started refining his Chakra.
His physical fitness ranked among the top of his peers. With both parents being Jōnin, his talent could be considered that of a minor prodigy, though far from the level of those "cheating" monsters.
In terms of Chakra, he far surpassed ordinary individuals his age.
Coupled with the inheritance left by his parents, had he not met an untimely end, Yoru would undoubtedly have become an all-around Jōnin—but nothing more.
To advance to Elite Jōnin or Kage-level strength, he needed to master at least one S-rank secret technique.
Yet, in the eyes of super-Kage-level powerhouses, the Five Kages were merely larger cannon fodder.
To those at the Six Paths level, they were nothing but inferior beings.
Yoru was far from satisfied with this; he aimed to defy fate.
But to defy fate, he needed the strength to seize and contend for those opportunities.
The scale of his ambitions matched the intensity of his current drive.
The first semester's holiday was long, lasting over a month.
Over the next month, Yoru maintained a strict routine: early to bed and early to rise. His mornings were dedicated to physical exercise, reading, and refining Chakra, while afternoons were spent training in basic ninja skills. Evenings found him organizing strategies in the basement, and he would be asleep by nine o'clock—disciplined as a programmed robot.
During this period, Yoru also quietly celebrated his own birthday.
In this life, he was born on August 18th in the 24th year of the Leaf Village.
On this very day, Yoru turned six years old.
Coinciding with his birthday, an extraordinary change occurred in his body.
"What... what's happening?!"
Despite lying down before nine as usual, Yoru found himself inexplicably unable to sleep tonight.
Given his abundant vitality and growing body, falling asleep should have come easily.
Yet tonight, he tossed and turned in bed, his mind growing increasingly agitated instead.
After midnight, Yoru noticed his body temperature rising, though it wasn't fever.
His heartbeat accelerated, pounding like a drum.
That strange yet familiar sensation made his eyes widen in disbelief. "Irregular heartbeat? How can this be? I'm so young and maintain such disciplined sleep habits—how could there be signs of sudden death?!"