Transmigration? Rebirth? (Please Bookmark)

Ninja World, Land of Fire, Konoha.

As one of Konoha's great clans, the Uchiha Clan possessed a large territory of its own within Konoha.

At this moment, in the Uchiha Clan grounds, inside an ordinary little building, a two-year-old child sat on the back courtyard steps with a deeply furrowed brow, occasionally reaching up to scratch his head.

In the end, the little boy had no choice but to accept reality and let out a dejected sigh.

"So, I really transmigrated?"

The little boy muttered to himself, confusion in his eyes. Then he added uncertainly,

"Or was I reborn? Forget it. There's no point dwelling on that."

That was right! The little boy had a secret: he was not originally from this world. Or, more accurately, his soul came from another world. It was a world called Blue Star, where the little boy's previous life had been a college student named Lin Qing.

Back there, Lin Qing had been something of an elite. He attended one of the nation's top ten universities and was an outstanding student pursuing dual degrees in biology and medicine. During college, Lin Qing had become addicted to reading novels. The scenes in all those fantasy and immortal cultivation novels, where people could move mountains and overturn seas with a gesture, had filled him with envy. Then one night, he stayed up reading and got so engrossed that, as he read on, his soul slipped away—and he never woke up again.

Lin Qing's soul came to this world and became the little boy named Uchiha Kiyoshi.

Perhaps it was the mystery of the womb? Uchiha Kiyoshi had not transmigrated with all his memories intact. When he was little, there had been nothing unusual about him. But after he turned one, he began dreaming fragments of Lin Qing's life. Over the course of a year, those occasional dreams gradually turned into memories appearing in his mind from time to time.

However, Uchiha Kiyoshi never mentioned it. Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction, or perhaps he had seen similar things in those extra memories and knew that he should not reveal anything now. Otherwise, someone would definitely notice him, and then he might be dissected or something.

And so, Uchiha Kiyoshi slowly awakened the memories of his previous life. Even his parents, who spent every day with him, never noticed the gradual changes in him. That was only natural. Other than not telling them about the memories that occasionally appeared in his mind, everything else about Uchiha Kiyoshi was normal. He behaved exactly like a child. He had always treated those memories as things called "movies."

Until a few days ago, when his parents died unexpectedly during a mission. Uchiha Kiyoshi was dealt a heavy blow and spent the next two days in a daze. The memories of Lin Qing's previous life, which should have taken at least three more years to fully awaken, all surfaced at once. Only then did Uchiha Kiyoshi realize that he had transmigrated, and that what had happened before was simply the process of his memories awakening.

Still, it was fortunate that something like the mystery of the womb existed, allowing his memories to awaken in segments. Otherwise, if a newborn infant had suddenly acted strangely, that would have been far more suspicious. Recovering all his memories bit by bit was actually not bad. At the very least, it was easier to accept.

Over the past two days, Uchiha Kiyoshi had also sorted out his situation.

His parents in this life had both been Uchiha Clan ninja, Chunin assigned to the same squad. His father had even awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, while his mother had only awakened the One Tomoe. A few days ago, they encountered a rogue ninja from Kirigakure during a mission, and their entire squad was wiped out. Reinforcements who arrived afterward found their bodies and reconstructed the course of events from the scene.

The reason Uchiha Kiyoshi knew about his parents' Sharingan despite being so young was simply because they had never hidden it from him. In fact, they had often proudly activated their Sharingan in front of him to teach him about its power.

Strangely enough, after this upheaval and the complete awakening of his memories, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt that his mind had become exceptionally clear. He could recall many things with ease. Of course, after testing it, he found that he did not possess a photographic memory. Still, if he studied something carefully three or four times, he could remember it.

Uchiha Kiyoshi guessed that the drastic change in his life had strengthened his soul, while absorbing the memories of his previous life had also enhanced it to some extent.

However, none of that was the most important thing.

What Uchiha Kiyoshi cared about most now was the state of this world.

Having inherited quite a few of Lin Qing's memories from an early age, Uchiha Kiyoshi had been clever. At only two years old, he had already learned this world's language, could communicate normally with others, and had no trouble walking. Based on what little he knew, if he was not mistaken, the world he was in was the setting of a hugely popular anime from his previous life—Naruto!

"Ugh! Why did I have to be reborn into a world like this?

The Ninja World... you could say it's the cruelest world possible right from the start, and I'm even part of the Uchiha Clan."

Whenever he thought about his identity, Uchiha Kiyoshi got a headache.

The Uchiha Clan would be massacred by that man. Uchiha Kiyoshi was terrified that one day he would wake up to find that man standing before him, ready to give him a taste of it.

Uchiha Kiyoshi had agonized over his future for days. This time, he finally made up his mind. His expression hardened as he gritted his teeth. "I'm doing it! I have to become a ninja. In a world like this, without strength, people can slaughter you however they please. And if I want strength, becoming a ninja is the best choice."

