The Interrogated Konoha Ninja / Passing

Hokage: You Call This Guy the Savior?!

Author: Impure World Reincarnation Slime

Synopsis:

Keiichi was reborn at the very beginning of the Naruto story.

In his previous life, he'd played it safe to the extreme, somehow surviving from Naruto all the way to Boruto.

Then the Ōtsutsuki Clan invaded, and the entire Leaf Village was reduced to ashes.

After being reborn, he stopped playing it safe. He was going to let loose.

He'd teach Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, making them even stronger than they'd been in his previous life. Even if Kaguya was reborn, she'd have to turn tail and run.

He'd make up for past regrets, prevent those tragedies from happening again, and make sure the people who deserved to die met their end. The newly risen Leaf Village would become great once more.

He'd radically alter the plot, and every change would earn Keiichi system rewards and make him vastly more powerful.

He'd make secret preparations and crank up the intensity of the Fourth Great Ninja War. What was Impure World Reincarnation compared to a chaotic battle between gods and demons that could breed a whole crop of champions?

There was no need to wait for the Ōtsutsuki Clan to come knocking. It was time to unleash the Shinobi World's native forces and give those alien powerhouses a little shock.

Peace in the Shinobi World?

No. Our goal is the stars and the sea beyond.

"The Konoha ninjas are terribly rude," said an Ōtsutsuki whose eyes had been censored, wiping away his sweat.

The completed work Naruto: Konoha Life Begins with a Time Loop has over a million words.

Chapter 1: The Interrogated Konoha Ninja

"Danzo, in the name of the Third Hokage, I swear I will never allow you to destroy the Leaf Village!"

"Hiruzen, after all these years, don't you know me? How could I ever do something like that?!"

"How can you expect me to believe you now? I was wrong. Wrong for over a decade! Before I die, I have to correct this mistake with my own hands!"

The two closest of companions, two men who had been opposite sides of the same coin, began their final battle. They had both made their choice: one of them had to die here today.

Behind them, thick smoke billowed and cries of battle filled the air. It was the Leaf Village they had spent their whole lives protecting.

The story wasn't supposed to unfold this way. To understand how it all came to this, we have to go back two months...

Inside the interrogation room of the Hokage Building.

"Name?"

"Keiichi."

"Surname?"

"...I don't have one."

"Age?"

"I just turned twelve."

"Your parents' names?"

"I don't know... This is the fifth time you've asked. How many more times are you going to ask before you're satisfied?"

In the darkness, a harsh light shone down from above, illuminating the boy and leaving only a long shadow behind him.

He sat there, pale and haggard, looking utterly exhausted. Only his eyes shone with an alarming brightness. Every so often, he licked his dry lips, his gaze fixed on the cup of water on the table opposite him, full of longing.

The two adults seated on the other side of the table wore animal masks. They were Konoha Anbu, members of the Torture and Interrogation Force. Like two unyielding rocks, they showed no trace of emotion.

"I ask, you answer. How many times I ask isn't your concern," one of the interrogators said flatly.

"Hey, is this some kind of test? To see how well we can resist interrogation?"

"Ha. You've got quite an imagination."

"Fine. No matter what, even if you ask ten more times, my answer won't change." The boy named Keiichi remained unfazed.

"That makes this even more interesting. So you all agreed on your stories beforehand?" The interrogator narrowed his eyes.

"Why deny an accusation if there's no way to prove it?"

"Hmph! Tell us everything you know about the incident last Friday night."

"I've already explained what happened countless times. How many more times do I have to repeat myself before you're satisfied? Team 25 clearly did a great service. We were the ones who discovered that Sand Ninja spy sneaking around. We did Konoha a good turn, so I don't understand why I'm still here being interrogated!"

The boy, his Konoha Forehead Protector in place, looked utterly aggrieved.

The interrogator remained unmoved and asked calmly, "Who first realized he was a spy?"

"Our Team 25 leader, Tatsuya-sensei."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Then who killed the spy?"

"I did."

"Why did you kill him?"

"..."

The boy was speechless. He looked at the two men as if they were idiots.

"Speak!"

"They were enemies of Konoha. Wasn't killing him the obvious thing to do?"

"But then there's no one left to testify, is there?" The interrogator spread his hands, a mocking smile on his face.

"I couldn't help it. He was strong, almost at Jonin level. Our team had no chance of taking him alive. We were lucky to kill him with only one of us dying."

"Do you know what he was doing undercover in Konoha?"

"How could I possibly know?" Keiichi said helplessly. "As soon as our leader called out his identity, the fight started. We didn't exchange a single word before I killed him."

After that fight to the death, Keiichi had almost begun to doubt whether the Naruto manga was realistic. How could the protagonists manage to say so much to the villains during a fight? It was practically child's play.

In reality, when you were fighting for your life with death hanging over you, your nerves were wound tight. Who had time for a "talk no jutsu"?!

"Your word alone proves nothing. That means the only ones who know how strong he was are the members of Team 25, doesn't it?"

"Are you seriously suspecting us? What reason would we have to betray Konoha?" Keiichi stared at him in disbelief.

"You never know. Maybe you disagreed over how to divide the spoils and decided to destroy the evidence."

As interrogators, they'd seen all sorts of bizarre cases. Naturally, they suspected everyone.

