War Orphan

Looking at the plump, chubby worm before him, Chiba hesitated over whether to eat it or not.

He had been in this world for several days now, yet Chiba remained somewhat bewildered by his situation.

The body he currently inhabited was young, and aside from knowing that his name in this life was Chiba—a rather feminine name—he hadn't gathered much other information.

He only knew that this was the Land of Rain, a place engulfed in war, and if his deductions were correct, he had arrived in the world of Hokage.

Furthermore, based on some simple intelligence, Chiba was able to analyze that this was likely the era of the Second Great Ninja War.

Most crucially, he found himself right in the middle of a battlefield.

The original owner of this body had wandered aimlessly after his parents died, and from the known information, it was impossible to determine exactly where he was now.

Of course, compared to these things, what gave Chiba a headache at this moment was the matter of his empty stomach.

He hadn't eaten for several days.

Suddenly, Chiba's peripheral vision caught sight of a corpse.

"Hm? Maybe I can find something useful."

Approaching the corpse, Chiba didn't feel much fear; the craving brought on by hunger was stimulating every cell in this body.

In the face of such desire, all fear and feelings of disgust vanished completely.

Reaching his hand out toward the corpse, Chiba muttered to himself.

"There has to be food, I can't hold on much longer."

Suddenly, as he was rummaging, Chiba saw the forehead protector on the corpse's head.

"A ninja! And it looks like he's from Iwagakure?"

Inexplicably, Chiba shuddered violently, and a memory that did not belong to him surged up from the depths of his mind.

"Ah!"

A young, beautiful woman suddenly let out a loud cry of alarm.

The corpse that had suddenly appeared before her had truly frightened her.

"Eh? A dead body?"

A tall, sturdy young man nearby, upon seeing this, shouted not with fear, but with joy.

Turning the corpse over, the expression on the young man's face became even more delighted: "It's a ninja, maybe we can get something that can be exchanged for money. That way, we won't have to worry about food when we reach the next town."

Hearing the young man's words, the woman also became slightly excited, standing beside him to search through the belongings with equal enthusiasm.

The young boy nearby stared blankly at his parents, not understanding why they were suddenly so happy.

Suddenly, just as the young man picked up the ninja tool pouch, the crisp sound of a metal mechanism clicked clearly through the air.

"Click!"

Before any of them could react, a dense rain of senbon needles erupted from the ground, instantly engulfing the excited young couple.

"Pfft!" "Pfft, pfft!"

A fine mist of blood sprayed into the air, covering the boy's face.

Staring blankly at his parents, who had suddenly become riddled with holes, the boy appeared at a loss.

"Dad? Mom?"

"Dad!"

"Mom!"

After a long moment, the boy finally reacted and lunged toward them like a madman.

"Don't come over!"

His mother, who was less severely injured and not yet dead, used all her remaining strength to scream.

The boy stood frozen in place, looking at his mother in a daze.

The blood-soaked, pain-stricken woman before him made the boy feel a sense of unfamiliarity and fear.

"Mom?"

"Don't come over... cough, cough... it's dangerous."

The woman said with great difficulty as she coughed up blood.

Judging by the murky, blood-red color, it wasn't hard to conclude that she had been poisoned.

Looking at the bewildered child before her, the woman couldn't help but shed two lines of tears.

"I'm sorry, Chiba... I'm so sorry."

"Mom... sob, sob..."

The boy realized something and couldn't help but cover his mouth and weep.

"Chiba, Mom might not be able to stay with you anymore... from now on, you'll have to take care of yourself."

As she said this, the woman's eyes were filled with heartache and guilt.

"Chiba, in the future, you may encounter many pains you cannot bear. You must be strong; no matter how much pain you face, you must grit your teeth and hold on."

"Mom."

As if knowing that without her, the child before her would likely struggle to survive, the woman's eyes grew increasingly filled with guilt and agony.

"Strive to live on! Chiba! You must strive to live on; this is Mom's final wish."

"Mom, can you please not leave me behind!"

"Wuu-wuu--"

The boy knelt on the ground, begging through his tears.

The woman took one last deep look at the boy, her eyes filled with pain, guilt, hatred, and so much more.

The boy could not decipher the look in her eyes; he only knelt on the ground, weeping in despair.

"Chiba."

Finally, her gaze fixed on the boy, and she whispered a prayer over and over.

"If... if there truly is a god, please, God... protect this child."

As the light in the woman's eyes gradually faded, the boy let out a heart-wrenching cry.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Hum--"

With a buzzing in his mind, Chiba was jolted awake by the memories of this very body, retreating in terror.

It wasn't until he had backed away dozens of meters that Chiba sat blankly on the ground, gasping for air.

The sorrow and fear of this body were still vivid, making Chiba, who now occupied it, feel them as if they were his own.

Rather than saying his soul had taken over this body, it was more accurate to say his soul had merged with the original owner's.

It was only because the original soul was a boy with little experience or knowledge that his own consciousness remained dominant.

The boy had stayed blankly by his parents' corpses for three days until hunger became unbearable, causing him to wander aimlessly until he collapsed, which was when the current Chiba arrived.

Choosing to keep the name was a way to mourn the body's original owner and a farewell to his own past.

Glancing fearfully at the ninja corpses before him, Chiba suddenly stood up and bolted.

Chiba felt an almost instinctive terror toward these ninja corpses.

Suddenly, as Chiba sprinted, a streak like black lightning flashed past, and a pitch-black kunai grazed his nose before burying itself deep into the ground.

Feeling the slight sting on his nose, Chiba froze in place, looking toward the source of the kunai in terror.

"What is this? It really is just a common brat. I thought I'd run into another tasty prey."

A Rock Ninja with a head of yellow hair complained carelessly.

Staring blankly at the ninja before him, Chiba couldn't help but tremble.

Just a moment ago, he had nearly died.

To a ninja, he was probably nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

Soon, following the yellow-haired ninja's complaint, a standard four-man squad appeared before Chiba.

The black-haired middle-aged ninja leading them scanned Chiba with indifference, as if contemplating something.

Suddenly, a ninja with a face full of scars spoke up: "Kill him."

"War orphans like him will only suffer more if they stay alive. Instead of dying after enduring torture, it's better to finish him off now."

As he spoke, Scarface moved to kill Chiba.

Chiba shuddered violently, retreating in fear.

"Wait."

The black-haired leader suddenly stopped Scarface.

"Hm?"

Facing Scarface's puzzled look, the black-haired ninja revealed a cruel smile.

"Keep him. He might be useful."

Looking into the black-haired ninja's indifferent and sharp eyes, Chiba trembled even more inexplicably.

The meaning behind his "useful" was...