"Run! The Fox Demon is out of control!"
"Everyone, stay calm! Follow us and evacuate to the shelters in an orderly fashion!"
"Squad 3 and Squad 5, organize the civilian evacuation! The rest of you, follow me to support the Fourth Hokage and suppress the Fox's rampage!"
. . . . . . .
Amidst the chaos and shouting, Naraku slowly blinked his eyes open.
"What's going on...? It's so loud. Can't a guy get some sleep?"
Still half-asleep, Naraku reached up to rub his bleary eyes. Suddenly, his grogginess vanished, replaced by a jolt of pure shock.
Wait... what is this? Why are my hands so small?
Naraku stared at his hands in disbelief. They were tiny, soft, and chubby—unmistakably the hands of a young child.
He looked up at his surroundings. He was surrounded by unfamiliar, traditional Japanese-style architecture. He was completely bewildered. What is this? Japan? I was just sleeping at home... how did I wake up in Japan?
"Naraku! There you are!"
Just then, a young couple ran toward him. The woman, heavily pregnant, rushed forward and swept him into a tight embrace.
"You silly child! How could you wander off at a time like this? You scared me to death! Come on, we have to get to the shelter."
The young man beside her spoke up, his voice urgent: "The Nine-Tails is on a rampage; the village is too dangerous right now. Get to safety with the rest of the clan. I have to lead the others to support the Fourth Hokage!"
Naraku watched them, his mind spinning. They were talking about a "Hokage" and the "Nine-Tails," but what really caught his eye were their strange, pupilless white eyes.
What on earth is happening? Am I... have I been reincarnated?
Before he could process the thought, the woman scooped him up. They met up with a larger group and sprinted toward the shelters. From his vantage point in the woman's arms, Naraku took in the scene: panicked civilians, houses engulfed in flames, the colossal figure of the Nine-Tailed Fox in the distance, and figures leaping across rooftops with impossible speed—shinobi.
The realization finally hit him. He had been transported into the world of Naruto.
As the reality set in, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. He clutched his head as a flood of foreign information rushed in.
Ugh... are these the memories of this body's original owner? My name is... Hyuga Naraku? I'm the eldest son of Hyuga Hiashi, the current head of the Hyuga Clan?
The memories were sparse—not surprising for a two-year-old—and Naraku absorbed them quickly.
Holy crap, I'm Hiashi's eldest son? I don't remember there being a character like that in the original series. If that's the case, then her belly...
Naraku looked down at the young woman's prominent baby bump. The Nine-Tails' attack happened the night Naruto was born, and Hinata was born in the same year. That meant the baby in that womb was his future sister—the future "Princess of the Byakugan," Hinata Hyuga.
Wait, does that mean the protagonist, Naruto, is going to be my brother-in-law?
While Naraku was lost in thought, he was carried into a massive cavern carved into a mountain. It was already packed with villagers; clearly, this was the designated shelter. Once inside, Naraku sat in silence, his mind racing with the possibilities of his new life.
"Hmm... I have no idea how I ended up in the Naruto world, but since I'm here, I'd better figure out a game plan."
It was a well-known fact: the world of Naruto was all about bloodlines. No matter how hard a "normal" person worked, they were destined to be cannon fodder. Sure, you might hold your own early on, but by the endgame—when the gods and monsters started coming out of the woodwork—even the five Kage working together were nothing more than punching bags for a reincarnated Madara Uchiha.
And don't even get started on the Six Paths level powerhouses or those freaks from the Otsutsuki Clan.
Naraku felt a massive headache coming on. This world is dangerous...
The Hyuga Clan, despite being descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki (the brother of the Sage of Six Paths), were technically shinobi royalty. But looking at the series as a whole, aside from two members of the "Konoha 12," the rest of the clan were basically background extras.
Compare that to the Uchiha Clan. They were a factory for legends: Madara, Kagami, Shisui, Itachi... with the power of the Sharingan, they could basically flip the entire ninja world upside down whenever they felt like it.
The Byakugan was supposedly one of the "Three Great Eye Techniques," but compared to the Sharingan? It felt like the Uchiha were the favored biological children of Kaguya Otsutsuki, while the Hyuga were just some kids she picked up off the side of the road.
"What a rip-off," Naraku grumbled internally. "If you're going to reincarnate me, at least give me a top-tier bloodline. The Byakugan is... kind of a letdown in the long run."
[Ding! Detecting that the Host has successfully crossed over into a different world...]
[Scanning Host's physical condition...]
[Detecting that the Host's soul has successfully merged with the body...]
[Binding Sign-in System...]
[Ding! Binding successful. System User: Hyuga Naraku.]
Naraku, who had just barely accepted his new life, was thrown right back into a state of total shock by the string of mechanical voices.
But shock was quickly replaced by pure adrenaline.
A System?! Holy crap, my "Golden Finger" is finally here?! Haha, I knew it! If the universe is going to dump me in another world, there's no way it wouldn't give me some overpowered cheat!
In Naraku's mind, a "Golden Finger" was the essential survival tool for any transmigrator. It was the ultimate "Get Strong Fast" card!
System? You there? he called out mentally.
Daddy System? It's me, your adorable little Host. If you're there, can you give me a shout?
Uh... no response? Maybe the System is female? System Mommy? You home? Your baby missed you!
Naraku kept spamming the System in his head, but after the initial prompts, it had gone completely silent.
What's the deal? Why isn't it saying anything? Is my "greeting" wrong? That can't be right—I read dozens of web novels before I died, and that's exactly how they all did it! Don't tell me... did the System abandon me already? No! Don't do this to me! I'm all alone in a scary foreign world!
[Ding. Host, I suggest you have a little self-respect. This System knows exactly who you are. You're a single, shut-in otaku who was pushing thirty—you really have the nerve to call yourself a 'baby'?]
"Aha! System, you are there! You scared the life out of me, I thought you'd left!"
Relieved that the System was still active, Naraku chose to selectively ignore the "thirty-year-old shut-in" comment. Hmph. So what if I'm pushing thirty? I'm still a baby! A three-hundred-month-old baby!
"System, quick, tell me: what can you actually do?"
[Ding. This is the 'Sign-in System.' You may sign in once per day to receive various abilities and items to help a 'loser' like the Host become the Hegemon of the Multiverse. The more significant the event you sign in during, the better the rewards. Detecting that the current Naruto world is undergoing the 'Nine-Tails Rebellion,' a Major Event. Would the Host like to sign in?]