Naruto World, Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village).
The glow of the setting sun spilled into the Ninja Academy, bathing the grounds in a tranquil, gentle atmosphere.
Yet among the students, there was one child who stood completely out of place.
"Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
A puff of white smoke burst forth—but no clone appeared at all.
"…Failed again."
A faint, bitter smile tugged at Yuya's lips.
He had been in this world for several years now.
This was the world of ninja. Once, Yuya had fantasized about becoming a prodigy—rising in one stunning leap and standing proudly above the entire shinobi world.
Reality, however, was cruel.
His body struggled immensely to refine chakra, let alone perform ninjutsu.
His total chakra reserves were only a fraction of those of children his age. As for ninjutsu, he couldn't even master the most basic techniques. No matter how hard he tried, the result never changed.
"Even if I focus solely on taijutsu, there's the Eight Gates Technique, a forbidden art powerful enough to suppress even Six Paths Madara… but what I want isn't a momentary blaze of brilliance. I want glory that lasts forever."
Yuya gazed at the sky with a hint of resentment.
Heavens, do you really have to toy with me like this?
"Besides, at most there are only two years left before the Second Shinobi World War breaks out. When that happens, even Genin—no, even Chunin and Jonin—won't necessarily be able to protect themselves."
Yuya let out another sigh.
The time he transmigrated into this world was right before the Second Shinobi World War—an absolutely terrible point in history.
He was only eight years old.
And yet, time was already running out.
If he didn't gain enough strength within two years, then once the war began, his fate would be no different from cannon fodder.
Yuya had no intention of becoming cannon fodder.
"Enough overthinking. I'll head to the back mountain and keep training taijutsu. Even if ninjutsu is out of reach, I can't afford to give up."
Shaking his head and casting aside the chaos in his thoughts, Yuya stood up and headed toward the forest behind the academy.
Along the way, students from the Ninja Academy shot him strange looks.
"I heard that guy still hasn't mastered a single jutsu."
"He probably won't even pass the graduation exam."
"As expected of someone from a small ninja village. He'll never compare to geniuses born in Konoha like us."
Whispers and disdainful gazes followed him.
Yuya ignored them completely.
A bunch of snot-nosed kids. When the Second Shinobi World War really starts, they'll learn what it means to cry.
Still, his own luck truly was terrible.
Being transported to this world was one thing. Becoming an ordinary Konoha ninja would've been fine. Yuya didn't even dream of being born into the Senju Clan or the Uchiha Clan—having a normal family would've been enough.
But reality was harsher.
He didn't even have a home.
Yuya wasn't born in Konoha. He came from a small ninja village.
That village had already been destroyed by Sunagakure(Hidden Sand Village), one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Yuya was likely its only survivor, discovered by Konoha shinobi and brought back to the village.
An outsider—even just a child—was never truly welcome in Konoha. Cold stares followed him everywhere.
And Yuya had long since grown used to it.
Reaching the small grove behind the academy, Yuya stopped in front of a wooden training post.
Near its upper section was a clearly visible indentation.
That dent was something he had carved out himself—countless side kicks, countless punches, hammered into the wood inch by inch through sheer perseverance.
Even without talent for ninjutsu, Yuya had never once thought of giving up.
He glanced at the bandages wrapped around his hands and feet, took a deep breath, and suddenly kicked out, striking precisely into the groove in the post.
"One… two… three… thirty-five… thirty-six…"
Sweat poured down like rain.
Before long, deep exhaustion surged through his body. His ankle began to ache—first soreness, then pain, then a dull swelling sensation.
Still, Yuya didn't stop.
Clenching his teeth, he pushed on.
As dusk deepened and no one else was around, Yuya trained alone. Since he couldn't use ninjutsu, taijutsu was his only path forward. That meant putting in effort several times—no, dozens of times—greater than his peers.
"Hah… hah…!"
His breathing grew ragged. Sweat completely soaked his clothes, dripping steadily onto the ground.
Only when his legs began to go numb and his balance wavered did Yuya finally stop.
"Rest for a bit… then five hundred straight punches, followed by two hundred side kicks…"
He sat down to catch his breath, gazing at the horizon where only the final sliver of sunset remained. A faint sense of relaxation crossed his face.
If every day could be like this—training, then quietly enjoying the scenery—it wouldn't be so bad.
But unfortunately, the Second Shinobi World War… the Third… the Fourth… so many looming crises hung overhead. True peace was impossible.
Just as Yuya finished resting and prepared to stand again, he suddenly let out a startled sound.
At the moment the final ray of sunset disappeared, it seemed to illuminate something strange within the forest—casting an unusual shadow.
What was that?!
Curiosity surfaced on Yuya's face.
The shadow wasn't large—about the size of an apple. Were there edible fruits growing in this forest?
Driven by curiosity, Yuya slowly headed in that direction.
Darkness soon fell completely. He pulled out a lighting ninja tool and continued forward. After walking a short distance, he stopped in front of a patch of grass.
His expression froze.
It was as if he had seen a ghost.
Clang!
In shock, he dropped the lamp from his hand.
The light vanished, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
"Th-this is…"
Yuya hurriedly crouched down, fumbled around, picked the lamp back up, and shone it toward the object hidden in the grass.
His expression remained blank.
Finally, Yuya carefully reached out and picked it up.
It was a bizarrely shaped fruit.
Anyone else in the Naruto world would have no idea what it was—most would probably assume it was poisonous and throw it away without a second thought.
But Yuya was different.
As a former anime enthusiast, he recognized it almost instantly.
A Devil Fruit.
"How could something like this possibly exist in the Naruto world?!"
Staring at the exquisitely detailed fruit in his hand—so real it couldn't possibly be fake—Yuya's mind went blank.
It made no sense.
Could it really just be some poisonous fruit that coincidentally looks like this?
The thought flashed through his mind.
But Yuya immediately shook his head.
There was no other reason—this thing looked too real.
So real that no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't convince himself it was fake.