Three Years Later

No, I didn't want this outcome. I didn't want things to unfold according to the plot. I didn't want the parents I had finally gained to die so soon. If I wanted to prevent those things from happening, I needed strength. Strength was the foundation of everything. Only with strength could I stop it all. I wanted to protect my parents. I wanted my unborn little brother to live happily.

No matter what, I wanted to protect my family—to protect the people most important to me. With that vow in his heart, the newborn Xuan Ye slowly, gradually fell asleep.

Time was always the easiest thing to lose. Before one knew it, it had quietly slipped away. Day after day, year after year, Xuan Ye came to be known as a clever child.

That was only natural. He had a child's body but an adult's mind hidden within. On top of that, Xuan Ye had always possessed an excellent memory. Since he was living in Japan in this life as well, everyone around him spoke Japanese every day. As a result, he was able to speak before he was even a year old—able to clearly express what he meant so others could understand him.

"Time really flies! Three years have passed just like that!" A small figure sat on a wooden staircase, leisurely admiring the scenery in the courtyard.

After being here for so long, Xuan Ye had gradually figured out the current timeline. When he had just been born, there had been five years left until the Nine-Tails' Attack. Now that three years had passed, he was four years old, and the Nine-Tails' Attack was drawing ever closer. Yet his strength was still pitifully low, even though he trained his body whenever he had the time.

The problem was that his body was still far too immature. He was only four years old, and his body was too weak to endure excessive training. Furthermore, he could not cultivate chakra before the age of four, so his strength had not improved much over the past three years.

Still, the past three years had not been entirely wasted. At the very least, under his long-term training, his body had gradually become sturdier. It was no weaker than the bodies of seven- or eight-year-old children, and he was also a little taller than an ordinary four-year-old.

Aside from becoming somewhat stronger, all he could do was improve his Shuriken accuracy. After three years of practice, his accuracy could be called exceptionally precise. He could basically hit the bullseye of any target within a hundred meters, rarely missing.

Xuan Ye slowly rose from the wooden stairs. He took a breath, then gently exhaled. His eyes locked onto a target a hundred meters away. Extending a small, tender hand, he drew three Shuriken from his pouch, pinched them between his fingers, and focused his mind.

"Whoosh!"

At incredible speed, the three Shuriken shot from Xuan Ye's hand. Their speed only increased as they flew.

If anyone had been watching from nearby, they would certainly have been stunned. That Shuriken speed was simply not something a four-year-old child should have been capable of.

Though this speed posed no threat at all to Chunin or stronger shinobi, trainee shinobi—those studying at the Ninja Academy—would have no chance of dodging it. To them, that speed was simply astonishing.

They might barely be able to see the Shuriken's trajectory, but by the time a trainee shinobi reacted, the Shuriken would already be right in front of them. With this Shuriken skill alone, he could dominate the Ninja Academy.

Without a doubt, all three Shuriken struck the bullseyes of three targets a hundred meters away without a single miss. Yet Xuan Ye only felt helpless.

His strength was still too weak. This body of his was simply too frail. He could not train his body too intensely, or he would damage it. After all, this small body was still growing and had not fully developed yet. Training had to be done gradually.

And didn't all those novels on Earth say that transmigrators would have a system bound to them? Where the hell was my system?

Without a system's assistance, becoming a strong person in this world would be truly difficult. No, not just difficult—extremely difficult.

It was not easy to become strong. There were far too many powerful people in this world. Leaving aside the Akatsuki Organization, Konoha alone had Danzo, the Konoha Sannin, and countless Jonin and Elite Jonin.

And there were so many shinobi villages in this world as well—the Five Great Shinobi Villages, along with countless smaller shinobi villages.

Thinking of all this gave Xuan Ye a headache. What should I do? The Nine-Tails' Attack is coming soon too. What am I supposed to do? Without the corresponding strength, I have no way to change anything!

Besides, Itachi was probably around the same age as him right now. When the time came to study at the Ninja Academy, there would be that freakish genius Itachi as well. It would be difficult to surpass him. Xuan Ye truly felt a little despair about the future.

He could not see a future at all. He had no way to become strong, no way to protect the family he wanted to protect. Even his parents were going to die in the Nine-Tails' Attack, while his little brother would only be despised by everyone in Konoha Village.

What should I do? What exactly should I do? What else can I do?

No. How could he know the ending without trying? Even if that ending still came to pass, he would not regret it as long as he had tried. He had already done his best. Whether he could change it or not was not something he could decide.

Someone walked out from behind Xuan Ye. It was Minato Namikaze, still with that golden hair, dressed in the Hokage's distinctive robe. His gaze was sharp, his confidence boundless, and there was always a faint smile on his face.

A great many things had happened over the past three years. His father, Minato Namikaze, had become the Fourth Hokage and had countless matters to handle. The Third Hokage had retired to the background, no longer involving himself in other affairs, living a leisurely and peaceful life.

"Father, you're here. Is something wrong?"

Xuan Ye turned around and softly asked his father.

Over the past three years, although his father had become Hokage, his love for him had not changed. He still cared deeply for him. His mother was the same as his father, giving him boundless love.

The only difference was that his father, as Hokage, had far too many matters to deal with and sometimes had no time to accompany him for long periods. It was usually his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, who stayed with him, cooked meals and dishes for him, taught him much knowledge, and gradually helped him learn Japanese.

"Xuan Ye, today is your fourth birthday. I've prepared a gift for you. I wonder if you'll like it."

As he spoke, Minato Namikaze took out a scroll. Perhaps noticing Xuan Ye's puzzled expression, Minato Namikaze began to explain.

"This is a scroll containing the method for extracting chakra. Starting today, you can begin extracting chakra. I wonder whether you like this gift."