Rebirth

A streak of lightning flashed across the horizon. The farmers toiling under the blazing sun didn't notice, and the ninjas carrying out missions had no time to pay it any mind. The civilians couldn't sense it either. That man had arrived.

A burst of crying rang out in a wooden house. "Waaah! Waaah!" An elderly woman held a baby and laid him beside his mother on the bed. The mother gazed at the baby, her eyes shining with maternal warmth. A middle-aged man walked in from outside and looked at the child and the woman lying in bed. "You've worked hard, Meiko." Looking at the chubby little fellow, the stern man's expression softened. "Let's call him Zhuang. His nickname can be Dazhuang. Uchiha Zhuang." The woman chuckled. "That's a plain name. But it's our greatest wish, too: that he grows up safe and strong." And so, the legendary man of this world was born—ordinary in every way, yet as natural as could be. As for Comrade Qimoji, he had only just been born and couldn't break free of nature's restraints, so he spent his days lost in an infant's haze.

Konoha, the largest and most prosperous human settlement in the ninja world. "This is amazing!" Dazhuang waved his arms and legs in excitement. Comrade Qimoji was one of the countless people who'd traveled across worlds. He'd never imagined that he would transmigrate, let alone end up in such a wondrous world of ninja seals, bald heads, and whatever the hell "gay" meant.

Back on Earth, he'd been nothing more than a wage slave, working for the president of the world. Yes, Dazhuang was Qimoji, and Qimoji had been a native of Earth in his previous life. That Earth had the technology to explore the Milky Way and laboratories that studied the speed of light. Its people had begun exploring the galaxy, too. Their greatest achievement was uniting Earth under one strong leader, whom everyone called the World President. Through research into neutron particles, he had also led the people of Earth to discover the existence of another Earth in a gap in the stratosphere. Its people looked much like those on Earth, but were more hot-tempered. It had all kinds of anime fans, and a similar course of history and technological development, but lagged about ten thousand years behind Earth. Later, to maintain the balance between Earth's dimensions, the World President chose not to invade the other Earth, instead studying and monitoring it. The two worlds had coexisted peacefully for thousands of years.

At last, after working grueling 996 hours, his day to rise above it all had come. Now that he'd arrived in this world, he would take control of it and turn it into his farm. Dazhuang smiled mysteriously. As a transmigrator with a mature mind, he knew he had to keep his head down and build himself up after arriving. No reckless moves. Six Paths souls wandered this world, along with the reincarnations of two chosen ones. Then there was Madara's plan to destroy the world and the schemes of ambitious men to resurrect themselves. Thinking of it all gave Dazhuang a headache. Forget it. He'd focus on developing his own strength first. Only when he was strong enough could he carry out his plans. "Dazhuang, dinner's ready." At the call, Dazhuang headed to the dining room. Uchiha Meiko, his mother, was a civilian Uchiha. His father, Uchiha Genki, was a Chunin. "Meiko, what era is this? Who's Hokage?" Smack! Meiko bopped him on the head. "Don't be disrespectful. I'm your mother; you should call me Mother. It's the Second, Lord Senju Tobirama, who rules over us." Then Meiko sighed. "Your father hasn't been home for three months. I don't know which battlefield he's on. We finally had peace, but it's been broken again." How long had the war been going on? Oh, more than a year. Dazhuang thought it over. How long had the First Shinobi World War lasted? Three years or ten? He couldn't remember. Time was getting tight. He needed to start training. "Mom, I'll be five in a few months. I want to go to the Ninja Academy." "Oh, isn't that too early? Don't children usually start at seven? And you haven't even been tested. We don't know if you can get into the Ninja Academy." "I'm sure I can. Don't worry, Meiko." "All right. If your father still hasn't come back in a few months, I'll send you to the Ninja Academy. But remember, no fighting. Study hard. When you grow up, you could become an architect or a teacher." Dazhuang was speechless. It was the same in his old world: parents mapped out their children's futures so early that they left them nowhere to go. Couldn't parents restrain themselves from this bad habit? "I'm full. I'm going out to play." "Hey, eat some more. You're still growing." Meiko looked at her five-year-old son, who was already 1.2 meters tall, and still thought he looked skinny as a monkey.