Keiichi tipped his head back and glanced at the harsh light. At first, its warmth had been gentle, almost soothing against his skin. But as the interrogation dragged on, the heat pressing down on him had grown more oppressive. Now it even felt like a burning pain.

And after explaining what had happened again and again, his mouth had gone completely dry. He was badly dehydrated, and his thirst was nearly overpowering his reason.

Still, Keiichi had to be grateful for their "restraint." From what he'd learned about interrogation at the Ninja Academy, their methods were practically "gentle." There were plenty of techniques a hundred times worse.

He could only assume that they were holding back because he was still a Konoha ninja.

But if this went on much longer, he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to resist his thirst and keep himself from saying something irrational.

"You can judge how strong he was from the traces left by the battle. That's a skill they teach at the Ninja Academy. Do you Anbu not know how to do even that?" Keiichi shot back.

"Exactly. That's why we found some interesting inconsistencies. That's also why you're sitting here being interrogated."

At that, Keiichi remained unfazed, as if he'd expected it.

What the interrogators didn't know was that he'd planned what to say long ago. By guiding the conversation with his carefully chosen words, he'd quietly sped up the interrogation.

Only now was the real test beginning. They'd spent all that time circling around the subject, but hadn't actually gotten to the point.

It was nothing more than a way to "tire out the hawk."

But if the hawk wasn't some harmless fledgling, it was anyone's guess who would tire out whom.

Seeing Keiichi say nothing, the other interrogator impatiently pressed him. "Come clean now, and we can go easy on you. Don't wait until we uncover something and then confess. That'll make this a whole different matter."

"Sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Then let me remind you. After examining the battlefield, we found that someone seemed to have used [Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet] during the fight. Don't tell me you're going to claim it was the Sand Ninja?" The interrogator sneered.

"He was skilled in Earth Release, so naturally it wasn't him," Keiichi replied without hesitation.

"Oh? I thought you were going to pin the blame on a dead man who couldn't speak." The interrogator sneered.

"I'm just telling the truth."

"So, as someone who took part in the battle, who used [Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet]?" The interrogator narrowed his eyes.

"I did. Is there a problem?" Keiichi admitted readily.

He'd never planned to hide it. He knew his teammates would all be interrogated too, and there was no way they could help him keep it secret. He might as well say it himself rather than give them reason to suspect him.

The interrogators were a little surprised by how readily he answered. They hadn't expected to get it out of him so easily.

"So you admit it?"

"Why shouldn't I? Is there something wrong with me knowing this technique?" Keiichi asked, puzzled.

"Hmph! Something wrong with it? There's plenty wrong with it!"

The other interrogator chimed in. "That's right. The biggest question is why you know this technique!"

It was hard to believe that Konoha Anbu would make such a fuss over a boy learning such a simple technique, even bringing in the Interrogation Department. It seemed like a huge overreaction.

But for a twelve-year-old who had lived in Konoha for "decades," none of this was surprising. Plenty of things in the Shinobi World were utterly absurd.

"What's the big deal? It's just a Fire Release Ninjutsu. Is that why you've been interrogating me all night?" Keiichi pretended not to understand, his expression full of disbelief.

"Do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be clueless?" The interrogator narrowed his eyes.

"I really don't understand. Iruka-sensei never told us about any of this."

"Never mind that [Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet] is a B-rank technique. You're a mere Genin, and a civilian-born one at that. How did you learn it? The real issue is that this is a secret technique of the Sarutobi Clan. Unless you're a member of the Sarutobi Clan or you have a teacher named Sarutobi, where did you learn this secret technique?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere turned icy.

Chapter 2: Passing

Steadying himself, Keiichi put on an innocent expression. "How would I know? When Tatsuya-sensei taught it to me, he never told me any of that."

"Tatsuya? Hmph, so you're going to shift the blame onto a dead man after all. He was your teacher!" the interrogator snapped, jumping to his feet.

Tatsuya was the only Konoha ninja to die in that battle. He'd been Team 25's leader for less than half a year.

Tatsuya had died protecting his teammates. He was no more than a mediocre Chunin, but he had the purest Will of Fire.

Keiichi felt sad about his death, but he'd done all he could. It was just bad luck, really.

Still, he could only apologize to Tatsuya now.

"But that's what happened. Do you expect me to make up some excuse and lie to you?" Keiichi replied without changing his expression.

"Fine, then. Why don't you make one up for me?" The interrogator asked with interest.

"What if I told you I learned it in my previous life? Would you believe me?"

At that, the two men couldn't help covering their mouths, afraid they'd burst out laughing.

What kind of absurd excuse was that? Only an idiot would believe it!

They'd almost forgotten that the person being interrogated was just a child. No matter how mature the Academy had made him, he was still at an age of innocence and wild imagination.

"Then who can prove what you're saying?"

"He taught it to me in private. No one can prove it." Keiichi thought for a moment, then shook his head in frustration.

"Why didn't you report it to your superior beforehand?"

"Why would I do that? Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill? Isn't it normal for a team leader to teach me ninjutsu? Do I have to report it to my superiors when I learn a technique? Iruka-sensei never told us that." Keiichi looked puzzled.

The two men froze and exchanged glances, suddenly at a loss for words. It was only then that they realized he was just a rookie who'd recently graduated from the Ninja Academy. It was hardly strange that he didn't understand the "unspoken rules" of the adult world.

The naïve side Keiichi showed now only made him seem even more straightforward. Maybe Tatsuya really had taught him the technique.