Soul Transmigration to the Ninja World

Qin Yi sat before a rough mirror, looking at the little brat reflected within. He calmed himself and accepted the reality that he had transmigrated into the Naruto World.

Two days ago, Qin Yi had transmigrated into the body of a five-year-old child in Iwagakure, Land of Earth. He had then spent two days undergoing Soul Fusion with the original owner's soul, and only now had he finally recovered.

No system, no cheat, and he had started on the villain's side. Qin Yi had initially been somewhat despairing, but he had finally calmed down enough to properly consider this body's circumstances.

Qin Yi did not know why he had transmigrated. He did not dare think about it, nor could he figure it out. However, the Soul Fusion had felt very strange.

It was as though this body's soul and his previous life's soul had always belonged to the same person. Rather than experiencing any discomfort after the fusion, he instead felt unusually energized.

After thinking it over, Qin Yi could only conclude that the remarkable compatibility between the two souls had triggered this miraculous journey.

There had been no struggle, much less devouring. This Soul Fusion had been extremely smooth, with practically no aftereffects.

Qin Yi could not even quite tell which one was truly himself: his current life or his previous one.

The reason his previous life's way of thinking currently dominated was likely because he had around thirty years of experience in that life, while this life had lasted only five years—and those five years had belonged to a child of mediocre talent.

This body's name was Yichen, and he had no surname.

Iwagakure was unlike Konoha, with its many ancient great clans. Most people had only given names and no surnames, which was also an important reason why Iwagakure had fewer internal conflicts than Konoha.

Yichen's parents had both been Ninja, and they had recently died in a war against another country.

That's right, war! The Second Shinobi World War had only just begun.

For confidentiality reasons, Yichen did not even know which country his parents had died fighting. Of course, that was also because Yichen was too young, and no one thought telling him would do him any good.

Yichen's life was now collectively provided for by the village, though this mainly referred to three meals a day.

Since the war had only just begun, the village wanted its Ninja to fight without worries. War orphans like Yichen still ate fairly well.

He did not have to worry about food or clothing, but that was all. There was no pension—at least, not yet. From the person who delivered his meals, he had learned that the pension would only begin once Yichen entered the Ninja Academy.

At that point, he would have to shoulder all the pressure of survival himself.

Yichen had been prepared for that. This was a miraculous world with Chakra.

A world where a four- or five-year-old brat could think things through like a Hokage.

By the time he entered the Ninja Academy at five or six, he should also be capable of living independently.

Yichen left home, turned left, and walked for around ten minutes before reaching the Cafeteria.

He was very familiar with this place. Although his parents had only died a few days ago, the original owner of this body had already been eating here for over a month.

From the first day his Chunin father and Genin mother had left the village to prepare for war after the prewar mobilization, he had begun eating here.

Entering the Cafeteria, Yichen greeted the middle-aged woman distributing food with gratitude. "Senior Hongyan, thank you so much for what you did a few days ago."

It had been this female Chunin who noticed two days ago that Yichen had not come for his meal on time.

Coupled with the terrible news that Yichen had just received—that both his parents had died—she had worried about him and gone to his home.

There, she found someone who had just transmigrated into the body, clutching his head and babbling nonsense, so she sent Yichen to the Medical Department.

At the time, Yichen's soul had not finished fusing, and he did not understand his situation. He had been badly frightened by this seemingly gentle auntie, who could carry him one-handed while racing across rooftops like the wind.

Hongyan smiled gently at Yichen and examined him. Seeing that nothing seemed wrong, she nodded in relief.

"Little Yichen, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Hongyan asked as she handed him breakfast.

"Senior Hongyan, I'm fine now. There is something I'd like to ask Senior Hongyan to help me with."

Hongyan was curious and asked with slight puzzlement, "What is it, Little Yichen?"

Yichen took a deep breath and spoke as though he had made a great decision. "I'd like to ask Senior Hongyan to teach me Ninja training."

Yichen had thought deeply about this matter. First, he had too few connections right now, and the only Ninja he could come into contact with were those like Hongyan, who were responsible for their daily lives.

Second, he was still young, so he was not afraid of breaking any taboos. Even if she refused, she probably would not be angry.

Third, she still sympathized with him these days. Once the war intensified and there were more and more orphans, he had no exceptional talent, so the chance of her agreeing would become much lower.

A trace of heartache flashed through Hongyan's eyes as she automatically imagined an orphan working desperately hard to avenge his parents.

Thus, Hongyan did not stop him. Instead, she carefully explained the process of learning to become a Ninja.

After breakfast, Yichen stood at the entrance of a place resembling an elementary school from his previous life.

It turned out that before entering the Ninja Academy, all children had to receive preschool education such as literacy lessons.

Even if Yichen had not brought this up now, he would have had to enroll before long anyway.

After all, the Ninja Academy was primarily a military institution. It mainly taught Ninja knowledge and had nothing to do with Ordinary People. Ordinary People who wanted to learn had to attend a schoolhouse.

Yichen's early arrival at the schoolhouse quickly caught the Teacher's attention. After learning about Yichen's circumstances, the Teacher initially wanted to persuade him otherwise, but ultimately agreed after some consideration.

Yichen could clearly express his thoughts on his own, which showed that he was mature enough. Studying should not be a problem for him.

