Total Annihilation in Naruto

The sunset, filtering through leisurely clouds, tenaciously resisted the arrival of night.

The fiery clouds dyed the clean white window screen a beautiful golden-red.

A wisp of cool breeze slipped through the open window into the hospital room, lifting the screen along with it, creating a dreamlike, ethereal scene.

On the hospital bed lay a youth, his body swathed in bandages. Perhaps it was the dazzling sunset, or perhaps the gentle breeze that brushed his cheek, stirring his light-yellow, tousled hair. The youth, who had been unconscious for a long time, suddenly twitched his eyelashes. As they fluttered open, a pair of light-green eyes gradually regained their clarity.

"Where... is this?"

"Did I make it?"

Zhong Xingran struggled to lift his hand, peering at the unfamiliar ceiling through the gaps in his bandaged palm.

People are not born equal!

He didn't know who first uttered this phrase, but in Zhong Xingran's brief life spanning two existences, it had been proven to the hilt.

Putting aside his previous life, he had finally arrived in the world of Naruto, only to be a talentless nobody. This had been a severe blow to Zhong Xingran.

This was the ninja world, after all. To merely eke out a meager existence and then die inexplicably from some war's collateral damage was hardly a fitting end for a transmigator.

To become a Kage-level or even Six Paths-level powerhouse and experience the magnificent landscapes of the ninja world – that would truly make his transmigration worthwhile.

Zhong Xingran, who in this life should be called Yamanaka Xingran, was a 13-year-old ordinary Genin of the Yamanaka Clan in Konohagakure.

He had been transmigrated for over a year, having safely passed the incident where Obito unleashed the Nine-Tails on Konohagakure. Xingran had been overjoyed upon arrival; who wouldn't be happy to get a second life? Moreover, the body he transmigrated into was perfect – a fresh graduate from the Konoha Ninja Academy, the standard starting age for a transmigator.

Unfortunately, Xingran soon realized something was amiss. He was a dead last. Although there was a common saying that dead-lasts in the original story eventually became incredibly powerful, that only applied to the main protagonists.

Who were the powerhouses in Obito's generation?

How many prodigies were in Naruto's generation?

But Xingran's generation was the one immediately following Anko Mitarai's.

Anko Mitarai's generation and the one before it, Kakashi's generation, had coincidentally coincided with the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War. Many talented ninjas graduated early and headed to the battlefield. Xingran's generation, however, had entered the war during a period of stabilization. The already scarce early graduations of elites were canceled, and the normal academic year system was restored. This meant Xingran, the dead last, had even less chance of gaining battlefield experience.

Normal meant ordinary. Xingran's generation, and many subsequent ones, were filled with ordinary individuals, including himself.

However, being mediocre wasn't entirely without benefits. At least he had lived peacefully until the age of 12, graduated from the Ninja Academy, and gloriously become a Konoha Genin tasked with finding lost cats, occasionally picking up trash for environmental maintenance.

Unwilling, but what could be done?

People are not born equal. Some are born with Sharingan or Byakugan, but Xingran didn't even have osteoporosis.

Naruto, also known as the Legend of the Eyes and the Five Great Shinobi Villages' Skirmish, the emphasis wasn't on the skirmish but on the "Legend of the Eyes" part.

Without the bloodline of Kaguya's family, one couldn't get anywhere here.

A Genin without talent, who only graduated at 12 years old in Konoha 49, was not deemed worthy by the village leaders to experience even the tail end of the Third Shinobi World War. Keeping him in the village to serve the people was the correct way to utilize (waste) resources.

The following days were filled with various petty, yet tedious and monotonous, low-level missions. Xingran had done them for over a year. A week ago, his squad leader, a Chunin, finally deemed him capable of accepting B-rank missions. However, just a few days after leaving the village, disaster struck the squad.

Summer, Konoha 50.

Total annihilation! A brutal, complete wipeout.

It wasn't that Xingran was too useless; it was just that most people in Konoha, apart from the few frequently featured powerhouses, were quite weak. Thus, the entire squad was wiped out.

The mission rank system of Konohagakure was also the standard used by most ninja villages in the ninja world.

Super S-rank: Inter-country classified special missions. Added due to requests from other countries and personal needs.

S-rank: National classified missions. Joining wars due to requests from other countries. Missions with rewards of over one million Ryo. Assassinating important figures, stealing classified documents, etc.

A-rank: Missions related to national or village affairs. Joining wars due to requests from other countries. Missions with rewards between 150,000 and one million Ryo. Escorting important figures, attacking ninja squads, etc.

B-rank: Missions related to individuals. Joining due to personal requests. Missions with rewards between 50,000 and 150,000 Ryo. Escorting individuals, including enemy ninjas (below Chunin).

C-rank: Missions related to individuals. Joining due to personal requests. Missions with rewards between 10,000 and 50,000 Ryo. Escorting individuals (no combat involved), delivering classified documents, etc.

D-rank: Extremely trivial missions. Joining due to personal requests. Missions with rewards between 500 and 10,000 Ryo. From finding pets to picking up trash, etc.

(PS: Many readers may not be familiar with some minor details; this book will explain them as they arise.)

This B-rank mission squad had suffered heavy casualties. Unfortunately, he had been severely injured and unconscious early on, so he couldn't be sure how many had died. When he woke up again, he was lying in this hospital bed.

"Tap, tap, tap..." Footsteps from outside the room grew closer. For some reason, Xingran found these footsteps exceptionally jarring.

In reality, Xingran had no conflict with the owner of these footsteps. He didn't even know whose footsteps they were. It was just that ever since he woke up again, he felt the soundproofing in this room was terrible. Not only were the footsteps of passersby unusually loud, but he could even clearly hear conversations from rooms upstairs and downstairs.

Just as Xingran was silently criticizing the increasingly dilapidated facilities of Konoha Hospital and thinking it should be renovated, the room door was pushed open.

One could say that clothing styles in the ninja world were incredibly diverse, and most of them looked good. However, some were so unappealing that they were simply unbearable. Among them, Xingran found the attire of the doctors and nurses here the most difficult to stomach.

A nurse, dressed like a hazmat soldier, pushed a medical cart into Xingran's room.

"Yamanaka Xingran, you're awake? Hmm, your physique is excellent. Your wounds need dressing every 3 hours. Lie down now..." The nurse's voice, muffled by a thick mask, sounded somewhat distorted.

The uniforms of these medical workers were too heavy. Without close inspection, one couldn't tell if they were male or female. Xingran obediently lay down on the bed, like a stripped dead pig, and was thoroughly handled by the nimble female nurse.

As the nurse worked efficiently, the last ray of sunlight outside the window finally disappeared below the horizon with the passage of time.

The dim light in the room caused the nurse's movements to pause slightly. Then, the nurse casually switched on the light above the bed.

The sudden flash of light made Xingran's eyes uncomfortable. He blinked a few times before his vision adjusted. Suddenly, Xingran's gaze froze.

Nurse, what kind of jutsu is that? Is it Naruto's Sexy Jutsu? Quick, put your clothes back on!

(PS: Little Ran is seeking recommendations and collections for his new book. He spent a lot of time refining the outline and details this time, so writing should be smooth. Dear readers, please look forward to it.)