Late at night, the clear water's surface was broken.
A pebble cut through the stillness, flying toward the center of the lake.
Namikawa Yū looked up at the pond before him, his eyes vacant.
Judging by his appearance, he was only about six or seven years old.
In his previous life, someone that age would have been nothing more than a child.
But the circumstances here were different.
In this world, differences in physiology, coupled with the existence of an extraordinary power like chakra, meant that even seemingly young children could become killing machines.
Of course, even so, six or seven was still a little too young.
Namikawa Yū raised his head and looked into the distance.
All sorts of memories flooded his mind, bringing flickers of bewilderment to his eyes.
"Konoha... ninjas... so this is the world I'm in."
He rubbed his head, finding it rather painful at the moment.
To be honest, it had actually been several years since he had transmigrated into this world.
Before now, however, perhaps because of his body's development or other such reasons, his memories had remained dormant. He had only felt an inexplicable familiarity with everything around him.
Only now did he seem to awaken, as though he had come out of a dream.
He realized just what world and circumstances he was in.
"Konoha..."
Rising silently, he looked into the distance, watching the bright lights nearby as various emotions flashed through his eyes. "This is the world of ninjas."
For Namikawa Yū, moving to another world was hardly a bad thing.
After all, his previous life had not been particularly satisfying, and the people he cared about had long since passed away.
Being able to move somewhere else, to another world, was a pretty good experience for him.
If people in his previous world learned that they could actually transmigrate, who knew how many would fight tooth and nail for the chance?
Namikawa Yū did not dwell on it.
For now, his thinking was simple: since he was here, he would make the best of it.
Whatever happened, life had to go on.
But there was one problem facing him at present.
It seemed the Third Shinobi World War was not far off.
Within Konoha, Konoha's White Fang was still alive, but he was plagued by rumors.
While out on a mission, he had chosen to abandon it to save his comrades, only to find himself in trouble because of it.
Rumors ran rampant throughout the village. Even Namikawa Yū, a new student at the Ninja Academy, had heard them.
In other words, White Fang's suicide was not far off.
And as far as Namikawa Yū remembered, the Third Shinobi World War had begun not long after White Fang's suicide.
In other words, war was about to break out.
"A Shinobi World War..."
Namikawa Yū pondered.
He knew that once war broke out, many people would inevitably die.
What had once served as mere background in a story was, in reality, a major event that could determine the lives of countless people.
When that time came, what could he do?
Gazing into the distance, he felt lost.
His current position was neither here nor there. He was merely an ordinary Ninja Academy student, not even a Genin.
Under normal circumstances, that status would have been fine, a safe haven where he could shelter from danger.
In wartime, however, it would become a death warrant.
After all, when the time came, no one would care whether he was a student. As long as he had a little fighting ability and was stronger than an ordinary person, they would drag him onto the battlefield without giving him any room to hesitate.
In other words, he did not have much peaceful time left.
I have to do something.
The thought flashed through Namikawa Yū's mind as he raised his head and surveyed the scenery around him.
And as that thought arose...
Something new began to happen.
The world before his eyes seemed to change. The scenery of reality peeled away, leaving only an image of pure black and white.
"This is..."
Staring at the sight, he froze for a moment and instinctively took a step back.
Boom!
As though some mysterious power had begun to vibrate in the void, Namikawa Yū inexplicably came to understand everything.
He stretched out his hand, sensing an entirely new essence within him beginning to awaken.
It seemed to be something he had been born with.
"Could it be..."
A thought stirred in his mind, and he gave it a tentative try.
An entirely new display began to appear.
Name: Namikawa Yū. Reincarnations: 1. Reincarnation Points: 107.
"It really works."
As information surfaced in his mind, delight instantly appeared on Namikawa Yū's face.
To be honest, transmigrating into this world had put him under immense pressure.
The world of ninjas, also known as the Legend of the Eyes, could also be called the History of the Otsutsuki Descendants' Brawls.
Unlike his previous world, here, without a little alien blood in your veins or a pair of colored contacts or something, you practically did not even qualify as a person.
Before this, Namikawa Yū had been wondering what he should do next.
Now things were settled.
He could simply use cheats.
A smile appeared on his face as he began studying the panel before him.
"Reincarnation... what happens afterward?"
He pondered, Will it make me transmigrate again, or reincarnate into someone else's body?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind.
With the intention of giving it a try, he tapped it.
In an instant, a new change appeared.
[Please select your target identity for reincarnation.] [1. Commoner.] [2. Samurai.] [3. Servant.]
"I can even choose my identity?"
Namikawa Yū was a little surprised.
This panel seemed to offer a little too much freedom.
He looked closely and discovered that besides those three options, there seemed to be an option to add another.
After a moment's hesitation, he tapped again.
[Spend 100 points to add a target identity?]
To test the function, Namikawa Yū selected confirm.
Then, in an instant, the panel before him changed again.
[1. Commoner.] [2. Samurai.] [3. Servant.] [4. Daimyo.]
The first three options remained unchanged, but now there was a fourth.
"Did I hit the jackpot?"
Looking at the fourth option, Namikawa Yū was a little surprised.
Compared with the first three, the fourth option was undoubtedly far better.
A daimyo, even one of the lowest rank, still counted as nobility. Its lower limit alone was far above the first three.
After the fourth option appeared, Namikawa Yū's points also dropped below one hundred.
The option to add another dimmed and could no longer be selected.
Out of caution, Namikawa Yū did not make his choice there, returning to his residence instead.
Within the village, he counted as an orphan.
There was no need to consider it clichéd.
After all, being an orphan had been relatively rare in his previous life, but in this world, it was commonplace.
Against a backdrop of constant warfare, orphans might not have been everywhere, but there were certainly no small number of them.
Namikawa Yū's parents had both been ninjas, and they had died in a past Shinobi World War.
That was also why, despite being an orphan, Namikawa Yū still had somewhere to go rather than ending up on the streets.
After returning to his residence, he closed the doors to every room, then took a deep breath before looking before him again.
[Begin reincarnation?]
Confirm!