Dreams and Returning to the Village

In a white space.

Haku looked at everything around him in a daze.

A white figure stood in the center, wearing a white lab coat, which gave him an ethereal aura. On his chest were six black tomoe patterns, a red vortex-like symbol on his back, with three rows of tomoe below it (three tomoe per row). Two horns grew from his head, and a special mark on his forehead resembled a Sharingan. Below that was a pair of Rinnegan.

Haku seemed to see life and death, the past and future within it. Yet, it was as if he saw nothing at all.

He was surrounded by small, "cute creatures," and Haku was among them. His instincts told him not to move rashly, but to stay quietly by the man's side.

[Today is the day you nine are born. From now on, the peace and balance of the ninja world will depend on you to maintain. Don't disappoint me!]

[From now on, you will be One-Tailed Shukaku, Two-Tailed Matatabi, Three-Tailed Isōbu, Four-Tailed Sun Wukong, Five-Tailed Kokuō, Six-Tailed Saiken, Seven-Tailed Chōmei, Eight-Tailed Gyūki, and Nine-Tailed Kurama.]

Haku looked at his companions beside him, then at his own short tentacles, and understood that he was the Eight-Tailed Gyūki the man had spoken of.

[From now on, you will represent the ultimate chakra natures of this world. As long as chakra exists, you will have endless life and the ability to be reborn within chakra.]

[Shukaku, you will represent the ultimate Wind Release of this world.]

Haku followed the voice and looked. It was a raccoon covered in curse seal patterns.

[Matatabi, you will represent the ultimate Fire Release of this world.]

A cat demon covered in blue chakra flames.

Isōbu was a turtle with three tails, Water Release.

Sun Wukong was a giant, four-tailed red ape, Earth Release.

Kokuō resembled a dolphin and a horse, with both Fire and Earth Release.

Saiken looked like a slug, Water Release.

Chōmei was a giant beetle with six wings and one tail, with Earth and Wind Release.

Gyūki was a Tailed Beast that was half-bull and half-octopus, which was Haku himself, Lightning Release.

Kurama was a fox with nine tails, Fire Release.

[Each of you also possesses Yin-Yang Release.]

[I hope you can maintain the energy circulation of this world.]

Before Haku could further experience the not-so-much but very powerful strength contained within his small body, the man's voice echoed again.

[Alright, go!]

The man waved his hand, and Haku felt an irresistible force carrying his body to a forest.

Before Haku could carefully observe his surroundings, he felt his strength weaken, and then his consciousness plunged into darkness.

[Haku hasn't woken up yet? It's been days! Didn't you say his body was fine?]

Haku vaguely heard Orochimaru's voice.

[Mm! Teacher Orochimaru, is that you?]

Orochimaru stopped his reprimand of the front-line Medical Ninjas and quickly went to check on Haku's condition.

[It's me, Haku. How are you feeling? You've been unconscious for three days.]

[Mm? Three days? I only remember being hit twice consecutively by a red figure and a blue figure, and then I couldn't feel anything.]

Haku said this while moving his body, getting used to his stiff limbs after lying down for days.

[Hm?]

Suddenly, Haku's body stiffened. He blinked as if unsure, then asked Orochimaru in an uncertain tone.

[My eyes?]

[Sigh... You were first hit head-on by the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki in his Tailed Beast Mode, and then, without any defense, you suffered the Third Raikage's Hell Stab.]

Orochimaru paused here, asked others to leave, and then continued.

[You're lucky to be alive. Anyone else would have been shattered into pieces at that moment. Although your life is not in danger, because you opened the Seven Gates and were attacked by the Raikage, your body must be in a very bad state right now.]

Orochimaru fell silent again, seemingly pondering how to deliver the news.

[As for your eyes, one of them was injured by the stray Lightning Release chakra from the Raikage and cannot be healed. However, based on my recent research, I can replace it with someone else's eye.]

[These are minor issues. The major issue is that your injury this time is problematic. Killer B's escape was somewhat coincidental. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Until I uncover the secrets behind this, you will recuperate peacefully in Konoha.]

Orochimaru didn't give Haku a chance to speak, and in one breath, he clearly explained Haku's current situation, the cause of his injuries, and the subsequent arrangements. Haku had no objections to Orochimaru's arrangements; he indeed needed a period of quiet recovery.

When he first woke up, Haku noticed that there seemed to be some new changes in the System that required him to calm down and study them.