Tsunade and Nawaki

"I was delighted to have a second chance at life, but why did I have to end up in the world of Naruto?"

Natsuki glanced at the Root ninja in the distance, who wore a green-striped mask, and couldn't help letting out a deep sigh.

In this dangerous world where bloodlines reigned supreme, he had neither Senju, Uchiha, nor Hyuga blood, and his talent was utterly average.

To make matters worse, both his parents had died on a mission when he was three, and he had been sent to the Konoha Orphanage.

The Konoha Orphanage was now secretly controlled by Root leader Shimura Danzō and had become a training ground for Root recruits.

But what could he do?

Was he supposed to kill himself and gamble on getting a third life?

The odds were about as good as the national soccer team winning the World Cup.

"Heehee, I'm definitely going to survive!"

Natsuki turned to look at the little girl standing beside him.

She was six years old and a war orphan, too.

The difference was that she was exceptionally talented and would go on to become one of Konoha's finest medical ninja.

She also had a famous adopted son: Yakushi Kabuto.

"Nonō, did you do what I told you during the test just now?"

Natsuki asked in a quiet voice.

"Mm."

Yakushi Nonō nodded obediently.

Over the three years they had spent together, she had grown used to listening to Natsuki.

"Good."

A smile appeared on Natsuki's face.

Just then, the Root ninja walked up to Zhenyou, the director of the Konoha Orphanage.

"None of these children passed the test. Send them to the Ninja Academy and keep an eye on how they perform."

The Root ninja spoke coldly. "If any of them show promise later, report it at once."

"Understood."

Zhenyou answered helplessly.

The Konoha Orphanage had been established to raise children who had lost their families.

But Root leader Shimura Danzō had set his sights on the orphans.

He controlled the orphanage's funding and forced Zhenyou to select talented children from among the orphans, then send them to Root for training.

Root was entrenched in Konoha's darkness and operated with utter ruthlessness.

Ninja who joined Root were brainwashed, put through training with a near-certain fatality rate, and ultimately stripped of their humanity, becoming Shimura Danzō's lackeys.

Zhenyou didn't want the orphans to join Root, but Shimura Danzō was at the height of his power in Konoha.

He and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, one in the shadows and one in the open, were the most powerful ninja in Konoha.

Even the great clans couldn't refuse his orders. The Aburame Clan and Yamanaka Clan, for instance, had both been forced to hand over their talented youngsters.

If even clan prodigies had no choice, civilian prodigies had even less power to refuse.

Just like Yakushi Nonō in the original story: she had joined Root as a child.

But in the end, Shimura Danzō killed her on the grounds that "you know too much."

Natsuki and Yakushi Nonō were the same age, and they had grown close after he joined the Konoha Orphanage.

During the test to join Root just now, he had specifically told her to hide her abilities, which kept the Root ninja from selecting her.

As for him, he didn't need to hide anything. He was unimpressive to begin with.

Even at his normal level, he wasn't qualified to join Root.

Root was part of Anbu, an elite group among elites, and its entry requirements were high.

Natsuki watched the Root ninja leave, his brows drawn together.

Hiding their abilities forever wasn't a solution.

Pops had said that the best way to fight magic was with magic.

The only way to help Yakushi Nonō escape Shimura Danzō's grasp was to earn Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval.

More precisely, she needed to become a ninja of the Hokage's faction.

With Yakushi Nonō's talent as a medical ninja, it was possible.

Once she became one of the Hokage's ninja, she could also help Natsuki survive more easily.

The only problem was that the Medical Ninja Training Class hadn't been established yet.

In the original story, Hiruzen Sarutobi's student Tsunade had proposed a medical ninja training system during the Second Ninja World War.

The two most important parts were assigning a medical ninja to every ninja squad and establishing a medical ninja training class.

But the Second Ninja World War was still four or five years away.

For Yakushi Nonō to catch Hiruzen Sarutobi's or Tsunade's attention, she could only rely on her performance at the Ninja Academy.

But how she should perform was another problem.

Catching Hiruzen Sarutobi's or Tsunade's attention could also draw Shimura Danzō's.

"You've all worked hard today. Get some rest. The day after tomorrow, I'll take you to register at the Ninja Academy."

Zhenyou let out a breath and spoke.

"Yes, Director."

Natsuki and the others answered in unison.

Two days later, at the Ninja Academy.

Natsuki looked around and saw many children his age, along with the parents who had brought them to register.

Yakushi Nonō stood beside him, looking around as well, her fair little face full of curiosity.

"You didn't need to bring me to school. I'm not a three-year-old anymore. I'm already eight!"

A sudden voice came from nearby.

Natsuki instinctively turned to look.

The speaker was a little boy with short, dark brown hair.

A young woman stood behind him.

She wore a flak jacket and was bundled up from head to toe, exuding a heroic air.

It was Tsunade.

The granddaughter of the First, Senju Hashirama, and a student of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In the future, she would become one of the famed Konoha Sannin alongside Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Natsuki hadn't recognized her at first glance.

Compared with her appearance in the original story, this version of her wasn't as iconic.

She was missing the tea-green jacket with the character for "gamble" on it, as well as the diamond-shaped Yin Seal on her forehead.

Most importantly, she wasn't as generous.

But as one of her fans, Natsuki knew exactly how impressive she would become.

"What's with all the complaining?"

Tsunade raised a hand and flicked Nawaki on the forehead. "I brought you to school, so you should be grateful!"

"Ow!"

Nawaki instinctively covered his forehead.

"Stop pretending. I barely touched you."

A smile appeared on Tsunade's face. "I'll leave you here. I still have a mission to take care of."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Nawaki looked away and soon noticed Natsuki and Yakushi Nonō.

There was no helping it; the two of them stood out in the crowd.

"You two look unfamiliar. Are you new students?"

Nawaki walked over to them and said, "I'm Nawaki, a third-year student. Pleased to meet you."

He sure was friendly.

Natsuki wasn't surprised.

Nawaki didn't have many scenes in the original story, but his personality was clear: he was a cheerful, sunny boy.

Natsuki nodded. "My name is Natsuki. Pleased to meet you, Nawaki-senpai."

At the word "senpai," Nawaki's eyes lit up.

He happily shook Natsuki's hand and said, "If you run into any trouble at school, you can come to me."

"Thanks."

Natsuki recalled what he knew about Nawaki.

He was Tsunade's younger brother, which made him the grandson of the First, Senju Hashirama, and a student of Orochimaru. In Konoha, he was practically a second-generation Hokage.

But this world was too cruel.

Even Nawaki, with such a distinguished background, had died in the Second Ninja World War.

He had been only twelve years old.

After chatting with them for a couple of minutes, Nawaki went his own way.

They weren't in the same grade, so they wouldn't be in the same class either.

Natsuki and Yakushi Nonō were assigned to First Grade Class A.

The two of them headed toward the classroom.

As he stepped into the room, Natsuki's body suddenly jolted.

[Congratulations, Host. You have become a student at the Ninja Academy. The Lord of Myriad Worlds System has been activated.]

Six years. Do you know how I've spent those six years?

Once Natsuki confirmed that the words before his eyes weren't an illusion, he couldn't help giving a soft snort.

How could anyone survive in the world of Naruto without a cheat?

The two male leads, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, were the biggest cheaters of all.

In his previous life, when Natsuki saw the Sage of Six Paths force Chakra into them, he had been utterly dumbfounded.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya: I want to check the cards!

But... come to think of it, who could refuse a cheat?

Bring it on!