Year 48 of Konoha.
Inside Konoha's Anbu prison.
An elderly man, his back bent with age, slowly made his way deeper into the prison.
At last, he reached the inner cells, where his gaze settled on a young man.
The young man lounged on a battered bed, legs crossed and an air of ease about him. Hearing someone approach, he casually turned his head and gave a faint smile.
"Monkey, what's all the commotion outside? Is New Year coming early?" the young man asked teasingly.
The elderly man standing outside the cell was Hiruzen Sarutobi. He stared at the seemingly carefree young man and let out a deep sigh, his voice filled with grief and sorrow. "Lord Shi Xiu, the Nine-Tails has gone berserk. The Fourth Hokage..."
But before Hiruzen could finish, Shi Xiu cut him off without mercy.
"I know. The Nine-Tails went berserk, apparently under the control of the Uchiha Clan, and both Minato and Kushina died as a result. Sigh, I never should've let that boy Minato have Kushina!" Shi Xiu shook his head as he spoke, a trace of regret in his eyes.
Hiruzen fell silent. He privately grumbled, feeling utterly helpless and speechless at Shi Xiu's inappropriate remark.
After all, with the situation so dire, Shi Xiu was still casually making jokes about the past. It was impossible to fathom what was going through his mind.
That was right. Shi Xiu wasn't from this world. He'd once been an ordinary college student. One morning, he and his friend had planned to play a one-on-one game of Naruto before their first class, but a blinding flash of white light had appeared, and he'd found himself transported to the world of Naruto.
He hadn't expected to arrive in such a chaotic era, one torn apart by war!
The legendary Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were still just two little kids, barely out of their infancy.
As for Shi Xiu, by a twist of fate, he'd become their sworn brother.
Perhaps the heavens had taken pity on him. Shi Xiu had unexpectedly gained a miraculous cheat of his own: an endless lifespan and the unrestricted ability to copy all kinds of ninjutsu and the unique powers granted by rare Kekkei Genkai.
It was important to understand that this was different from Kakashi's copying. The Sharingan was powerful, but it couldn't copy Kekkei Genkai, innate abilities one was born with.
So, over the long, nearly endless years, Shi Xiu had used his absurdly powerful cheat to copy countless ninjutsu and all sorts of Kekkei Genkai.
For example, Hashirama Senju's awe-inspiring Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands; Madara Uchiha's domineering Complete Body Susanoo; and all the forbidden techniques wielded by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
He'd even collected the secret techniques carefully guarded by the other clans, one by one.
But as the saying went, a tall tree caught the wind. Shi Xiu's abilities were so unusual and powerful that he'd eventually aroused Tobirama Senju's wariness and suspicion.
Worried that Shi Xiu's existence would upset the current balance and order, Tobirama had arranged to have him locked up in this heavily guarded prison.
Although no one could hold him there if he used his full strength, Shi Xiu had no intention of escaping.
After all, he had food and drink here, and the main story of Naruto hadn't begun yet. Shi Xiu couldn't leave.
That was the price of gaining such a ridiculously overpowered ability: he had to take in Naruto Uzumaki.
Only Madara and the successive Hokage knew Shi Xiu's true identity. But now, only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew that Shi Xiu had lived from Hashirama's era to the present.
Shi Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Hiruzen with faint mockery before speaking.
"Haha, Monkey! You've come all this way to see me. What for? The Nine-Tails Incident only just ended, and the village is still in turmoil. You ought to be out there reassuring everyone. How come you've got the leisure to visit me instead?"
Hearing Shi Xiu's blunt words, Hiruzen kept his expression unchanged, but inwardly he groaned.
Hiruzen lowered his head slightly and considered the matter for a moment. Then he looked up at Shi Xiu, his gaze resolute, and spoke earnestly. "Lord Shi Xiu, the situation along the Land of Fire's border is unstable. There are always reckless troublemakers trying to stir up trouble. After giving it a lot of thought, I believe only someone as powerful as you can keep them in check and stop them from acting rashly. I hope you'll take the trouble to go to the border and ensure our land remains safe."
Shi Xiu let out a scornful laugh. How could he not see through Hiruzen's little scheme? On the surface, he was being asked to guard the border. In truth, it was just an excuse to get him out of the way.
After all, if he remembered correctly, the night the Uchiha Clan was massacred was only seven years away.
Hiruzen had probably already begun plotting against the Uchiha Clan. Once the seeds of suspicion were planted, they would soon take root and sprout.
Hiruzen was probably worried that Shi Xiu was close to Madara Uchiha and might interfere with his plans when the time came. That was why he wanted to send Shi Xiu far away first.
The more Shi Xiu thought about Hiruzen's scheming, the more contempt he felt.
"Monkey, you're getting bolder by the day! You actually think you can scheme against me?"
Shi Xiu slightly raised his slender fingers. Almost at once, a rustling sound came from the ground as countless thick, sturdy vines burst up through it.
They twisted like serpents, and in the blink of an eye, they had bound Hiruzen tightly in place.
The moment Hiruzen was caught by the sudden vines, a dozen or so Anbu members in black outfits and strange masks appeared like phantoms. They took their positions in front of him, forming an unbreakable human wall to shield him.
Shi Xiu narrowed his eyes. His deep, dark eyes began to change, slowly turning completely white, like two cold stars.
"Byakugan!" he said in a low voice, and a powerful, invisible ocular force burst forth.
Through those chilling white eyes, Shi Xiu's gaze seemed able to pierce through every obstacle and fall directly on the Anbu members.
In just a moment, the faces hidden behind their mysterious masks became clear to him.
But Shi Xiu was somewhat disappointed. He didn't find the face he'd been searching for among the Anbu.
Thinking it over, that made sense. Given the current timeline, Shisui wouldn't officially join the Anbu until three years later.
Though he hadn't found Shisui, Shi Xiu did catch sight of another familiar face: a long, narrow scar over the left eye, and the unmistakable blood-red Sharingan.
"So it's Kakashi..." Shi Xiu murmured, a complicated feeling rising in his heart.