c1: A New World
"So, your name is Uchiha Sasuke, you're from another world, but you come to this world in your dreams? To the continent of Teyvat?"
A white-haired little sprite, floating in mid-air and wearing a cloak patterned like a star-filled night sky, scratched her head and asked in confusion.
Uchiha Sasuke simply nodded.
It had started shortly after he graduated from the Ninja Academy of Konohagakure and officially became a genin. On the very first night after receiving his forehead protector engraved with the leaf symbol, he had fallen asleep in his empty house within the Uchiha district only to awaken in this unfamiliar land the little sprite called Teyvat.
Since waking up in this strange place, he had been wandering alone through dense woods. Strangely, although this was clearly a dream, his senses were incomparably vivid. He felt hunger gnawing at his stomach, he felt fatigue after hours of walking, and when he finally woke in his own bed at dawn, that same exhaustion lingered in his muscles as though he had truly traveled a great distance. It reminded him of the harsh physical conditioning drills at the Academy, when instructors forced them to run laps around the village until their legs trembled.
Furthermore, there were all sorts of bizarre creatures in this dreamscape slimes composed of elemental energy, masked humanoids wielding crude weapons, and wild animals far larger than the forest boars near the outskirts of the Land of Fire. The environment felt nothing like the training grounds of Konoha or the familiar forests where he once practiced shurikenjutsu under his father's supervision.
Seeing that Sasuke remained wary and silent, the little sprite spun lightly in the air and said:
"My name is Paimon. Thank you! If you hadn't fished me out of the water, I probably would have drowned." Paimon gave a bashful smile, looking completely harmless and defenseless.
Only then did Sasuke finally respond, his tone calm but sharp.
"Why can you fly, yet almost drown in the water?"
At the Ninja Academy, instructors had repeatedly warned them never to lower their guard in unfamiliar situations. After witnessing the annihilation of the Uchiha clan carried out by Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke had engraved that lesson into his very bones.
Hearing his question, Paimon's floating body stiffened midair.
"Pai… Paimon doesn't know! Maybe I was attacked, like being rammed by a forest boar or something, so I fell into the water. Hahaha, I can't really remember."
"Yes, right, it must have been a very serious attack, which is why I have amnesia."
She crossed her arms confidently, as though convincing herself.
Sasuke remained noncommittal.
Everyone had their secrets. Even within Konohagakure, smiles could hide blades. This tiny floating creature, dressed in a strange diaper-like outfit, was no exception.
However, despite activating his perception and subtly circulating Chakra through his coils, Sasuke truly could not sense any killing intent or hostile presence from her. Even the wild boars he had encountered earlier in the forest radiated more tangible danger than this self-proclaimed guide.
"Hee-hee, don't worry! Although I've lost my short-term memory, I am a native of this continent after all. To repay you for saving my life, I'll do my best to be a good guide for you!"
Paimon puffed out her chest proudly.
"Oh, I know! I'll take you to find the gods of this world! Maybe if you visit our world's gods, you can learn the secret of why you came here from them?"
"Visit the gods of this world?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
In the shinobi world, there were legends of the Sage of Six Paths and the origin of Chakra, but gods were not beings one could casually approach. Even the Hokage such as the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the pinnacle of ninja society and could not simply be summoned at will by ordinary genin.
Could the gods of this world truly be visited so easily? And even if they could, why would they provide answers to a stranger from another world?
What exactly was this creature called Paimon intending to do?
"Hey! Don't look at me with such suspicion, I'm telling the truth! From what I know, there are seven nations in this world, and these nations are ruled by seven different gods known as the Seven Archons. They should be the people who know the mo~st in this world."
Paimon stretched her arms wide and traced a large circle in the air to emphasize her point.
"If even they don't know, then probably no one can give you an answer."
"As for whether they'll tell us, we have to try, right?"
"Besides, if a god responds to your wishes, you might gain unexpected power!"
Power.
The word struck Sasuke like a thrown kunai.
Ever since the night he stood powerless before Itachi, trembling as his clan fell, Sasuke had understood a single truth: without overwhelming strength, bonds and pride meant nothing. That was why he had trained relentlessly at the Academy, mastering the Uchiha clan's Fire Release techniques and refining his shuriken accuracy far beyond his peers.
This was a very strange world. Even their conversation itself defied logic he was certain Paimon was speaking a language completely foreign to him, yet he could comprehend her perfectly, as though some unseen force translated every word directly into his mind. It was unlike any genjutsu he had studied; there was no detectable disruption in his Chakra flow.
Now, stranded in an unfamiliar land that felt more real than a mere illusion, he truly needed information and perhaps an opportunity.
During his brief time in this world, he had already tested something crucial.
The Ninjutsu he had learned in Konohagakure could be used here without obstruction. By forming hand seals, he could circulate Chakra and release techniques just as he would in the Land of Fire.
If that was the case…
Then this world might also become a place where he could grow stronger.
The passage of time here was also different from his original world. Time in this place flowed at a ratio of three to one; when a full day passed in Teyvat, only eight hours elapsed in Konohagakure.
Based on his careful observations over several nights, every time he entered this world after falling asleep, he returned exactly to the location and moment where he had previously left, as though this realm were maintaining a fixed timeline independent of the shinobi world.