Now that no one was around, he could summon the system. Standing in an open patch among the trees, Dazhuang called up his transmigration system. Ding! Transmigrator detected. System binding initiated. Binding successful. A beginner's gift pack has been granted. Open it? Open. Ding! Ten lottery keys. Draw? Yes. Ding! You have drawn ten Epic Gift Boxes. Open them? "What the hell?" Uchiha Zhuang clutched his forehead. What a dumb system. Open the boxes. Ding! Congratulations, Transmigrator. You have obtained one bottle of Chakra Essence (Gold), one Five Elements Eight Trigrams Body Tempering Manual, one Perfect Warrior Serum (Purple), one Flowing Light Red Dragon Tachi (Purple), one pair of Boots of Haste (Green), Chakra Cultivation Technique (Green), one bottle of Gene Repair Fluid (Purple), Golden Cicada Armor (Blue), five Gold Exchange Coupons (Gray), Kage Level Ninja Insights (Blue), and one Soul Portrait Evolution Fluid (Gold). The items appeared in his mind, leaving Uchiha Zhuang stunned. What was this? He was ridiculously lucky! He was set, folks. This time, he could punch Kage Level powerhouses and kick Orochimaru in the Boruto era. Happiness was that simple. Once he'd calmed down, Uchiha Zhuang reminded himself not to rush. You couldn't eat a whole fat man in one bite; you had to take things one at a time. He'd start by learning the Chakra Cultivation Technique and the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Body Tempering Manual. Then he put on the Golden Cicada Armor and Boots of Haste and slung the sword across his back. The clothes could be hidden instantly, but the weapon couldn't be stored. What was he supposed to do? The system had an inventory, and anything produced by the system could be stored in it. Uchiha Zhuang then realized that if there was a system, there had to be a shop. He checked, only to learn that he had to complete a mission to unlock it: exterminate a bandit hideout. Fine, he'd accept the mission. But he wouldn't rush into it. There was no time limit, and Uchiha Zhuang knew that right now, he was just a little kid. Any adult could knock him flying. Better to be careful.

That night, Uchiha Zhuang finished dinner early and told his mother he wanted to train and not be disturbed. Meiko smiled, thinking that the child was still so young—what could he know about training? Still, they had some notes and tips about chakra training that Genki had written. Meiko had asked Genki to write them when she was bored, but she hadn't had the aptitude to master chakra extraction. Now Uchiha Zhuang could study them. After all, children were more likely to have the talent for it. In his room, Uchiha Zhuang first drank the Gene Repair Fluid. After the usual intense pain and spasms, followed by passing out as if he were about to die, he woke three hours later. Waves of weakness washed over him, like the aftermath of a serious illness. Filth had been expelled from his body. He dragged himself out of his room and devoured food in the kitchen. Only after eating what amounted to three or four days' worth of meals did he slowly regain his strength. Then he went to the bathroom and carefully washed himself and his clothes. Back in his room, he looked at the Perfect Warrior Serum in his hand and hesitated. He'd wait until tomorrow, when he felt better, before using it. He couldn't rush. Stay steady. He only had one life, so he had to play it safe. Back in bed, Uchiha Zhuang flipped through the Kage Level Ninja Insights and the Chakra Cultivation Technique before slowly falling asleep. But his body was changing bit by bit. His bones grew denser, his red blood cell count rose, and his heart enlarged. His various organs grew to some extent, and his cells seemed full of vitality. If his old body had been like a beat-up tricycle, now it was quietly evolving. Perhaps it would become a Mercedes, a tank, a fighter jet, or even an aircraft carrier. In any case, it was a gradual process.

A new day.