Besides, during wartime, it was not a bad thing for an orphan like him to have somewhere fixed to go. As for tuition, war orphans attended for free!

Without wasting any time, Yichen enrolled that very day.

With memories from his previous life, learning things like literacy was very easy for Yichen.

By the end of the day, he had caught the Teacher's attention. Delighted to find talent, the Teacher gave Yichen extra lessons based on his situation.

And so, Yichen began life in an otherworldly preschool class.

Although there were quite a few people at the schoolhouse, Yichen already knew that most of them would not become Ninja in the future. Therefore, he did not form close friendships and basically lived alone.

Since Yichen was also the youngest, born a commoner, no one else took the initiative to befriend him. They merely regarded him as a little Genius at learning cultural knowledge, an oddity.

Perhaps because Yichen had set a precedent, over half a month later, the Cafeteria sent over more war orphans and children left behind at home.

However, this did not matter much to Yichen. He knew little about Iwagakure's notable figures from his previous life, so he had no way to seek out Geniuses worth investing in ahead of time.

Academic subjects were very easy for Yichen. In roughly a month, he completed the entire preschool curriculum.

He also read many books related to Ninja, finally gaining a new and intuitive understanding of this world. His worldview had at last moved beyond the anime.

One day, the schoolhouse Teacher found Yichen and gave him a pleasant surprise.

The Teacher had noticed that Yichen often practiced hand seals alone. Though the Teacher was not a Ninja, he knew that training was not something one could recklessly undertake alone.

Therefore, the Teacher contacted the Ninja Academy and informed them of the situation. In the end, he received a reply allowing Yichen to take the entrance assessment early.

It turned out that after receiving the news, the Ninja Academy had reported it further up the chain.

After discussion, Iwagakure's higher-ups decided to begin enrollment early. To deal with the war, they also relaxed the admission requirements and decided to provide both basic education and Ninja training at the Ninja Academy.

Naturally, the higher-ups did not expect these newly enrolled students to play any role in this war. By the time Yichen and the others grew up, the war would surely have long ended.

Their main consideration was that after the war, Ninja numbers would be greatly reduced and new recruits would be needed to replenish them. Yichen's generation would be the reserve Ninja for that replenishment.

Yichen arrived at the Ninja Academy feeling nervous.

The Ninja Academy was one of the core institutions of a ninja village, and its grounds were enormous.

After all, as the reserve school supporting a war involving over ten thousand Ninja, it produced hundreds or even thousands of Ninja every year.

There were quite a few Jonin stationed within the Ninja Academy, and the surrounding area was a key focus for Patrolling ninja. It was also not far from Iwagakure's core—the Tsuchikage's Office Building.

Yichen did not know what his talent was like. Although the early enrollment had a tiny bit to do with him, he was not confident that he could successfully enter the Ninja Academy.

He had not even managed to find out from Chunin Hongyan what the exam would test.

When Yichen had asked her, Hongyan had simply said, "Little Yichen, you haven't even become a Ninja yet, and you're already gathering intelligence like one?"

That had left Yichen not knowing how to respond.

There were many people enrolling alongside Yichen. This intake was equivalent to recruiting the students of two usual years at once.

Furthermore, after news of the expanded enrollment spread, many people who felt their physical aptitude was average also wanted to try.

After all, even if they could not become Ninja, learning to train could still improve their bodies, couldn't it?

Most of the children were led by their parents. Quite a few, like Yichen, had been brought directly from the Cafeteria by the Ninja responsible for it.

Hongyan was not leading the group today, and Yichen did not know the person who was. After being assigned to a Ninja Academy Teacher, Yichen ignored him and waited nervously yet expectantly for the test.

The examinees were divided into many groups and tested separately. Yichen's group had around a hundred people.

Led by two Teachers, one in front and one behind, they arrived at a small training field within the school.

There were Teachers responsible for testing at the field, as well as students who had been tested before Yichen's group. They had clearly already finished.

Yichen saw some people being led away in disappointment, while others remained where they were, excitedly discussing things with one another. Even the Teachers were discussing the new students who had performed particularly well.

After carefully observing, Yichen discovered that the previous group had also contained around a hundred people, and roughly seventy had passed the test.

That's not a low percentage. Yichen thought as he carefully examined those who had been eliminated.

Most of them were children who looked weaker than average.

Comparing his own build to theirs, Yichen felt more reassured. It seemed he had previously assessed himself incorrectly.

Although he did not possess any powerful bloodline, both his parents had been Ninja. He could barely be considered a Second Generation Ninja. It seemed passing the test should not be too difficult.

Before long, it was Yichen's group's turn to be tested.

Drawing on his knowledge from his previous life, Yichen quickly judged that the Ninja entrance assessment included not only tests such as physical fitness, but also tests of mental ability.

At that thought, Yichen's spirits immediately rose. It seemed he had to perform well. If it was only a physical fitness test, then even if he passed, he would surely be just an ordinary student. But if they tested mental ability, perhaps he could make a bid for the Advanced Class?

The original setting had the transmigration happen at age three, but readers felt that was too young, so it has been changed to age five. None of the other plot points will be changed.

If readers notice that the ages do not match afterward, it may be because the author has not finished revising everything and missed some parts. Please point them out in the comments, and the author will fix them. Thank you, everyone.