Night fell in complete silence.
The villagers had long since gone to sleep. In the Hokage world, which lacked entertainment, nightlife simply didn't exist.
Just like in ancient times on Earth, people worked from sunrise to sunset. Once darkness fell, they hurried home, closed their doors, extinguished their lamps, and worked hard to add more members to their families.
Only a few ninja remained on patrol in the streets, guarding the village's safety.
Narak found this rather puzzling. This world clearly had electric lights, cameras, and all sorts of advanced technology, yet it had no televisions or telephones. It was as if the technology tree of this world had grown crooked. It was truly strange!
In the end, Narak could only blame it on the original author's questionable world-building.
At that moment, Narak sat on a rooftop, staring blankly at the stars filling the sky. He held an '82 Thunder Pop in his hand and took a sip every now and then.
At first, Narak had been quite resistant to the food he received from the system's daily check-ins. After all, one look at the name told him it was some knockoff, substandard product.
Then, on one occasion, Narak used Naruto as a guinea pig and gave it to him to try. After finishing the drink, Naruto fell completely in love with it and pestered Narak all day for more Thunder Pop. Unable to resist his curiosity, Narak took a sip himself.
And then... then he discovered that this Thunder Pop was even more addictive than the genuine product he had drunk in his previous life.
With one gulp, he experienced true "ice-cold refreshment that sent his spirits soaring." It wasn't just his heart—his entire soul felt as if it were about to fly away. After that, Narak became hopelessly addicted to Thunder Pop.
"Eight years... It's been a full eight years since I came to this world."
Narak sat on the rooftop and muttered to himself.
He had learned from the system long ago why he had come to this world.
That night, while he was sleeping soundly at home, a small meteorite had flown in from outer space. It had passed straight through the wall and, without the slightest deviation, struck the sleeping Narak. Poor Narak had been killed on the spot in his sleep.
And the meteorite had been carrying the system!
As for the system's origins, according to its own account, it had been nurtured by the will of the world. Its purpose was to select lucky individuals from across the world and take them to other worlds to become stronger.
And Narak was the lucky individual this system had chosen.
At that explanation, Narak silently rolled his eyes.
So you killed me by smashing me with a meteorite, and I'm supposed to thank you for it... You lousy system, do you think I won't sue you for murder?
Fortunately, Narak had had no ties in his previous life. He had been the kind of person who could eat his fill while leaving the whole family hungry. Besides, he had simply been a useless loser, so there wasn't much for him to miss about his previous life.
"Since I'm here, I might as well settle in. I can't go back anyway. Besides, constantly cultivating and becoming stronger here isn't bad. Isn't this exactly the wonderful life I used to fantasize about in my daydreams?" Narak could only console himself inwardly.
"Speaking of which, I've been in this world for eight years now. I'm currently at Chunin level, but on the battlefield, that strength would only put me at cannon-fodder level. I still have to find a way to become stronger."
"Judging from my experience with all these years of check-ins, the only way to become stronger is to check in during major events. The Chunin Ninja Exams four years from now count as one. Pain's destruction of Konoha counts as another. What else was there again?"
Narak racked his brain, trying to recall the plot he had watched in his previous life. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and he couldn't remember many details clearly.
"Ah... How annoying. If I can't remember, then I won't bother. I'll just save my daily check-in for now. If I run into a major event, I'll check in then. If not, I'll check in every night before going to sleep. That should keep me from missing anything, hmph..."
"Whatever. I'd better check in quickly and then go to sleep. It's rare to finally return from a mission without having to stay on edge. I can finally get a good, peaceful night's sleep."
Narak finished the last sip in the bottle of Thunder Pop, stood up, and stretched.
"System, I want to che—"
Before he could finish, the corner of Narak's eye caught several flashes of white light in the distance. It was too dark to see clearly, but with the terrifying eyesight granted by his Intermediate Byakugan, Narak still determined that they were reflections off weapons.
"Isn't that the Uchiha Clan Compound? Strange. What are they doing out so late at night?"
Narak shook his head. He hadn't wanted to get involved, but after thinking it over, he still couldn't suppress his curiosity. With a movement of his feet, he darted toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Narak arrived outside the Uchiha Clan Compound. He saw that the compound's gates were tightly shut, yet there wasn't even a guard standing outside. This made him feel even more puzzled.
"What happened? The Uchiha Clan doesn't even have gatekeepers? Have they really started treating themselves as Konoha's foremost clan, thinking no one would dare cause trouble here?"
Narak wondered.
But then he realized something was wrong. He had smelled a faint scent of blood drifting through the air.
"Something's happened to the Uchiha Clan."
Narak immediately reached a conclusion.
"Byakugan—activate!"
Narak activated his Byakugan and peered into the compound. Under the Byakugan, every wall was as good as nonexistent. His gaze pierced straight through them and revealed the scene inside.
Then he saw a shocking sight.
Bodies lay strewn across the Uchiha Clan's courtyard. Judging from the wounds, every one of them had been killed with a single slash.
"Who did this? Who would dare kill people inside Konoha Village? And not just anyone—the members of Konoha's foremost clan, the Uchiha Clan?"
Narak's heart filled with uncertainty.
At that moment, Narak was both uneasy and tempted to retreat. He wanted to leave immediately.
After all, whoever had done this had dared to invade and massacre the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan was known as Konoha's foremost clan, and it hadn't earned that title for nothing. Its members included countless experts. If a mere Chunin like him ran into the culprit, wouldn't he just be throwing his life away?
While Narak hesitated, footsteps came from the road in the distance.
Narak hurriedly hid in a corner and peered out. The person approaching was none other than Uchiha Sasuke, known in certain circles as "Two-Pillar."
"Is Two-Pillar not at home? If he goes back now, won't he be in danger... Should I stop him?" Narak agonized inwardly.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Narak, and he seemed to realize something.
"Wait. In the original story, wasn't it Two-Pillar who came home late at night and discovered that his entire family had been massacred? And the killer was none other than his own older brother, Uchiha Itachi?"
"Hiss... Could it be tonight?"
The more Narak thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, given the Uchiha Clan's strength, who could kill people inside their compound without making a sound?
While Narak was lost in thought, Two-Pillar had already pushed open the gate and walked inside. Moments later, panicked cries came from within.
"Should I go in and take a look...?" Narak hesitated briefly before making up his mind.
"To hell with it. Fortune favors those who take risks. I'll go in, check in, and leave. The destruction of the Uchiha Clan definitely counts as a major event, so the check-in reward won't be small. Even if I'm discovered, with the speed of Flash Step, Uchiha Itachi might not be able to catch me."
Having made up his mind, Narak silently slipped into the compound.
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