Chapter 1 — Devil Fruit
The Ninja World.
Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
On an empty training field, the last golden rays of the setting sun stretched lazily across the sky, bathing the ground in a warm, amber glow. In the middle of the field, a small, slight figure crouched, tense and determined.
"Focus chakra into the soles of your feet… if I do this, it should give me adhesion…"
The boy muttered under his breath, voice barely audible, yet laced with both concentration and desperation. He took a deep breath, feeling his tiny body tense with effort as he summoned every ounce of strength he could muster. With a sudden burst, he lunged forward toward a large tree ten meters away.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
His feet struck the trunk one by one, and with careful precision, he managed to climb four steps before disaster struck. His foot slipped on the smooth bark. Time seemed to slow as he lost his balance, and then, with a harsh, painful thud, he tumbled head over heels to the ground. He landed in a sprawl, the earth biting against his skin, and groaned, each breath a sharp stab of pain. For several long seconds, he could not even bring himself to rise.
"Look! It's that talentless boy!"
"I heard from the villagers that he's a total waste. I didn't believe it at first, but… wow, now I can see it for myself."
"This guy's been here for a year and still can't manage something as basic as climbing a tree? What a fool. I learned that in half a month when I started."
"No wonder everyone calls him useless. In the year since Lord Minato brought him here, all he's done is eat, sleep, and… well, you know. He hasn't learned a single jutsu, hasn't trained his body properly, can't even kill a chicken. He's a complete drain on the village's resources."
"Forget him. Let's go before someone sees us. If they catch us staring at him, don't even think about holding your head high at school later."
The group of boys chuckled cruelly, their voices sharp with mockery. They glanced one last time at the pitiful figure on the ground before turning away, relishing in his misery.
Obuya ignored them. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself against the tree and pushed himself upright. He had long since grown accustomed to ridicule.
At first, he had reacted with anger, hurling back biting words. But after a year of relentless scorn, he had learned to let it slide.
He didn't belong here.
"Obuya"—that was the name they had given him when he arrived.
In his previous life, he had been a surgeon, skilled in the precise art of cutting and healing. He had traveled overseas to give a lecture on a new medical technique when tragedy struck: his plane had crashed into the vast, merciless ocean.
The crash was the last thing he remembered before consciousness slipped away. When he woke, he was in a body that felt alien, in a world that made no sense to him.
Acceptance had not come easily. The truth of his "transmigration" was staggering, almost unbearable at first.
Memories of this body were fragmented. He only knew that it had come from a destroyed village; everything else had been wiped clean.
It was then that he had met a man wearing a forehead protector—the symbol of a ninja. That man had taken him to this village, introducing himself as Namikaze Minato.
When Obuya realized he had been reborn in the world of Naruto, shock had given way to excitement.
He had been a devoted fan in his previous life, dreaming often of living in such a world, mastering incredible jutsus, fighting alongside legendary shinobi. And now, by some twist of fate, that dream was real.
But the reality he faced was far harsher than he had imagined.
His new body was weak—an utter weakling by ninja standards. Ninjutsu felt impossible for him to control. His taijutsu was pathetic, barely above useless. Aside from eating, sleeping, and performing the most basic tasks, he had no strengths at all.
"Damn it… why did it have to be me?" he muttered, frustration boiling.
Bang!
Obuya slammed his fist against the tree trunk. Pain shot from his knuckles up his arm in sharp, twisting agony, his teeth gritted as he grimaced.
"Why me? If I'm going to be reborn in this world, at least give me some chance to survive! The Third Great Ninja War is about to begin. When that happens, how am I supposed to survive in the cracks between powerhouses?"
The world seemed utterly bleak. Each passing moment weighed heavier than the last.
Then, unexpectedly, a cold, emotionless voice echoed inside his mind:
[Willpower has reached the requirement. Ultimate Demon System activated…]
"A… system?"
The despair that had gripped him evaporated instantly, replaced by stunned disbelief. For the first time in a long while, hope bloomed inside him, fragile yet undeniable.
The voice spoke again, clear and precise:
[Please choose the Devil Fruit ability you wish to possess. You have only one chance—once selected, it cannot be changed…]
"De… Devil Fruit ability?"
Obuya blinked, confusion and wonder battling within him. A translucent panel shimmered into existence before his eyes. Hundreds of icons floated across it, each a depiction of a Devil Fruit.
[Bomb-Bomb Fruit, String-String Fruit, Flame-Flame Fruit, Darkness Fruit…]
Obuya's eyes widened. Hundreds of fruits, each promising impossible power. Could it really be this simple? Could he truly wield such abilities?
The first fruit that leapt to his mind was the Gura Gura no Mi—the Tremor Fruit—legendary in the One Piece world. It had been wielded by Whitebeard, the strongest man alive, capable of destroying entire nations with a single strike.
He reached for it instinctively, heart racing with excitement.
[Devil Fruits are not ranked in strength. The power itself has no inherent superiority; strength depends on the user. The fruit that suits you is the strongest. Choose carefully.]
Obuya froze. The voice was like a bucket of ice-cold water, forcing him to think clearly.
"Right… the strength of a Devil Fruit isn't in the fruit itself. Whitebeard wielded the Tremor Fruit perfectly, but that doesn't mean I could."
He inhaled slowly, focusing his thoughts. The system's words had a sharp, almost sacred weight. The "fruit that suits me" would be the one that made him the strongest—not the one everyone else revered.
He scanned the fruits again, carefully examining each icon. And then—
"Huh?"
His eyes caught on a heart-shaped fruit.
"The Surgery Fruit!"
Excitement coursed through him like electricity. This fruit—it was perfect. It aligned flawlessly with his previous life. As a surgeon, he had spent years mastering precision, anatomy, and the art of controlling life itself.
Even more thrillingly, the fruit's potential surpassed mere combat. In the hands of someone like Trafalgar D. Water Law, it could rival—or even surpass—the Tremor Fruit. Its abilities allowed one to cut, reconstruct, and manipulate living beings at will.
And in this world of Naruto, where Kekkei Genkai existed—rare, inherited abilities like Sharingan, Byakugan, or Shikotsumyaku—this fruit could allow him to obtain powers others could only dream of.
"I may not be a natural genius in ninjutsu," he murmured, a grin creeping across his face, "but others are. That's enough for me."
"I choose the Surgery Fruit!"
[Surgery Fruit selected. Awakening Devil Fruit ability…]
A white dot appeared suddenly on his forehead, delicate as the tip of a pen. It traced a pentagram across his skin, leaving a mark that burned faintly with energy.
[Devil Mark successfully set. Using this mark, you can freely access the system panel…]
Obuya stared at the glowing symbol, a mixture of awe and determination flooding through him. At last, his chance to survive—and to thrive—had arrived.