Who Turned My Ninja World Instance to Hard Mode?!

The night was as dark as ink, with the bright moonlight spilling over the desolate mountain range.

In the distance, the waterway shimmered with ripples under the moonlight; the small boat carrying Itachi and Obito had long since vanished into the depths of the mountains.

The mountain wind was fierce, whipping the black-cloaked, red-cloud-patterned robe until it snapped loudly.

Uchiha Kou stood upon a protruding rock, gazing up at the full moon, his expression as bleak as the barren mountains themselves.

He felt a sense of "grieving for the rabbit when the fox dies" regarding the inevitable destruction of the Uchiha clan, mixed with a profound sorrow for his own precarious future.

He let out a sigh—a deep, heavy exhale, as if he were trying to purge all the pent-up frustration from his chest.

To be honest, as a transmigrator, he felt he had lived quite a pathetic life.

Uchiha Kou was a transmigrator; in his previous life, he was just an ordinary high school student.

He had died suddenly from excitement while tackling the final problem during his college entrance exams, collapsing just one day before his liberation.

When he opened his eyes again, he found he had transmigrated—and into the Naruto world, where human life was worth less than a dog's!

Back then, lying in his swaddling clothes and staring at the ceiling, only one thought had crossed his mind:

It's over. I'm screwed.

No, being transmigrated into Naruto was one thing, but couldn't you at least give me a system?

I wasn't asking to soar to the heavens, but even a check-in system would have been fine! Just log in every day and get some rewards!

And the result? Nothing! Not even a beginner's gift pack!!

What was even more infuriating was that his surname was Uchiha!!

The moment he learned that, Kou felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Transmigrating into Naruto and being an Uchiha—who wouldn't be envious of such a starting point?

Massive chakra reserves, the Sharingan—a value-retaining asset that remains relevant even into the Boruto era—this was a top-tier "Celestial Dragon" setup, the ultimate lucky-draw start!

But if he had a choice, he would rather have been an ordinary Konoha citizen.

The reason was simple: it was that infamous "execution line," the darkest event in the ninja world, the favorite mini-game of the naturally evil white-haired loli-lover.

The family-friendly mini-game from the first-person perspective of Uchiha Itachi: the Uchiha Eraser.

Under normal circumstances, he might have chuckled at this dark joke, acting like a "naturally evil" Senju brat for a few seconds.

But now...

Kids, this isn't funny!! (Serious)

Uchiha Itachi and that masked man hiding in the shadows—with these two murderers together, the scene was too horrific for him to even look at!

I'm going to fight Uchiha Itachi and the father of the Rubik's Cube (Obito)? Is this for real?!

When he learned that he was the same age as Kakashi and Obito, and that it was still several years before the birth of that "CS" (child-slaughtering) Uchiha Itachi, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

With the foresight of a transmigrator and the bloodline advantage of the Uchiha clan, he believed living until the finale would be a breeze.

No, not just living until the finale—how could a transmigrator's ambition be so small?

Cultivate immortal arts, unlock the Mangekyo, awaken the Rinnegan, become the Six Paths, create a world where Rin... ahem, sorry, wrong script.

In short, punching Madara and kicking aliens—a life of invincible pleasure was beckoning to him!

There was plenty of time; he could even steam it!

Woohoo! Never had there been such a wonderful start!

This is in the bag; just follow Kou-ge's rhythm!!

Back then, lying in his crib and waving his chubby little fists, he had been full of confidence in the future.

But as he grew older, reality hit him like a basin of ice water, chilling him to the bone.

His talent, within the genius-packed Uchiha clan, could only be considered slightly above average.

He wasn't a "dead-last," but he certainly wasn't the kind of existence people looked up to.

After realizing this reality, he felt a moment of disappointment, but he quickly pulled himself together.

After all, he was a transmigrator! Even without a system or a golden finger, he had intelligence in his brain!

Hashirama cells, the Chimera Technique, the Dragon Vein, or at the very least, the Eight Inner Gates... there were plenty of opportunities to defy fate!

Besides, the name of this show was Ninja Village War: The Legend of Eyes!

