Year 51 of Konoha. The setting sun dyed the Hidden Leaf Village in warm shades of orange and red, and the sound of ninja footsteps grew denser along the stone-paved streets. Shinobi returning from missions walked in small groups toward the izakayas. The aroma of grilled meat drifted from the shops, mixing with shouts and laughter, making the entire village feel lively and peaceful.
The Hokage Rock stood out in the twilight, the faces of the four Hokage overlooking the village. The Fourth's visage looked especially gentle in the sunset. Though his era had long since ended, and after the Nine-Tails' attack the Third Hokage had returned to power, the legend of the Yellow Flash was now frozen in the past—and on the stone cliff.
However, the protagonist of this story wasn't in that bustling scene.
The view shifted to the forest on the outskirts of the village.
Sweat dripped from golden strands of hair. Only three years old, little Naruto panted as he flung a kunai—
"Whoosh!"
A cold metallic glint sliced through the air, striking the bullseye on the tree trunk with perfect precision.
At three years old, an age when most children couldn't even hold a kunai steady, he was already capable of such accurate throws. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"What amazing talent. No wonder he's the Child of Destiny… looks like the original story wasted quite a bit of time, dattebayo."
The voice was childish, carrying that signature odd verbal tic, but the tone held an unusual maturity, as if the one inside this body was far from an ignorant toddler.
That's right—within Naruto's memories, there existed another life.
In a world called "Blue Planet," he had just been an ordinary office worker, repeating the same routine every day—until one evening after work, an out-of-control truck sent him off in the most cliché way possible.
…What an unoriginal method of transmigration.
His memories from infancy were hazy, as though wrapped in thick fog. He wasn't even sure whether he had truly "transmigrated" into this world, or if the original Naruto had simply "awakened" memories from a past life.
The only thing he knew for certain was that once his consciousness became clear, everything about Naruto—the plot, the characters—was etched into his mind.
Even stranger was the phrase—"dattebayo."
No one had ever taught it to him, yet it slipped out naturally, as if it were an instinct of this body.
It took Naruto several days to barely accept reality: not only had he come to the world of Naruto, he had become Uzumaki Naruto—the "Child of Prophecy" from the original story.
Konoha was currently in a brief period of peace.
Madara Uchiha's corpse had already begun to rot, and his pawn, Obito Uchiha, had put on the mask, beginning his tearful journey hidden behind Kamui, plotting the Eye of the Moon Plan in the darkness.
The greatest "filial son" of the ninja world, Black Zetsu, still lurked in the shadows, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to backstab everyone and revive Kaguya.
In the Hidden Rain Village, Yahiko had already died, and Nagato had fully fallen into the extreme path of making the world "feel pain."
Jiraiya was still wandering the ninja world, searching for the so-called "Child of Prophecy," as well as inspiration for his next steamy novel—unaware that the very person he sought was currently practicing shuriken in Konoha's forest.
Tsunade had long since left the village, traveling from one casino to another with Shizune, becoming the legendary "big sucker," numbing herself with alcohol and dice.
As for the most recent major event, Orochimaru's human experiments had been exposed. The Third Hokage personally ordered his capture, and the once-famed Sannin had become an S-rank missing-nin of Konoha.
It would still be years before the main story officially began—there was even a long time before Naruto would enter the Ninja Academy.
Well… he remembered the big events pretty clearly. As for the details… what had reignited his interest in Naruto back then was the mobile game adaptation with the same name.
Although he already knew that his parents in this life—the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina—were no longer alive, every time he passed Hokage Rock and saw Minato Namikaze's statue, Naruto still felt a dull ache in his chest.
Still, having grown up in an orphanage in his previous life, this level of loneliness was something he could handle. After all, he'd long been used to living alone. At least in this life, he had a free little apartment, plus the monthly allowance delivered on time by the old Third Hokage.
Though Naruto really wanted to ask that old man where his cheap old dad's inheritance had gone…
He hadn't missed the cold looks from the adults in the village or the distance from the other kids, but he had already come to terms with it—after all, he wasn't cash; how could everyone like him?
Besides, the future Konoha Twelve he'd befriend were basically all from major clans. Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, that "Second Pillar" and the rest—their families knew the truth about the jinchūriki, so they wouldn't treat him like the ordinary villagers did.
Actually, Naruto didn't even need to work that hard. If he followed the original story's path, he could marry the Hyūga clan's princess, become Hokage, and reach the peak of life…
But unfortunately, there was Boruto.
Naruto hadn't watched Boruto, but he'd seen spoilers while browsing forums—things about Ōtsutsuki aliens, Naruto and Sasuke getting nerfed, scientific ninja tools… in short, a whole pile of trouble.
…If only he'd known he'd transmigrate, he would've finished Boruto too!
But thinking about that now was useless. There were still years before the story began. Since he had the time, he might as well train—after all, if he really had to face aliens someday, he couldn't exactly talk them into submission, right?
"Alright, let's try this next!"
Naruto took a deep breath, raising the difficulty. Several kunai were clamped between his fingers, his eyes locking onto targets placed at different spots on the tree trunk. The next second, his wrist flicked, and the kunai shot through the air in several trajectories.
"Clang! Clang!"
The crisp sound of metal rang out as the kunai collided midair, striking at tricky angles that changed their flight paths. What initially looked like a chaotic throw strangely adjusted after the collisions, and finally—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Every kunai embedded itself firmly into a different bullseye. Not a single one missed.
"…Tch, isn't that a bit too much?"
Even Naruto himself was a little shocked. He knew this body had good talent—the bloodline of the Fourth Hokage and the Uzumaki clan—but he hadn't expected even basic throwing techniques to turn out like this. The original Naruto never had such precise skills. Could it be that the transmigrator's presence had affected his body's potential?
Could this be the legendary "transmigrator's perk"?
He scratched his head and was about to walk over to retrieve the kunai when suddenly—
"So amazing!"
A tender, clear voice came from the forest, startling him. He turned around to see the bushes rustle slightly. Then a small figure stepped out somewhat flustered. It seemed she hadn't been able to hold back her exclamation just now, and was now standing there with a red face, unsure of what to do.
So cute…
That was Naruto's first thought.
It was a little girl, about the same age as him. Her long black hair fell softly over her shoulders, making her skin look as pale as snow. Her eyes were large, dark, and bright, now filled with a mix of timidity and curiosity as she looked at him. Her delicate features seemed carefully sculpted, and her soft pink lips were gently pressed together. There was an overall air about her that made people want to protect her.
Who is this?
Was there such a cute background character in the original story?