Furthermore, aside from the very first occurrence when he had been forcibly drawn into this place without resistance on the night he became a genin he could now choose whether or not to come here. Each time he fell asleep in his room within the Uchiha district, a faint and unfamiliar melody would echo in his consciousness. If he focused on it and allowed his Chakra to settle instead of dispersing into ordinary sleep, his awareness would shift, and he would awaken in Teyvat. If he ignored the melody and suppressed the sensation, he would experience a normal, dreamless rest.
It was precisely because of this controllability that he continued exploring despite the dangers of this bizarre world. The masked hilichurls, the elemental slimes, and the unknown gods all carried risk but they also represented opportunity.
By possessing access to this second world, he effectively gained more time than anyone else in the Ninja Academy's graduating class while still ensuring eight full hours of rest in reality.
The Chakra control exercises, shuriken practice, and taijutsu drills he performed here were not illusions. The muscle fatigue, the refinement of hand seals, the stabilization of his fire nature transformation all of it translated back to his physical body upon waking. It was similar to how intense repetition during Academy training gradually improved his precision, except now he had an additional sixteen hours of effective training time each day.
For someone who sought to surpass his limits and eventually stand before Itachi Uchiha without trembling, this was an unparalleled advantage.
After a brief moment of calculation, Uchiha Sasuke gave a short nod.
"Then let's set off."
Paimon floated ahead immediately.
Sasuke rose to his feet and followed silently.
Once Sasuke caught up to her, Paimon pointed forward.
"There's no proper path ahead. Can you climb up? If you can, we won't have to take the long way around."
Sasuke examined the terrain carefully. The cliff face before them was nearly vertical and roughly five meters high. In the shinobi world, such terrain posed little difficulty for a trained ninja, provided their Chakra control was stable.
"I can try."
He gathered Chakra at the soles of his feet, just as he had done during the tree-climbing exercise under Kakashi Hatake's supervision at Training Ground Three. Back then, both he and Naruto had been forced to learn how to regulate the exact amount of Chakra output too little would cause them to slide down, too much would crack the bark.
Now, he compressed his Chakra precisely and stepped onto the cliff face.
With controlled bursts of force, he ascended vertically as if walking on level ground.
Watching Sasuke scale the wall without hesitation, Paimon's eyes widened.
"Eh?! You can actually do it like that?"
"Just basic Chakra control," Sasuke replied calmly.
After reaching the top, he released the Chakra from his feet and exhaled softly, waiting for Paimon to float up beside him.
"Oh oh oh! Then our travel speed will be much faster."
Once she joined him, Paimon pointed enthusiastically toward the distance.
"Paimon is recalculating the navigation route for you!"
"Where to?" Sasuke asked.
"The destination is the Statue of the Seven!"
They traversed several more cliffs and forested slopes, Sasuke using tree branches as footholds and occasionally leaping across gaps with refined agility honed from Academy taijutsu practice. Eventually, Paimon led him to a relatively high vantage point overlooking the forest canopy.
The sight before him caused his eyes to narrow slightly.
Beyond the woods stretched a vast lake reflecting the sky. At the very center of the lake was a small island, and upon that island stood a towering stone statue.
Even with Sasuke's naturally sharp vision further enhanced when necessary by the Sharingan he could only vaguely make out that the statue depicted a winged humanoid figure, arms raised as if offering something to the heavens. The presence it exuded was solemn, almost comparable to the massive stone faces of the Hokage Monument overlooking Konohagakure.
Further beyond the lake, in the far distance, stood a sprawling cluster of buildings. Their architectural style was unlike anything in the Land of Fire. The rooftops were steep and pointed, the windmills rotated steadily, and the walls were arranged in circular defensive patterns unlike shinobi villages that relied heavily on hidden barriers and patrol units.
This did not resemble any genjutsu he had ever studied at the Academy.
He had once suspected that this entire experience might be a large-scale illusion, but even the most skilled genjutsu users described in textbooks whether members of the Uchiha clan or elite jōnin could not maintain such a vast, persistent, and internally consistent illusion across multiple sleep cycles without disrupting his Chakra flow.
"Look, Sasuke, that's the Statue of the Seven!"
Paimon pointed excitedly toward the distant monument.
"Statues of the gods are scattered all across the continent, symbolizing the Seven Archons who protect this world."
"Among the seven elemental gods, this one governs Anemo!"
"Although I don't know if the Anemo Archon can answer your questions, there's a reason Paimon brought you to the Anemo Archon's territory first!"
She puffed up proudly.
"Because it's the closest! Of course, whether you can get a response from the Anemo Archon we'll only know once we try."
"So, let's pick up the pace!"
Sasuke did not answer immediately.
Instead, he memorized the terrain, the water routes, and the distant city layout out of habit. In the shinobi world, battlefield awareness often determined survival.
If this truly was another world and not a technique cast by an enemy then it might become more than just a training ground.
It might become a place where he could obtain strength beyond the limitations of the shinobi system itself.
And strength was the only language that mattered.
---
At the beginning of this story, both worlds will follow portions of their original canon developments. Some readers may not be familiar with either Teyvat or the shinobi world of Naruto, so laying a solid foundation through recognizable events is necessary to build emotional weight.
Once the groundwork is complete and the emotional arcs deepen, the Teyvat storyline will begin diverging reshaping certain events, addressing narrative regrets, and expanding on locations such as Watatsumi Island that felt constrained by gameplay limitations.
At the same time, major events will gradually unfold within the Ninja World as well.
Please allow the story some patience in its early stages.
The surprises will come soon enough.