He was an Uchiha in this life; as long as he unlocked the Mangekyo, everything would be fine!

As a child, Kou would ruffle the hair of Uchiha Kenji, who lived next door, convinced of this in his heart.

However, cruel reality soon taught him a lesson.

It wasn't until he entered the Ninja Academy that he truly understood what being a "ninja" meant.

When a group of six or seven-year-old kids sat in the classroom, listening with earnest faces as the teacher explained which parts of the human body were vital points and how to kill with a single strike, Kou and his companions were completely stunned.

Kenji, sitting beside him, hadn't understood a word, scratching his head in bewilderment.

Kou understood, but it was precisely because he understood that he was stunned.

Although he had long been mentally prepared for the cruelty of the ninja world, experiencing it firsthand was a shock that someone raised under the red flag in his past life found truly difficult to accept.

On that day, Uchiha Kou realized the darkness of this ninja world.

This ninja world... was truly rotten to the core.

From that moment on, all the wishful thinking and fantasies in his heart vanished.

Surviving in this cruel ninja world became his top priority.

He brought out the traditional virtues of his homeland and began to grind like a madman.

While others were playing, he was practicing shuriken; while others were sleeping, he was refining chakra; while others were falling in love, he was studying ninjutsu.

Four o'clock in the morning in Konoha had already become a daily routine for Kou.

After several years, he successfully became the face of the new generation of the Uchiha clan, second only to Kakashi among his peers.

Back then, he naively thought that everything was developing in a good direction, and that as long as he kept growing, he would be invincible in the late game!!

Then... the war came.

The Third Shinobi World War was like a meat grinder, dragging everyone in and crushing them into dust.

Most of his classmates died, and all the members of his squad perished as well...

Only he survived, relying on his mediocre strength and the insignificant foresight he possessed as a transmigrator, clinging to life.

But what did surviving even matter?

He couldn't change a single thing.

Those so-called "intel" pieces were too grand, so grand that they were completely beyond his reach.

So grand that, with his insufficient strength at the time, he didn't even have the qualifications to strive for those opportunities to become stronger.

Without sufficient strength, he, with his Uchiha bloodline, didn't dare to make contact with Hiruko or Orochimaru, who were still in the village at the time.

He didn't have the capital to gamble—to bet that they wouldn't lay a hand on him.

Even knowing the trajectory of the future, he could do absolutely nothing; he could only struggle in the torrent of history, watching those he cherished get swept away one by one, unable to do a thing.

"Heh."

Kou gazed at the full moon, his lips curling into a self-deprecating arc.

"To end up like this, I'm probably the most pathetic transmigrator of them all."

Kou looked at the full moon and smiled bitterly. That smile was full of self-mockery and helplessness.

He couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

A long while later, as a breeze brushed past, his gaze suddenly changed.

Reflected in the moonlight, a flash of scarlet flickered within his black eyes.

Three black tomoe slowly emerged in his eyes, rotating steadily upon the red irises.

In a single instant, he drew the blade from his back and slashed behind him!

The blade cut through the air with a sharp hiss, the moonlight hitting the steel and reflecting a cold, white light.

Whether in reaction or execution, Kou's movements had already reached the level of a Kage.

The blade passed through the figure behind him, but there was no sensation of hitting a solid object; it was as if he had sliced through a formless phantom.

His gaze followed the blade, illuminated by the moonlight, to the familiar figure behind him wearing a swirl-patterned mask.

The sword passed through the man's body, yet he didn't care in the slightest, merely looking at the Kou before him and speaking slowly in a hoarse voice:

"What are you doing standing here, Kou?"

Kou looked at the familiar figure before him, his vigilance not only failing to dissipate but deepening even further.

Uchiha Obito.

The most "devoted" man in the ninja world, the instigator of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the harshest father of the Cube (Naruto mobile game studio), the culprit behind countless tragedies in the ninja world...

He was also the hot-blooded idiot who grew up with him, the one who lived right next door.

He was the friend he had once tried to deliberately distance himself from, the tragedy he had later wanted to change, yet ultimately failed to alter in any way—his former friend.

And also, his current—boss.