Abandoning Darkness and Embracing Light

Creak—

The piercing sound of the cell door opening jolted Li Tong, who had only just drifted off to sleep a few hours ago, awake. He leaned against the corner of the wall, lifted his head, and squinted slightly. The Anbu ninja who entered held a filthy, broken bowl containing two rice balls wrapped in seaweed.

It was time for the prisoners' breakfast.

The mysteriously attired Anbu ninja walked up to Li Tong with cold eyes, set the bowl down, and turned to leave without a word.

Creak—

The cell door closed again, plunging the room back into dim light. Li Tong glanced at the rice balls in the broken bowl and felt absolutely no desire to eat.

Although he was starving, the bowl was too filthy; he would rather die than eat food served in such a container.

Damn it... how do I get out of here? If this keeps up, even if they don't kill me, I'll starve to death... Li Tong muttered, looking down at the shackles on his wrists.

A few hours ago, he had managed to pick the lock, only to put the cuffs back on himself later. He hadn't found a suitable moment to escape, and while his desire to survive was intense, this was the notorious Anbu prison of Konoha!

It's a pity my chakra is so scarce, and I don't seem to have much strength.

Li Tong had already attempted to convert chakra earlier. Having been familiar with the original work and the world, the process went smoothly; the original owner of this body had been a ninja, after all.

They'll probably interrogate me again soon... Li Tong thought. Unlike when he had first woken up, he was now completely calm. He had recognized the "reality" of his situation, allowing him to think clearly, analyze his predicament, and search for a way to turn the tables.

He needed an opportunity—a chance to escape.

Half an hour later.

Creak—

The door was pushed open once more.

Two mysteriously attired Anbu ninjas entered first, hung torches in the grooves on either side of the door, and then retreated.

Three more ninjas entered the cell one after another. They were all "acquaintances": besides the Anbu captain White Fang and the interrogation ninja Chen He, the third was an Anbu medical ninja codenamed Qingsuo. Although Li Tong had only seen him once, with his True Sight Eye, he would never misidentify anyone he had encountered before.

White Fang walked in front, stopping a few paces away from Li Tong. He tilted his head to glance at the food delivered earlier, a flicker of light passing through the eyes behind his mask.

"Are you on a hunger strike?" White Fang asked in a low voice.

"The bowl is dirty," Li Tong replied, meeting White Fang's gaze. He was actually quite curious about what White Fang looked like under that mask.

White Fang didn't dwell on the hunger strike, instead getting straight to the point with a detached tone: "Since you have lost your memory and don't remember your past, the current you has nothing to do with the past you. You can start a new life. Do you understand?"

"What do you mean?" Li Tong countered. He suddenly noticed that in White Fang's status information, the relationship column had shifted from hostile to neutral.

"After deliberation, we have decided to recruit you into Konoha," White Fang continued. "If you agree, then from today on, you will be a Konoha ninja. Of course, you will also become a rogue ninja of Amegakure."

"Recruit me?" Li Tong's eyes brightened. A sudden turn of events!

Yet, he found it strange. Would Konoha just casually recruit prisoners?

"Yes, recruit you! But you must make a clean break with Amegakure! If we discover you still have ties to them, then... you should understand the consequences."

"I agree!" Li Tong didn't hesitate for a second.

Although betraying one's original village to join an enemy was dishonorable, it meant nothing to him. If he could have chosen his reincarnation, he never would have chosen to be an Amegakure ninja. In the original story, Amegakure was a dark, dismal place, while Konoha was far more normal.

Moreover, the two main protagonists of the original work, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, were Konoha ninjas, as were a vast number of other important characters. Konoha was the core of the original story.

Leaving Amegakure to join Konoha could at least be considered turning over a new leaf.

"I'm glad you agree." White Fang maintained his detached tone, but he stepped forward and extended a hand toward Li Tong: "Welcome to Konoha!"

Li Tong hurriedly raised his hands and gripped White Fang's.

White Fang pulled firmly, hauling Li Tong to his feet, and then added: "However, I must warn you: because you are a defector, you will face a lot of pressure in the village. For the short term, many people will harbor hostility toward you."

"I understand," Li Tong replied.

"More importantly!" White Fang's voice suddenly turned serious. "Because you betrayed Amegakure, they will definitely send people to assassinate you and eliminate the traitor! Although the village will protect you, we cannot guarantee you will be completely safe. You must rely on yourself. Be careful, understand?"

"Understood!" Li Tong nodded decisively.

Whatever White Fang said now, Li Tong would nod. He just wanted to leave this damned, filthy prison as soon as possible, take a comfortable bath, and put on clean clothes.

White Fang sensed that Li Tong hadn't fully grasped the gravity of his words. He paused and continued: "It seems you still don't understand your situation. Let me be clear: in the last year alone, we have recruited eight ninjas in similar situations to yours."

"Am I the ninth?"

"And the only one still alive."

"Oh?" Li Tong's heart jolted.

"Of the first eight, four died to assassinations by their original villages, two died on missions, and two went missing—essentially confirmed dead. Even those who died on missions had suspicious circumstances, implying they were assassinated during their duties. In other words, the mortality rate for enemy ninjas who defect to Konoha is 100%. Furthermore, to protect those who defect to us, Konoha has already lost over ten ninjas, including two Anbu members."

"This..." Li Tong blinked at White Fang, his expression strange. After a long moment, he asked: "If that's the case, why do you want me to join Konoha? It seems there's no benefit for Konoha or for me."

White Fang pondered for a moment, as if considering whether to tell Li Tong. He paused before saying: "It doesn't hurt to tell you; we need your cooperation anyway... This is a plan established by our Third Hokage regarding turning enemies and utilizing prisoners for Konoha. The key to this plan is that Konoha must prove to the outside world that any ninja who genuinely joins us will be treated fairly and receive sufficient protection. Only then will those important, die-hard prisoners stop resisting to the end and join us instead... As the tide turns, if this plan succeeds, it will be of great benefit to Konoha in the war!"

Li Tong finally understood!

No wonder White Fang had come today and so abruptly offered to recruit him.

It turned out Konoha had long had this plan, but it had never succeeded. Every previous enemy who defected had died! Li Tong just happened to fit the criteria, making him an important piece of this plan.

Konoha would do its best to ensure Li Tong didn't die!

But judging by the previous examples, the moment Li Tong stepped out of here, he would be met with a storm of lethal crises!

For some reason, Li Tong felt a flicker of excitement.

"I understand. No problem at all, I want to join Konoha!" Li Tong said, as if he had carefully considered it, though in reality, he had no other choice.