Transmigration

"Naruto, remember not to be a picky eater, you must eat well and grow up strong... Take a hot bath every day and don't let yourself get cold... Also, don't stay up late, make sure you get plenty of sleep..."

A woman with long red hair and a beautiful face was gently giving instructions, while a handsome young man with blond hair stood behind her.

What is going on?

I didn't die?

When he opened his eyes, this was the scene that appeared before him.

Where... is this?

Is this not a dream?

He raised his arm to look at his palm; it was a small, fair, and tender hand, just like a newborn baby's.

I, I really have transmigrated!

Just as he was rejoicing over his rebirth, a "water droplet" suddenly fell onto his face.

Is it raining?

No, it's not rain...

Looking closely, he discovered the source of the "water droplet."

It was a giant claw, looking incredibly sharp, piercing through the bodies of the red-haired woman and the blond man.

Blood was dripping down the claw onto his face.

"Naruto, everything Dad wants to say... is the same as what your nagging mom said..."

Naruto?

Is this my name now?

Then they are...

Looking at the man and woman in front of him, he understood their identities and realized his current situation.

The Nine-Tails Incident, starting off with parents sacrificed to the heavens.

An orphan in my past life, and an orphan again in this one; am I cursed to be alone?

He—no, it should be Uzumaki Naruto—felt a bit saddened inside.

But he was only an infant; he could do nothing and change nothing.

Wait!

I think I have a cheat—the Rinnegan!

Naruto had died in a car accident in his previous life and, after death, luckily met some nameless deity.

The deity said he found him agreeable, granted him a new life, and included a lucky draw as a bonus.

He hadn't been modest, hitting the jackpot on his first try and drawing the Rinnegan.

That said... can the Rinnegan change the current situation?

Naruto's underdeveloped brain pondered for a long while, only to arrive at a sorrowful conclusion.

It seems... it can't, unless he uses Samsara Heavenly Life to trade one life for two.

Setting aside whether he would be willing...

Well, actually, he wasn't willing.

After all, they had just met; there was no deep emotional bond.

Even if there were a deep bond later, he wouldn't necessarily be willing... he was just an ordinary person, and self-sacrifice is difficult.

But for now, he didn't have to suffer the condemnation of his conscience.

Because the cheat hadn't arrived yet!

Thus, the world line converged, and everything returned to the original starting point.

After finishing his final farewell, Minato Namikaze looked at Naruto with pity, no longer hesitating as he formed hand seals.

--Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!

"Waaahhhhh..."

Three years later.

Inside an old house, Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor, earnestly doing Eye Exercises.

He was pondering a question in his mind—is the Rinnegan ever coming or not?

Three years, another three years, it's already been three years; did the deity forget?

Sigh, he didn't even leave contact information, so there's no way to rush him.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knocking sound came from the door. Naruto continued his Eye Exercises and said, "Please come in."

As expected, the person who arrived was the Third Hokage.

Seeing Naruto's state, the Third Hokage asked curiously, "Little Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Protecting my vision, starting from a young age, so I don't get presbyopia in the future."

Maybe if I did a couple more sets of Eye Exercises to improve my vision, the Rinnegan would awaken.

How could protecting one's vision lead to presbyopia?

It must have been a slip of the tongue. The Third Hokage didn't think much of it and waited quietly for Naruto to finish his Eye Exercises before speaking with a kindly expression.

"Naruto, you've grown up now. From today on, no one will come to deliver your meals. You must learn to live independently. Grandpa believes you can do it... Here, this is your living allowance for this month..."

Have some humanity! I'm only three years old and you're making me fend for myself? Where is your conscience?

Uzumaki Naruto stood up and took the money, counting it.

400 ryo... is this enough?

He wasn't very clear on Konoha's prices, but judging by the "Naruto" from the original story's experience of going hungry, it was highly likely that it wasn't enough.

Naruto looked up at the Third Hokage and said, "Double it, 800 ryo!"

It was impossible that Kushina and Minato's inheritance couldn't even cover 800 ryo.

The Third Hokage shook his head. "No, 800 ryo is too much. Besides, you don't need that much money; 400 ryo is enough for your living expenses."

Naruto asked suspiciously, "Is it really enough?"

The Third Hokage nodded. "It will be enough if you spend it sparingly."

No matter how foolish he might be, the Third Hokage wouldn't intentionally starve the Jinchuriki.

Not to mention, there was still Minato's reputation to consider.

Although it wasn't much, it certainly existed.

"I can't give you 800 ryo because the village's regulation is 400 ryo, and the village treats everyone equally. There are many other children like you, and adding it all up is a huge expense that the village cannot afford, but..."

Pulling a hundred-ryo note from his pocket, the Third Hokage smiled brightly. "Grandpa can personally sponsor you one hundred ryo. Are you happy, little Naruto?"

Happy... my foot. Playing hard to get, don't think I don't know you're just gaslighting me.

"Happy, thank you, Grandpa."

I, Uzumaki Naruto, give this performance 100 points, and I'm not afraid of getting a big head.

"By the way, Grandpa, is this one hundred ryo available every month?"

"Yes, every month."

Very good, you can get lost now.

However, since he was under someone else's roof, he couldn't be too direct. Naruto waved his hand and said, "Goodbye, Grandpa."

"..."

Who did he learn this 'pants-up-and-forget-the-person' attitude from? No one seems to have taught him. Could it be a natural talent?

The Third Hokage left, feeling depressed.

Naruto looked at the wall clock; it was past ten. It was still early for lunch, but considering the time needed to buy groceries, it wasn't too early.

"Just in time for the first go; I'll go to the market to familiarize myself with the environment."

Picking up a bag of small stones from the corner, Naruto walked out the door.

Konoha was prosperous and beautiful, and the villagers wore happy smiles.

However, the moment a child appeared in their field of vision, those smiles vanished instantly. They stared at Naruto with cold, disgusted, and even hateful eyes.

Once Naruto walked further away, murmurs began to surface.

"That damned Demon Fox, why is he still alive?"

"Look, that monster is carrying a bag of rocks; it looks like he wants to keep attacking us."

"The wound on my head hasn't even healed yet..."

"The reckless brat. If it weren't for the Anbu protecting him, he would have been beaten to death long ago."

"Exactly, exactly. I don't know what the Third Hokage is thinking..."

"Shh, shh, stop talking. That's a forbidden topic."

Listening to the faint whispers drifting from behind him, Naruto sneered, "Trash who can only mock others out of incompetence."

This wasn't his first time going out. In previous outings, he had been subjected to insults right to his face.

Now... just having people badmouth him behind his back was already a huge improvement.

Of course, this definitely wasn't because the villagers' personal character had improved.

Those unruly mobs didn't have any character to begin with!

The real reason was Naruto's own efforts—anyone who dared to curse him to his face would get a rock thrown at their head!

He was a transmigrator, and his personality was different from the "idiot" in the original timeline.