After making his decision, Uchiha Kiyoshi began planning for his future.

"First, I absolutely can't become a genius. No matter what era this is, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha has never been good. The tallest tree catches the wind. As an orphan, if I stand out too much, I'll either be recruited by the Hokage's faction or ostracized by the village. Either way, it'll mean endless trouble."

Uchiha Kiyoshi first established his persona for the future, but then immediately mocked himself. "Heh, I don't even know what my talent is yet, and here I am worrying about whether I should be a genius."

But Uchiha Kiyoshi quickly put away his self-contempt.

"I was a genius in my previous life, wasn't I? Even if I came to a world of cultivation, I should still be able to make something of myself, right? Besides, my soul is strong, so that counts as an advantage.

And more importantly, I'm an Uchiha. With the memories of my previous life, as long as my luck isn't terrible, awakening a Mangekyo isn't too much to ask, right? Uh... not too much. It shouldn't be too much."

Having regained his confidence, Uchiha Kiyoshi began planning his future once more.

After roughly outlining his future goals, Uchiha Kiyoshi stood up and returned indoors.

"Planning is the most unreliable thing. It's enough to set a general direction. I should clean up and eat first. My parents only just passed away, and there are a lot of matters to deal with. When I have time later, I'll think carefully about my situation.

Over the next few days, I should also gather some information. I need to know what point in time I'm at, after all.

Based on the memories from the past year, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha hasn't become that tense yet. There isn't even any talk of a coup. It should still be early, right?"

Uchiha Kiyoshi muttered as he cooked.

As an outstanding student in his previous life, and because his parents in this life were often away from home, Uchiha Kiyoshi had cooked for himself ever since he learned to walk and became sensible. His cooking skills were therefore quite decent. Before long, a fragrant meal was ready.

Looking at the food in front of him, Uchiha Kiyoshi began eating.

Although he had accepted everything and calmed down for the moment, Uchiha Kiyoshi could not help imagining a future where his cultivation reached great heights and his every gesture could destroy heaven and earth.

"And the Sharingan... I wonder how I'm supposed to awaken it in the future. Sure enough, novels are all lies. Things like awakening it at six years old, or even directly awakening the Three Tomoe after your parents die, don't happen at all.

Both my parents awakened theirs, so there shouldn't be a problem with my bloodline. But it's been so long since I received news of their deaths, and there isn't the slightest sign of my Sharingan awakening.

Fine, it seems intense emotional changes alone aren't enough to awaken it. There must be other conditions too. A lot of what I knew from my previous life can only serve as reference.

It should be Chakra, right? I don't even have Chakra yet. Isn't thinking about awakening it just wishful thinking?"

Though Uchiha Kiyoshi was eating, he still paused from time to time to mutter a few words.

"Hm? Kiyoshi, you've already made dinner? You really are a good child. By the way, I heard you muttering something when I came in. What were you saying?"

Just after Uchiha Kiyoshi finished one of his mutters, a gentle voice sounded behind him.

Uchiha Kiyoshi jolted all over, but quickly recovered. "Ah, nothing. I was just commenting on the food. Ah, ha, ha."

While answering aloud, he secretly warned himself, Looks like I can't say everything out loud in the future. It's enough to keep many things in my heart. Good thing she didn't hear clearly this time. Otherwise, if a two-year-old child kept talking about awakening eyes and previous lives, anyone who heard it would know something was wrong.

Uchiha Kiyoshi turned around and looked toward the doorway.

There stood a kind-faced, stooped old woman, carrying a basket in her hand.

This old woman was Uchiha Kiyoshi's neighbor. During the days after his parents died, when Uchiha Kiyoshi had been lost in a daze, she had often come over to take care of him.

Uchiha Kiyoshi felt deeply grateful toward this neighbor. After his parents died, he had relied entirely on her care during those two days to make it through.

Supported by Uchiha Kiyoshi, the old woman walked into the kitchen. Looking around, she felt pity for this child who had lost his parents at only two years old.

"Kiyoshi, life and death are fated. Don't be too sad. Your parents' spirits in heaven would surely want you to live happily.

Also, someone from the clan will come in a few days to arrange for you to go to the clan orphanage. If you don't want to go, I'll speak to them. I can take care of you from now on."

Hearing her concern, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt moved. But after thinking it over, he still refused.

"Grandma, it's all right. I can take care of myself. Look, I can even cook for myself."

Seeing this, the old woman did not insist. She sighed and placed the basket on the dining table.

"These are some dishes I made for you. Even though you've already cooked here, I'll leave them with you. Don't worry, they'll stay warm, so you can eat them tonight. If you get hungry in the future, come to my house. Grandma will cook for you."

With that, she turned and walked out of Uchiha Kiyoshi's home.

As he watched the old woman's retreating figure, a warm current flowed through Uchiha Kiyoshi's heart.

"It seems the Uchiha Clan isn't entirely arrogant, rude, and eccentric. There are still quite a few kind clan members."